ROW80 Week 2 Check-In / Week 3 Goals

As I sat there struggling to get words out, for something to put down on the page, about to give up for the day, call it a wash, I switched POV and the words came tumbling out.  I've been writing my protag in 1st person POV since day one, so this was the first time I'd made the attempt to write in 3rd person POV in her voice.  Doing this got the words moving and then without even realizing it, I had switched back to 1st person.  Interesting.  This got the writing ball rolling and set the tone for the week.  Week 2 was more productive than Week 1.  I missed two days of writing but had longer writing periods on the other days.

Midway through the week I switched to a different project.  I'd sat down and began with full intentions of delving into my paranormal story, but something else tugged at me and until I turned to it, I was unable to focus.  Once I closed out one document and opened the other, the words came and it was my longest writing session of the week.

I know I've said how I love ROW80 and the concept of working your writing schedule/challenge around your life schedule but I need to say it again.  Keeping in mind that you are putting out something measurable, I feel like I've been so much more productive and don't beat myself up on the long days of work and other things that exhaust my mind and body where even if I sat down to write, nothing would come.  I know I can do a double session the next day or maybe get two sessions in, like sneaking time at work. :o)

Week 3 Goals

I have decided to continue working on my other project this week rather than my paranormal.  I am still referring to Watt's book because I think his questions open doors and give you a starting point.  I've also created a writing schedule that I am going to try and implement this week to see how it works.  I read somewhere that it is a good idea to try and write at the same time everyday.  I won't be able to do that because of my schedule, but I'm going to try and write at a specific time for each day.  This schedule will have to change once school starts, which is January 28th.

Here is my tentative writing schedule for Week 3:

Monday:         9-10pm

Tuesday:         9-10pm

Wednesday:    9-10pm

Thursday:      10-11pm

Friday:            ?

Saturday:         1-2pm

Sunday:           7-8pm

Good luck ROW80'ers!  Here's to the best week yet!

ROW80 Week 1 Check-In / Week 2 Goals

This week proved to be productive for me but not as productive as I had planned or would have liked.  I made a few big discoveries about my protag and a secondary character.  The secondary character is becoming larger for me and getting quite interesting.  I'm not going to worry about her overpowering the MC for now, as I am doing mostly stream-of-consciousness exercises, no solid plotting.  Alan Watt's book 90-day Novel is helpful, thus far.  His approach and simple exercises (questions, really) have helped me open up to the page.  I've been working on my paranormal novel for some time and need to continue doing more free writing to understand my characters' motivations and desires better.

I mixed things up this week to see how my thoughts and ideas reveal themselves writing by hand versus clicking away at my keyboard.  There is something about putting pen to paper for me that just feels good and natural.  You can do it while sitting in the dentist office, too. :)  I also feel good and connected when using my keyboard...  I'm going to continue switching it up and comparing.  

Week 2 Goals

My plan is to stick with Watt's exercises and be more productive during Week 2.  I know these are not very specific goals, but this is what is going to work for me at the moment.  (Love ROW80!)

Round of Words in 80 Days - Official Round 1 (Week 1) Goal Post

I have officially signed up to participate in the Round of Words in 80 days challenge created by author Kait Nolan.  Check out the details and/or sign-up here.  The part of this challenge I was most drawn to was the fact that you set your own goals.  Goals that are measurable but also doable for people who have full-time jobs or kids or both.

Round 1 is from January 3rd to March 24th.  I would have liked to have my goals set for the entire round by now but I have decided to take it week by week.  The reason for this is my classes begin at the end of January and I will need to put my schoolwork first.  Once I know what my workload will be like, I'll be able to judge how much free time I will have.  The one thing I am certain about is I will be utilizing ROW80 to focus on my paranormal novel.  I've decided to use The 90-day Novel by Alan Watt as a guide.

Week 1
Goal 1 - Complete the daily writing exercises contained in The 90-day Novel.
Goal 2 - Show up to write for a minimum of 30 minutes every day.

To all my fellow writers participating in ROW80, good luck!