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Sometimes Life Gets In The Way

It's been a while since my last post.  Despite my best intentions to keep up with the blog, sometimes life gets in the way.  Seriously, it has been a whirl wind summer.  I had zero time to work on my manuscript in June.  Then, I hoped against hope that I could catch up in July.  Unfortunately, no such luck.


 West Virginia was hit hard by storms and our home lost electricity for ten days.  Just as that crisis ended, my husband informed me  he had to miss three days of  our week long family vacation, due to troubles at work.  Come to find out, his company declared Chapter Eleven Bankruptcy to restructure. He remained behind to inform the employees that their jobs were secure.  Although it could have turned out much worse, and I'm thankful we all still have incomes, it was a stressful time.


Now, that my life has finally settled down again, I have committed to writing at least five hundred words a day until my book is completed.  I hope to accomplish this before the JRW Writer's Conference in October.   Also, I plan to update my blog on a weekly basis.


 I hope that putting these resolutions in writing will keep me from slacking. Has anyone else had a crazy summer?  If so, I'd be interested to know how you fit the ole Work-In-Progress into your schedule?   Until next time, have a productive writing month.   

Comments

  1. Yes, yes and yes. It's very hard to fit the writing in during summer. I sneak away to coffee shops on the weekends or when the kids are in camp.

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    Replies
    1. I've heard that coffee shops are great for writing, but haven't put them to the test. I'm concerned about all the distractions, customers entering and exiting, public chatter, etc. I've considered trying out Books A Million. Maybe a change of venue will get those creative juices flowing.

      Weekends are tough, that's usually when the family is able to spend time together. Guess I could get up early if need be. Regardless, I'd better come up with a plan B in order to knock out my 500 words a day. Thanks for stopping by. Good luck on your Work-In-Progress.

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  2. I glad to hear that the storms, both real and metaphorical, have passed! :)

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  3. Good for you! Putting goals in writing helps me. Also saying them out loud to a real person.

    I sat my WIP aside to work on getting my novel published. I've about caught up enough, and I hope to get back to a somewhat regular writing schedule next week.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Carol. Did you publish it yet? If so, let me know the title & I'll buy it.

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  4. That sounds like a stressful summer. I hope the rest of it is more settled and enjoyable.

    And good luck with the writing targets. I used 500 words a day as my target too - it worked well through most of the novel until all I had left was the tricky scenes I'd glossed over on the first pass :)

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    Replies
    1. Good to know my plan is doable. This is the third year I've worked on my book, and the third draft. I'm ready to finish it and move on. Thanks for stopping by.

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  5. You'd be surprised at just how productive you can be in one hour. with a time limit, your creative juices are already fired up because they know there's a constraint. And it becomes a competition between your head and your hands to see who can write faster. I remember when my daughter was little I used to lock myself in the bathroom for an hour. It was the only door she couldn't open. (When her father was there, of course.) After Elmo came along and then the Disney princesses I had all the time in the world once I memorized the songs.

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    Replies
    1. I remember those days, Anne. Don't miss the lack of privacy, but miss the little ones. Enjoy them while you can.

      I've tried the timed writing thing, but it has the opposite effect on me. My creative juices freeze up like an icy river in winter. That's the reason I chose the 500 word goal. This way I'm not imposing too much stress on myself. I've found that I usually am more productive this way.

      Thanks for stopping in. Take care.

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