The lapse in posts is one of the drawbacks of having an office with no wifi.
Yes, I've actually been using my office! And being productive again has revived me. It really has. I'm a pretty ambitious person by nature, so when I'm moving and shaking, I'm happy.
Speaking of giggling, I'm still 19 lbs. down despite having pizza for Halloween along with an inch of a KitKat bar and two whoppers. Apparently the world didn't end, since I'm still here, but I don't think that's going to be a temptation again.
I have realized that all my eating--every bite I put in my mouth for the past ten+years, has been driven by emotion. Nothing about the joy of food. All about my entitlement to it.
And now, I'm working toward being entitled to go to Scotland, entitled to wear jeans, entitled to feel good. And boy, do I feel good. Percentage of body weight-wise, 19 lbs. isn't much. But it was an important benchmark. Lots of things have changed. And my energy is AT LEAST ten times what it was.
Since Tuesday, I've gotten two major projects off my to-do list. One project is off to my agent so she can send it on to some interested editors. That has been a dark cloud over my head for two months. Cloud gone.
I have another project I have to finish tonight by midnight and get sent off to an editor. That's what I'll be doing today instead of getting started on NaNo. And, speaking of NaNo, I'll be getting my 1666 words per day written on a new project on top of what I have scheduled for editing. And I'm going to use my dragon to do it. 1666 words can be done in about 45 minutes tops.
Having a NaNo write-in at my house on Saturday. So far, I've got 18 writers coming. If you're interested, let me know. We're in Utah.
I don't know if it's the New Moon coming or what, but Supe has been bitten by the ambition bug again and we're gearing up for another uber productive month like last August was. We're done talking and analyzing. It's time to shut up and get this stuff written. Great stories, buried in one's subconscious, do no one any good. After all, I don't get to read them either--not until they come out of my fingers.
So.
Let's play Michelangelo.
Let's get our chisels and hammers and get to work, setting these works of art free. Slow does not equal beauty. Let's take advantage of the NaNo energy that's out there, whether or not you're technically participating, and move some earth.
Showing posts with label moon phases. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moon phases. Show all posts
Friday, November 1, 2013
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
FINALLY! October 16, 2013
I finally found an office today. I'll hopefully be signing a contract tomorrow and moving in sometime this weekend. After seeing the place and negotiating a little, I headed home with a heavy load off my shoulders. I am finally going to be able to separate my job/writing from my home/family life. Wheeee!
Maybe you suffer from the same problem I have, no matter what time of day you write.
My computer is up and running all the time, but I'm rarely working.
Even if I manage to remember to open my current wip file, that doesn't mean I get a chance to look at it with true concentration. Supe had this problem. She would always let little chores pull her away from the screen, even though she was home alone most of the day. When she hit a rough stretch, she'd get up and put in a load of laundry, then she'd never get back to the screen. There was always a meal to plan, some quick errand to run, etc. But now she has an office a good distance from home, and there is no running back to the house to put something in the dryer or the oven. And she's getting the work done.
It was October, I think three years ago, when I quit my job to write full time. I was one of the lucky few, I know. But I also had little choice. Our autistic son was finished with all the schooling programs available to him and our youngest wasn't around to watch him after school anymore. He was a senior, with a job and a life. The tending duties were back to me. But ever since then, I've struggled to keep tapping away, throughout the day, with no clear separation between working and relaxing and housekeeping, etc. My kids know to look for me in my office. I'm always in my office. But after spending 3 years in my office, I don't have a heck of a lot to show for it.
Will I be more focused in the office?
How can I not? I won't have the internet. I can't be interrupted by phone calls. Surely that will make me more productive than I have been.
Surely.
It's worth a shot at least.
I've got two parties going on this week. One tomorrow, one Saturday. By the first of next week I hope to have my happy haven up and running, my head in the game, and my hands on the keyboard. I can't wait to see what happens.
No editing again today. Babies, babies, and more babies. The same for the rest of the week. By next Monday, my duties will probably be a little lighter where babies are concerned, but even so, I'll have an office to head to when possible. It's not far away, but far enough. It's about three miles. Maybe I'll start walking to work somedays.
Hah!
So. Tell me. What might you do to fix your own focus?
Are you looking for focus? Or are you looking for a way out of this job because it's just too much work?
Go ahead. Tell me.
Maybe you suffer from the same problem I have, no matter what time of day you write.
My computer is up and running all the time, but I'm rarely working.
Even if I manage to remember to open my current wip file, that doesn't mean I get a chance to look at it with true concentration. Supe had this problem. She would always let little chores pull her away from the screen, even though she was home alone most of the day. When she hit a rough stretch, she'd get up and put in a load of laundry, then she'd never get back to the screen. There was always a meal to plan, some quick errand to run, etc. But now she has an office a good distance from home, and there is no running back to the house to put something in the dryer or the oven. And she's getting the work done.
It was October, I think three years ago, when I quit my job to write full time. I was one of the lucky few, I know. But I also had little choice. Our autistic son was finished with all the schooling programs available to him and our youngest wasn't around to watch him after school anymore. He was a senior, with a job and a life. The tending duties were back to me. But ever since then, I've struggled to keep tapping away, throughout the day, with no clear separation between working and relaxing and housekeeping, etc. My kids know to look for me in my office. I'm always in my office. But after spending 3 years in my office, I don't have a heck of a lot to show for it.
Will I be more focused in the office?
How can I not? I won't have the internet. I can't be interrupted by phone calls. Surely that will make me more productive than I have been.
Surely.
It's worth a shot at least.
I've got two parties going on this week. One tomorrow, one Saturday. By the first of next week I hope to have my happy haven up and running, my head in the game, and my hands on the keyboard. I can't wait to see what happens.
No editing again today. Babies, babies, and more babies. The same for the rest of the week. By next Monday, my duties will probably be a little lighter where babies are concerned, but even so, I'll have an office to head to when possible. It's not far away, but far enough. It's about three miles. Maybe I'll start walking to work somedays.
Hah!
So. Tell me. What might you do to fix your own focus?
Are you looking for focus? Or are you looking for a way out of this job because it's just too much work?
Go ahead. Tell me.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013 Planning Day
Today was the last full day of the organization phase of the moon.
It's called the EXO phase--the days of high focus but low energy. It's the perfect time to make plans, to see into the future and plan what you'll do once the energy is there. It's time for building structure.
I'm really glad there was a little EXO left after the holiday weekend because the next few weeks will go better if I've planned well.
So, this is what I've planned...
Since I already know the word count I need to hit, I also needed a plan for my editing needs. I've probably mentioned this before, but the only way I think I can get all my editing and revising done is if I'm doing it daily too. Here's the problem: I can't edit a project until after the first draft is out. I've tried. It doesn't work for me. Every book I've tried to edit along the way stalls. As in, stops dead in its tracks. I cannot edit as I go. Period.
So, if I waited until each project was finished, then edited it, I wouldn't get any writing done while editing--unless I spent my writing time on another project. So that's what I'm doing.
Instead of one stack of projects (on 3X5 cards), I have two. The projects for which I'm still writing the first draft I call my night books. The completed books that still need edits and revisions, I call my day books. I have them in order. I'm going to put in 4 hours a day on my day book, then four hours a day on my night book, writing new words.
The exciting part? I've got so many projects close to completion that in about ten days, I should have five projects sent on to editors or formatters. For those of you who know my projects, these five are: Isobelle, Wiggs, Scavenger Hunting, Wickham, and Kiss This. All of them will be out the door before the month is half through! What in the world shall I do with the second half of my September?
(Yeah, yeah. I know. Don't hate me. They're not done yet. And let's not forget what happened with the second half of August--I got little done at all. This month I will tempt Fate by declaring I cannot do worse.)
8 hour days, my friends. A full time job that I love. Surely, I can pull this off.
So far, Day 1, I got over four hours on the day book. My daughter and her hubby needed an emergency date, so instead of playing with my dragon, or Dr. Wicked, I held the baby and played with the 3 year olds. (Not all at the same time.)
Tomorrow, I shall guard my night book time a little better. I wasn't up to writing much tonight anyway. I'm still worn out from the holiday. I'm also afraid I've reverted back to human time. Since coming home, I've been going to be early and getting up at the ungodly hour of 9 am. If I'm not careful, I'm going to end up with a nine to five job.
Heaven help us all.
So. Tomorrow night starts the next moon phase, the New Moon phase, called PHYLO. Low focus, high energy. We should be able to get a lot of things done in the coming week, even if we might be a little emotional doing it. Hold onto your butts...
It's called the EXO phase--the days of high focus but low energy. It's the perfect time to make plans, to see into the future and plan what you'll do once the energy is there. It's time for building structure.
I'm really glad there was a little EXO left after the holiday weekend because the next few weeks will go better if I've planned well.
So, this is what I've planned...
Since I already know the word count I need to hit, I also needed a plan for my editing needs. I've probably mentioned this before, but the only way I think I can get all my editing and revising done is if I'm doing it daily too. Here's the problem: I can't edit a project until after the first draft is out. I've tried. It doesn't work for me. Every book I've tried to edit along the way stalls. As in, stops dead in its tracks. I cannot edit as I go. Period.
So, if I waited until each project was finished, then edited it, I wouldn't get any writing done while editing--unless I spent my writing time on another project. So that's what I'm doing.
Instead of one stack of projects (on 3X5 cards), I have two. The projects for which I'm still writing the first draft I call my night books. The completed books that still need edits and revisions, I call my day books. I have them in order. I'm going to put in 4 hours a day on my day book, then four hours a day on my night book, writing new words.
The exciting part? I've got so many projects close to completion that in about ten days, I should have five projects sent on to editors or formatters. For those of you who know my projects, these five are: Isobelle, Wiggs, Scavenger Hunting, Wickham, and Kiss This. All of them will be out the door before the month is half through! What in the world shall I do with the second half of my September?
(Yeah, yeah. I know. Don't hate me. They're not done yet. And let's not forget what happened with the second half of August--I got little done at all. This month I will tempt Fate by declaring I cannot do worse.)
8 hour days, my friends. A full time job that I love. Surely, I can pull this off.
So far, Day 1, I got over four hours on the day book. My daughter and her hubby needed an emergency date, so instead of playing with my dragon, or Dr. Wicked, I held the baby and played with the 3 year olds. (Not all at the same time.)
Tomorrow, I shall guard my night book time a little better. I wasn't up to writing much tonight anyway. I'm still worn out from the holiday. I'm also afraid I've reverted back to human time. Since coming home, I've been going to be early and getting up at the ungodly hour of 9 am. If I'm not careful, I'm going to end up with a nine to five job.
Heaven help us all.
So. Tomorrow night starts the next moon phase, the New Moon phase, called PHYLO. Low focus, high energy. We should be able to get a lot of things done in the coming week, even if we might be a little emotional doing it. Hold onto your butts...
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