I was a first timer at RWA National this year and the
conference surpassed my expectations. Last Tuesday, I posted about by
experience at Castles & Guns: Whew! Great Week. Great RWA Conference. Check
it out if you have a chance.
The week since coming home flew by almost as quickly as the conference did. I
had two blog posts to get out, a couple of requests from conference pitches
needing polishing before being sent out, and had all the personal things you
need to do after being out of town for a week requiring my attention.
I'm still mega-excited to move forward with my writing career and stay
motivated. How will I keep up the momentum once I get caught up in everyday
life? Well, I've accepted a writing challenge. Not a difficult one, but one
meant to push me into the habit of writing everyday. 100 words for 100 days.
I'm not doing this on my own, but with a group of fellow writers from one of my
RWA chapters. We'll be reporting our progress to each other, each day, starting yesterday. I'll
recount my personal results from the challenge at Voices From the Heart in
December. Wish me luck!
What do you do to stay motivated?
12 comments:
Excellent, Dawn! Good for you! It was so nice meeting you at conference and I can't help but think you and Emma Leigh looked like old pros at it! Congrats on the requests and good luck on those!
Okay, for me, it was 1,000 words per day, 10,000 by the end of the week. I've been traveling, so not getting my word count in like normal AND rewriting a current WIP which means taking out as much as I've put in.
So I feel...discombobulated. But when our gut instinct tells us it's not right, we have to do something drastic sometimes. So that was it... And once I get into the swing of it...I'll be well on my way to halfway done with the book again!
Good luck!
I'm still inspired by the conference, and have been reading the books that were recommended in the workshops. I've also started a new story, and I'm researching and planning that. I'm excited about putting what I learned at the conference to good use when I write it.
When I'm writing, my daily goal is 300 words. I rarely stop there. I keep a calendar on which I write my daily goal and my actual daily word count. Then I report my daily word count to an author friend of mine. It's motivating to see my word count add up, and it's gratifying to see myself go beyond my daily minimum. The pats on the back that I receive from my friend don't hurt, either!
Hi, Terry! I enjoyed chatting with you at conference too. Thanks for all the tips. I'm feeling motivated. Yesterday's word-count was 1000, even after the edits on one chapter that meant cutting words rather than adding them. :)
Good luck with finishing your book. And thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for dropping in, Lisa. I think it's important to have a goal and mark it down. I keep an excel spreadsheet for each story with my daily word count. Having to share the number with someone else helps too. I never want to sound like I'm slacking. :)
Wishing you luck!
Your group of fellow writers will be a big help, Dawn. For my weekly writing group, I have to have 'homework; out by a certain date for other members to read and critique by meeting night. I usually write early in the morning, before the grocery list and laundry etc. intrude. You're well on your way to devising your own system. Best of luck with your writing goals.
Dawn,
You are very wise to set goals for yourself and 100 words a day is a perfect way to start. Best wishes!
Hi, Angela. Thank you for the lucky wishes :) and for stopping by.
Thanks, Pat. Hope you had a great time in Ireland. Wish I had a local writing group to meet with, though my online groups are great.
Thanks for visiting. :)
Hi, Josie. My actual goal is 5000 words per week. It's the middle of Wednesday and I'm half way there! Thanks for the best wishes. :)
Dawn, I can feel your excitement, and that's the beginning of success. Writing 100 words for a 100 days is a great idea.
Thanks for the encouragement, Mona!
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