Working with Deadlines

As you probably know, this month is NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month, for those of you who don't know. Every year, hundreds of thousands of insane, sleep-deprived writers (myself included) attempt to write a 50,000-word draft in just the month of November.

A very good question which might've just popped into your head is:Why? Why would someone write so much so quickly? Why put so much stress on yourself?

My answer is one which I'm sure a lot of WriMos share: NaNo is fun, sure, but I need to work with a deadline.

I'm a procrastinator by nature. I love to invent stories, but writing can be a tough task when I'm struggling with translating my ideas into words. So, when I'm drafting, I need to be able to really chart my progress - and to set strict goals for myself. Otherwise, I'll never get a job done fully, because I won't devote the necessary time and energy to the task. As fun as writing can be, I always find myself needing that extra push.

I love NaNo because it perfectly meets my needs. First, it forces me to write those 50,000 words - otherwise, I don't win the challenge. (Winning is a big incentive for me.) It lets a writer check her daily progress, too, on a line graph, and has forums so writers can give and gain advice on plots, character names, and more. Plus, each writer can select his or her region, and meet up with other WriMos in the area.

Do you find it necessary to work with deadlines? Ever tried NaNoWrimo, or want to in the future?

Is It Time To Redefine Your Goals?

Hey, guys.

Lately I've been trying to head in new directions, with my writing and the blogs. For example - you might've noticed visual changes to both Writer, Bewildered and Roses & Mustard. I've been mixing and matching colors, backgrounds, and graphics to improve the looks of the sites and (hopefully) increase blog traffic.

Writing-wise, I've made a huge decision: I'm sticking to short stories.

While I was in Paris, I wrote a short story entitled "At the Zoo." I'm very happy with it because I think it marks - or I'd like it to mark - a change in my writing habits. This past year was a dry one, creatively. I produced barely anything. I wasn't committed enough - I didn't make the necessary time and energy sacrifices.

I want to change that this year by redefining my goals. I've been so focused on idea of a novel, but it's now that I'm finally realizing the truth: I'm not ready for a such a lengthy project. If I want to get anything written, I need to set smaller, manageable goals - that is, short stories by given dates.

The other change I'm making is plot-wise. I've spent the last several months developing characters for my early-twentieth century story. (It's switched from 1945 to 1922 and back again more than once.) But none of my characters have had the right spark. I've liked them, but never loved them. And this week, I finally figured out where I went wrong.

I don't really want to invent my own characters. A story I find much more compelling is the life of Anna Akhmatova, my favorite poet since I was 12, when I first discovered poetry. I'm interested in her relationship with first husband Nikolay Gumilev and her brief affair with Amedeo Modigliani - which took place in Paris. I've made my first goal to write about her and Modi's time together.

What are your goals? Do you need to redefine them, or have you had to in the past?

Oh! - last but not least, I'm heading off to the UK for 2 more weeks. I doubt I'll have time to post on the trip, but I'll see you again September 9th.

And did I mention my Kindle got broken? Well, my Kindle got broken. I might blog about the experience when I return...

Oh, Commitment

If you know me, it's no secret that I have troubles with commitment. I'll promise to write a blog post on Sunday and wait till Tuesday, promise to spend an hour with the WiP and spend 15 minutes writing a paragraph...

So. Commitment issues.

As every serious writer knows, it's not easy to complete every task we set ourselves up for. Writing can be a stressful process. It takes time, which those with full- or part-time jobs may find lacking. Personally, I find myself with an average of at least 2-3 hours of homework each night, plus 1 hour walks in the morning and at least 1 hour of community service activities every week day (from tutoring to Honor Society to a school community service club.) That's a lot to juggle, and I often don't get nearly as much sleep as I'd like. (I usually get about 6 hours of sleep during the school year.) My habits aren't healthy - I gain weight, feel stressed... and my writing is also affected. It's difficult to write every day - some days, I simply don't have the time, or am so tired that forcing words out is no more than an unpleasant chore.

So how to keep up productivity? In my view, morale comes first. So put in place a reward system. Write a poem and grab a bowl of ice cream. Finish a chapter and spend some time catching up on your favorite TV shows. And that brings me to an important point - don't neglect friends and family. Remember: writing is important, but you have a life to live! (Besides, experiences equal inspiration. I don't know about you, but most of my writing is somehow inspired by my experiences. Important events leads to new plots. My characters may be shaped by fictional characters, but for the most part they're based on myself and my interactions with friends and family.)

How do you stay committed to your writing? Do you use a reward system? What's your trick for balancing writing and life?