Well, my writing seems to be getting back on track, although it’s definitely early days yet
Last week, I decided that the time for change had come. I’d been in a quandary for a while, constantly churning out profitable short stories and novellas, but at the expense of my sequel to ‘A Construct of Angels.’
I was writing, yes, but not getting anywhere with my long-term projects. I’d released one book, but my peers were on their second, third or more and I was merely treading water. I was also upset that some indie authors had ten or even twenty books in their back catalogue
I had one – and I needed to prove to myself that it wasn’t a fluke. Not only that, but I was being (politely) nagged about my lack of progress – thanks Peter.
So changes were made. Towards the end of last week, I created ‘Angels week.’ During this time, which would repeat on the fourth week of every month, I would put aside all other projects, completed or not, to concentrate solely upon ‘A Vengeance of Angels.’ The word count for this project can be seen at the right-hand side of the page (beneath the cover for ‘Construct’). It has shown no change since I posted it there about two months ago.
Not any more. With ‘Angels week’ in place, it should begin to grow steadily, being updated at the weeks end.
This sort of self-discipline has been long-overdue, but in my defence, I have been very busy trying to keep the wolf from the door. Short stories write and sell quickly, novellas almost as fast. They bring in much-needed funds and cannot simply be ditched. But they are short-term and will quickly be forgotten, lost amongst the ocean of small tales that appear every week. Larger projects, such as novels, are the slow stones that grind steadily away, producing small, but steady rewards that include not only currency, but confidence, credibility and that faint sparkle of a dream that is discovery.
Another blogger commented that this confusion is fairly common amongst writers and authors as they develop their craft. They must not only find their own voice, but they also need to integrate their writing into their lives so that it neither takes over nor gets swamped and lost. The metaphor of ‘finding the right jacket’ was suggested (thanks Jon!) and it works. There is a jacket for every situation in life – and every writer needs to find one that fits and will work for their lifestyle.
Has your writing life become a muddle? Are you always starting but never finishing? Are you so busy helping others or churning out short stories and fragmented scenes that you are creating nothing in real terms?
Perhaps you need to develop an ‘Angels week’ too…or just set aside that much-needed ‘me time’ that will get your writing back on track.
Andrew Toynbee
Aug 08, 2013 @ 08:03:32
On the subject of writing discipline, I found Ryan Casey’s suggested Pomodoro technique to be VERY useful. Check it out here; http://ryancaseybooks.com/pomodoro-technique/
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Kate is
Aug 08, 2013 @ 01:18:09
Absolutely. One of the best things I did for my writing was put all other ideas away. Wrote them down as they came to me, but left it at the idea and went back to the WIP.
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Andrew Toynbee
Aug 08, 2013 @ 07:56:23
So you’ve created a converyor belt of ideas that are ready to become WIPs? You are SO much more organised than I was. 🙂
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Kate is
Aug 08, 2013 @ 07:58:24
Haha, that is a great way to put it. I can see them sliding past me as I make a choice.
It takes a bit of discipline because the new idea is so bright and shiny.
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Andrew Toynbee
Aug 08, 2013 @ 08:05:05
I suddenly see you in a Japanese restaurant with all the ideas in little pottery dishes, each one tempting you more than the last. 🙂
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Michelle Proulx
Aug 05, 2013 @ 16:00:33
Hey hey 🙂 Unrelated to this post, I’ve finished reading A Construct of Angels and posted the review here: http://michelleproulx.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/book-review-a-construct-of-angels-andrew-toynbee/. I’ll also stick it up on Amazon and Goodreads. Let me know if you want me to post it anywhere else!
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Andrew Toynbee
Aug 05, 2013 @ 16:05:27
Woot! Can’t wait to read it. Did you manage to make ANY sense of the story after you lost all the italics??
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Michelle Proulx
Aug 05, 2013 @ 16:38:34
Yes! I mean, it took a bit of figuring out, but I managed well enough. None of the ebooks have italics when I view them through that reader, as it turns out, so there’s nothing wrong with your file at all.
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marsicowritesite
Aug 03, 2013 @ 01:08:14
I needed to read this. Thanks for the insight. I like the “Angels Week” idea a lot.
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Andrew Toynbee
Aug 04, 2013 @ 20:09:18
Glad it helped. Have you been having trouble too?
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marsicowritesite
Aug 04, 2013 @ 20:53:48
Not trouble in the sense that I’m not getting anything done or that I’m running in place, but issues with allocating time across multiple projects without burning out on any of them or neglecting the older stuff. Starting a business is a lot of work and I’ve got until I go back to school at the end of September to get a steady start.
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Andrew Toynbee
Aug 05, 2013 @ 10:28:58
If you are constantly receiving new work or rewrites, then it can be very tricky to schedule as the goalposts are constantly in motion. But if you are the only one who is involved, then have a look and see which project is closest to being completed – and get it done. That gives you one less to wory about.
The business that you have started, is it connected with the writing, or is it unrelated?
You are right in using the time that you have to establish a timetable. It is SO easy just to let things crowd you. Even an hour spent writing is significant. You may find that the hour stretches out as you realise that you don’t want to stop.
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marsicowritesite
Aug 05, 2013 @ 12:37:38
It’s an editing and proofreading business, so I’ve started my blog as a way to increase my platform. I do a lot of writing for that which results in less work on my older projects. I like what I’m doing so it’s not that I’m bogged down by things I have to do but hate. I just have chosen to put the business first for now while I’m out of school. No writing of any kind gets done for pleasure one that starts.
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Andrew Toynbee
Aug 05, 2013 @ 14:30:05
Sounds like my life! I got trapped in the ‘need cash quickly’ which pushed aside my ‘write for the long-term’ projects. Also my author platform, which now has about 1,500 followers (from zero a year ago) has taken up a LOT of time, but now that it is almost free-running, I can cautiously steer it with my fingertips. Still, I have missed a lot of launch parties and blog interviews because I’ve been head-down and pedalling for ten months and I’ve had to accept that I can’t cover absolutely everything by myself.
It sounds like you need to nail down an afternoon, grab a coffee and some cookies, don the headphones and say ‘talk to the hand’ if anyone even approaches you.
Friday or Wednesday afternoons – no arguments. That’s an order. Go! 🙂
Well, if I don’t put pressure on you, who will?
😀
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marsicowritesite
Aug 05, 2013 @ 14:36:22
Haha yeah I am lucky enough to have Mondays and Thursdays off of my real job so I use those to get stuff done while my husband is at work. It’s definitely a huge advantage.
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Andrew Toynbee
Aug 05, 2013 @ 14:39:48
Sounds like you have a couple of windows of opportunity there. Consider writing time to be ‘me time’ and be selfish just for once. ‘Work hard and work hard’ only leads to burn-out. Remember, chill, coffee, cookies.
And let us all know how you get on.
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marsicowritesite
Aug 05, 2013 @ 14:50:05
Will do. I’ve enjoyed our chat! Good luck continuing to grow your platform as well. It’s quite a task.
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Andrew Toynbee
Aug 05, 2013 @ 15:06:25
The author platforn is a two-way street. Not only is it useful for ‘spreading the word’, but it is a wonderful tool for connecting with other writers, editors and just plain fascinating people who are enjoying (in varying degrees) the writing experience.
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marsicowritesite
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:05:56
I agree! I’ll count you as my first writer acquaintance gained from platform work! It’s great to have a growing group of people with common interests and goals (and even common struggles too).
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Andrew Toynbee
Aug 06, 2013 @ 07:53:19
Would you be able to add any particular area of expertise to my appeal;
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marsicowritesite
Aug 06, 2013 @ 13:10:09
Yes my expertise is in colonial and post colonial literature, beat era and modern poetry, and American English linguistics. I’m not sure how many people will have a need for that kind of thing, but I’m happy to share the knowledge with anyone that’s interested.
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Andrew Toynbee
Aug 06, 2013 @ 13:42:34
You never know…I put myself forward as being knowledgeable on aircraft behaviour (amongst other things). I was able to put that knowledge to good use whilst describing an aerial fight between two winged furies.
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Experienced Tutors
Aug 02, 2013 @ 09:05:57
I found this really interesting.
We all have day to day ‘things to do’ – often relating to chasing the legal tender! Sometimes it may be sorting out paperwork, etc, for elderly relatives. And so the list goes on.
I started my first novel last November. I set a small target of 1,500 words per week. I am now approaching 72,000 words and have another 4-6 weeks before I finish. I don’t manage words every day but I nearly always hit the 1,500 words or more per week. It’s a good feeling to hit the target and achieve progress.
I guess we each have see the goal at the end of the path and trudge on towards it. It’s a kind of hare and tortoise thing. For me 1,500 words per week, for you one week per month, for some 50,000 in a month as part of NaNoWriMo.
Good luck.
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Andrew Toynbee
Aug 02, 2013 @ 12:06:53
It all depends how deeply you are able to immerse yourself in the process. For me, NaNo is unfeasible as I have a day job and numerous other responsibilities. I consider a novel to be a marathon and not a sprint – it will gain depth, acquiring more layers of detail the long it takes. A NaNo novel, unless it is plotted and planned in the months before will rarely match that. Keep up the 1,500 words. It is proving to be worth it!
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