ROW 80 Check-In--4/17/11

I'm taking a short hiatus from ROW80 until early May (hopefully).  We decided to give up our house in December and while we are already moved into our apartment, we still do not have everything moved out of our old house.  We found out recently that the house will be auctioned on April 28th.  We're not sure if we have to have everything out by then, but we're not taking any chances.  We still have the rest of my books to move and we have a lot of stuff to put in storage over at my mom's house.  My husband and I are doing this by ourselves and it's a lot of work so I really have to focus on that right now.  My plan is to jump back in with ROW80 the first week in May, if all goes well.  We shall see!

Hope everyone else is having a successful time this round!

ROW80 Goals--Round Two

I am SO ready for this round because I feel that I'm better prepared and ready to really get some work done this time out.

Here is my list of goals:

• one hour daily--devoted initially to research, later to be devoted to the writing
• 1/2 hour daily--reading about the craft (Thanks, Liz!)
• daily journal entry

I think these are modest and manageable goals.  We'll see how they evolve as round two progresses.

Cheers to the other writers participating this round.

ROW80--Round 1 Final Check-In

Although I did not accomplish as much as I wanted this round, I did at least dip my toes back into the world of journaling, which is one thing I have been wanting to do.  I am looking forward to the next round.  Although I feel I could have done more, I am looking at it like Round 1 was a warm-up for Round 2.  I'm going to spend the break getting organized with my to do list and brainstorming more story ideas.  So here's to Round 2! Let the journey continue.....

Want to see how others did in Round 1?  Go HERE.

ROW80 Check-In--3/9/11

I'm still here! Just keep missing updates.  The cattle prod needs to be utilized to get me to post these updates.  Anyway, I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough.  I can't explain it and I'm not sure if other writers experience this (I'm sure they do), but the feeling is there nonetheless. 

I was at the library today printing out some stuff and checking out some research material and I came across this book:  The Secret Miracle:  The Novelist's Handbook edited by Daniel Alarcon.  Here's the synopsis from goodreads: 

The world's best contemporary writers -- from Michael Chabon and Claire Messud to Jonathan Lethem and Amy Tan -- engage in a wide-ranging, insightful, and oft-surprising roundtable discussion on the art of writing fiction.

Drawing back the curtain on the mysterious process of writing novels, The Secret Miracle brings together the foremost practitioners of the craft to discuss how they write. Paul Auster, Roddy Doyle, Allegra Goodman, Aleksandar Hemon, Mario Vargas Llosa, Susan Minot, Rick Moody, Haruki Murakami, George Pelecanos, Gary Shteyngart, and others take us step by step through the alchemy of writing fiction, answering everything from nuts-and-bolts queries -- Do you outline? -- to perennial questions posed by writers and readers alike -- What makes a character compelling? -- From Stephen King's deadpan distinction between novels and short stories ("Novels are longer and have more s**t in them") to Colm Toibin's anti-romanticized take on his characters ("They are just words") to Manuel Prieto's mature perspective on the anxieties of influence ("Influences are felt or weigh you down more when young"), every page contains insights found nowhere else.

With honesty, humor, and elegance, The Secret Miracle gives both aspiring writers and lovers of literature a master class in the art of writing.

Some of my favorite authors are featured in the pages of this book and it's really inspiring to hear them talk about different aspects of their writing.  And it's broken down into categories so I can just read the parts that I find most helpful. 

The journaling has stagnated somewhat, but I'm renewing my efforts on that front.  And I'm working on utilizing the list method like my friend J. at 365 Days of Novel Writing.  Hopefully, I'll have a good system in place, be journaling in full swing, and have the bud of a story by the time this round ends.  I will say...I'm determined. *puts on determined face*

ROW80 Check-In: 2/23/11

Well, I guess I'm back from my 'hiatus'...really just a two week rut.  No motivation whatsoever and swimming in self-doubt, I just couldn't seem to spend even an hour a day.  I had come up with a new idea and had started researching it, but then I started second guessing that too.  Now I'm not so sure if it's a good one or not...or I guess what I'm saying is that when I get stalled on how to transition the idea from research to the actual story, I just freeze.  So that's something I'm working on, hoping I can work through it in journaling.  That's one positive note...journaling.  I was watching the brilliant mini-series "Any Human Heart" on Masterpiece Classic (PBS) the other night and the main character in the film is a dedicated journal writer.  I was inspired! I have returned to the daily journaling.  Now, I think I'm going to do some brainstorming, decide if I still want to go with this story idea or come up with something else.  I'm also going to spend some of my daily time referring to some of my writing books to see if I can get some tips on transitioning from the research to building the story.  Still aiming for one hour per day.  We'll see how it goes.

On a positive note, regarding ROW80:  without this challenge, I would not feel accountable and old me would have just stayed in the rut.  ROW80 is holding me accountable and that in itself is just brilliant!

Note:  If you share your ideas for what motivates you, I will give you a virtual cookie. =O)  (the image don't lie)

ROW80 Check-In: 2/6/2011 (late)

I've been bad and have not checked in for a week.  I sort of have a legitimate excuse.  I had a bad stomach virus that had me down for a week.  But I also have to be honest and say that I have been less than motivated on journaling and the other tasks I set for myself.  However, during my down time I was watching a documentary and was inspired with a new idea.  I have begun research on it and I have a couple of books to pick up at the library...which I will do tomorrow.  This subject is something that has fascinated me for a long time and I'm trying to determine how best to tell the story without making it a rehash.  A bit of a challenge, but I think I can work it out.  I'm kicking around some ideas and I think my research will help.  So, in the next couple of days, I'm going to pick up my research materials at the library, continue my research on the new idea, and re-evaluate my goals as far as time spent researching and a new, non-fail approach to journaling.  I will have my new 'system' for you on Wednesday. 

Until then, keep on keeping on!

ROW80 Check-In: 1/26/2011

I'm in a rut...the kind of rut you get in when that terrible trait called procrastination rears it's ugly head.  My ideas are all over the place so the research is not going well and I've even started slacking on the journaling...already! I'm still trying to devote an hour each day, but it's getting hard.  I really probably should have waited until we have completely finished moving (yes, we started moving during the holidays, but due to bad weather, we are still moving stuff from old to new digs...ugh) to sign up for a writing challenge, but I really don't want to put my writing on the back burner anymore.  It's like there is this little subconscious cook inside me that is always trying to slide it on to that back burner.  I think I need to fire him!

So...my goal until next check-in is to reduce my daily time to 45 minutes...for the time being.  That will be 15 minutes for journaling and 30 minutes for research, note taking , etc.  We will see how it goes!  

How are things going in your writing world?