Learning a Lesson from a Failed Goal

Good morning, everyone.  Here is my progress and a lesson from yesterday.  First, progress.  I intended to write chapters 5-7 yesterday and did not complete them, not even one word.  As humiliating as it is to admit that, I learned a lesson from it.

Lesson:  Every day requires a specific balance of various elements.  For me it is writing, people interaction, a specific reward for that day's work, and a bit of alone time with my boyfriend to catch up on our days.  With the intention of writing, I went to the library to work.  But I could not bring myself to face my story.  It was a matter of nearing burnout.  I just wanted to do something fun, as in, something not related to my story.  But this was work time.  I tried to get focused, but everything I thought about just put me in a tense, very unproductive mode.  I kept thinking about watching a movie on Netflix.  So I finally put all my things away and just gave myself permission to do it.

The result:  I learned I need to schedule my fun time just as I need to schedule my writing time.  I have a new plan I'm going to try that keeps writing, interaction, reward and time with my boyfriend much better balanced.  The great thing about a plan is you can always change it to better suit you.  I found that working on writing nine hours a day does not work for me right now.  I was able to do it for a couple days, but I need a schedule I can follow long-term and still keep my writing fun.  It's hard to do things when they're not fun.

So my new goal for today is just to complete chapter 5.  I would rather have a goal I can reach and surpass than one I never even start on.

Happy writing to everyone.  And don't give up.

My Writing Process and the Next Three Chapters

Very busy day yesterday, but still worked on my book.  I have been watching a YouTube channel called #Katytastic.  Right now I'm watching Katy's video on outlining with Scrivner.  Although this is not my favorite channel to watch, I have found some very useful information about outlining and organizing a book.  I take what I need instead of trying to do my work exactly as someone else does.

Yesterday I completed untangling my first five chapter ideas.  When I first began this book, I did not start with an outline, a plan or even the germ of an idea.  I just grabbed a stack of paper and began writing.  I wanted to feel like I was doing something, making progress on a book.  And as I wrote, the idea began developing before I had completed the first page.  Several pages down the road I knew I wanted to develop my idea into a full book.  So I began my outlining process.  (My process so far is no more complex than taking a piece of paper and numbering 1-10 to begin writing down my plot points.  Along with that I keep a running list of notes, ideas and plot progress as the story unfolds to me.)  I planned out the first three chapters or so as I was writing them.

Then, a week and a half ago I set a deadline to finish the book.  So my first step was to finish outlining the book to make sure my chapters would head in the right direction (at this point they were going a bit here and there, uncertain at times which way to go next because I didn't yet have a clear conclusion to the book).  So in about 2 or 3 days of work, I made a detailed outline/plan for the rest of the book.  Wow!  Hard work I tell you.  I think that's the first time I ever felt exhausted from working on fiction.  But at the same time it was fun and I felt so great that I KNEW I was making progress.  I had pages of notes I could show for my efforts.

After the planning was complete, my first four chapters proved to be a bit of a jungle gym, having to climb all over to follow the story, so I literally cut and pasted (everything is written out longhand so far) the different bits into the chapters they were supposed to go according to my outline.

So that's what I achieved yesterday.  I am all organized and ready to start on today's work.  I am not revealing the deadline at this time because the work for this book keeps growing and I have to move the date to accommodate.  My book almost doubled in length after I completed the outlining process, so that's obviously going to require more days than I originally scheduled.

With my updated work plan for the book, I will be completing chapters 5-7 today.  Thanks for stopping in.  Check back tomorrow to see how I did on my three chapters for the day.  And good luck with your own writing.  If you would like to share your current work in progress, whether it's writing or some other art, or just progress on where you want to get in life, please leave a comment below or on my Facebook page.  I would love to hear from you. 

Overcoming Failure: How to Find the Strength to Commit Again

It's never fun setting out to do something, then looking back to see a gap of several months that you have not kept your commitment.  But what brings the fun back is going back to those abandoned projects, picking up the loose ends and continuing the progress you started all that long time ago.  It can be embarrassing.  The weight of a second impending failure or abandonment seems more real than actually completing the project.

But it's time to say "enough" to these ugly trolls of ridicule and pick up that pen again and march on toward your original goal of completing that novel, posting regularly on that blog, or keeping your social media updated (all areas where I have struggled too, just look at the last time I posted).  But we can let these past failures keep us down, or we can look them in the eye and say, "You've had your fun.  It's time to overcome."

Last Wednesday I renewed my commitment to finish my first book.  I've been putting in an effort for almost two years.  I've tried all those wonderful tricks, such as telling the world your deadline to finish so that you will be driven to complete your book instead of embarrassing yourself by having to retract your statement.  I have done that one--twice!  And been embarrassed both times.  Now if that's not enough to want to hide in the dark....  I've also started this blog in the attempt to inspire myself and others (and keep myself accountable) by posting of my progress every day.  But it's embarrassing to keep writing, "I got nothing done today."  So I eventually left off of that.

So what made me face all my embarrassing failures from the past two years and dare to commit again?  Money.  Value, really.  Because money represents the amount of value we give to something.  I have given myself an ultimatum:  to make a living off of writing, which I keep saying I do, or to call it quits and make money from a normal job where I will feel suffocated.  Either choice is fine to the public.  There is no shame in working a suffocating job.  And both choices will bring in money.  So it's up to me how I want to make a living.  I value my writing, but I want to see that others do too.  I want to see I'm helping someone and making their lives better by what I write.  For me the best way to tell myself my writing has value is to make my living from it.  So there is no turning back this time.

Do you ever struggle with finding motivation in what you want to do the most in life?  Do people tell you "Well maybe you don't want it enough"?  Do you want to put yourself or your art out there but are just too afraid you're going to fail or that no one will buy it?  I would love to hear from you in the comments below.  I know how that feels and how long and difficult the road to motivation can be.  Together we can do this.  We are meant to conquer and to thrive in abundance.  We are meant to be great.