Happy Belated 4th!

So, the Fourth of July has come and gone. It marks the mid-point of the year, and I can't believe how fast time goes by. Every year about this time, I start reflecting on what kind of progress I've made. Some of you will remember that back in January, I set a few goals for myself. I've been thinking about those goals today. Some, I've made great strides toward. Others, not so much. My first goal was to finish revisions on my current project and to start on my next one. Well, I'm happy to say that I'm within days of completing revisions, and I've begun mapping out my next project. I can't complain there. My second goal was to expand on my social networking while balancing it with family and writing time. I hate to admit this, but I've actually gone backwards here. I'm not complaining, though. I think this was an unnecessary goal for me at this stage of the game. (Not the balancing part, but the expansion of social networking part.) I'll elaborate on this later this week, but for now, I'd love to know how your 2010 goals are coming along. Are you happy with your progress? Or, are you feeling pressure to increase your efforts? I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July, and for my Canadian friends, a spectacular Canada Day!

Balancing it All

This week, I have shared with you some of the goals I have for the coming year. They aren't lofty or unreachable. Every single one of them is within my power to achieve. I've saved the most difficult yet most important one for last. My eleven-year-old son told me one time that when I'm writing, it makes him nervous. Now that wasn't exactly something I wanted to hear. After further investigation into what he meant, I realized that what made him nervous was that he had to be quiet and careful not to disturb me. Any parent who works from home expects their children to show some respect and let them do their job. The problem is, I was working all the time. He never had a chance to be loud and obnoxious like eleven-year-olds can be. It wasn't fair for me to ask any of my children to be quiet the entire time they were home. One of my goals for 2010 is to balance family time with my writing, just like I would with any other job. I'd like to keep my writing, researching, social networking, etc. confined to the times that won't interfere with my family. In other words, I want to do these things when my kids are gone or otherwise engaged. I've decided to make this my biggest priority. I don't want to make my son nervous, now, do I? So how do you handle your writing time? Do you force silence upon your house at all hours of the day? Or do you limit your writing to when it doesn't interfere with the family? Have a great weekend!

Footprints Lead the Way

I've always been a pantster when it comes to writing. With my completed manuscript, I only started with an image of two characters. Their story unfolded as I wrote it. With my second and third projects, I started with basic plot ideas, but within a chapter or two, those ideas turned into something else entirely. There are definite creative advantages to writing like this. None of my projects would have ended up with the story line they did if I'd had a plan. Unfortunately, there are also some major disadvantages. In the end, there is a great deal of rewriting, revising, and editing required. With my first project, because the plot didn't present itself for several chapters, my characters lacked internal motivation to act the way the new plot required them to act. Therefore, I've ended up rewriting the entire thing. The point I'm trying to get at is that, this year, I want to become a plotter, at least to a certain extent. I don't want to write by the seat of my pants. I want to make footprints that I can follow, even if they aren't set in stone. From what I can tell, the pros would far outweigh the cons. Perhaps I will find that I'm wrong, and that writing actually works better for me when I go about it without direction, but either way, I want to give it a try. That being said, one of my goals for the new year is to, at the very least, develop a basic outline before diving into my next project. I want footprints to mark crucial points in the plot and provide a vision of where I'm trying to get to. If it doesn't work for me, then so be it. I'll go back to my ways as a pantster, but I will know that I gave plotting a chance. What about you? Are you a pantster or a plotter? Have you tried both? If so, which one worked better for you.

Diving In

Since I posted a picture of winter boots yesterday, I thought I should lift our spirits today with a picture of something that will remind us that warm weather will come (eventually anyway). In my previous post, I talked about wanting to learn what it feels like to move on in 2010. The second thing I want to learn is what it feels like to dive in without looking back. I have two works in progress that have been on the back burner for several months now. I'm excited about both projects, and I look forward to diving into them when I finish the revisions on my current manuscript. The problem is, I'm not sure which one to dive into first. And to complicate matters even further, I have two additional ideas that are screaming at me to take notice. I faced this dilemma last spring, so I worked on both projects at the same time. This didn't work so well for me. I made it through about six chapters of one project, and only three of the other. This year, I want to pick one and stick with it until it is complete. I want to commit to one of them and not second guess my decision and start working on the other prematurely. In other words, I want to trust my instincts and dive in instead of testing the waters. My goal is to know what it feels like to have completed not just one novel, but two. Have you ever had too many ideas flying around in your head? If so, how did you decide in which direction to go?

I'm Through With These Shoes

When I bought boots similar to these this fall, I thought I'd never grow tired of wearing them. But Mother Nature has decided to bombard us with never ending snow, and I've been forced to wear them every day since Christmas. I'm ready to move on and put them on their rightful shelf in my closet. Last week, I shared with you some things I learned in 2009. This week, I want to talk about what I hope to learn in 2010. At the top of that list is learning what it feels like to move on. I want to find a home for my completed novel, whether that home be under by bed or on bookstore shelves. So, one goal I've set for myself for 2010 is to finish the revisions on my first novel and move on to one of my other two projects regardless of what happens with the first one. Winter is over, and it's time for a new season--time to put the boots away, and bring out the flip-flops. (Unfortunately, according to the local weather men, this won't be happening any time soon.) Out of curiosity, what happened with your first novel? When did you know it was time to move on? If you aren't to that point yet, what would make you ready to move on?