Category Archives: Sunday Check-in

ROW80 check-in #16

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Can you say break through? It seems like forever that I’ve been tweaking my balance, organization, focus, and getting the hard stuff done first and finally this week it feels like I’m getting some where. There is still room for improvement of course. But wait till you see my word count this week, that alone makes me smile and I got several other things done this week too. Check out my list below and there is music at the bottom that you don’t want to miss.

The Goals – week-4 results

  • Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- done
  • Write 2,000 words each week– not only did I get 2,000 this week, but when I combine this weeks total with last weeks sad total I get over 4,954 words! Oh yeah, this week brought out 3,708 words and I’m into Act III in the novella WIP 😀
  • Spend time editing at least 2-times each week– just barely done
  • Finish reading current craft book and start another– made no progress again, WK 5 PRIORITY
  • Participate in Before You Hit Send Self-Editing Workshop in April– the workshop is over and I’m still in review mode.
  • Turn 2nd-draft chapters to my writer friend for her critique– gave my friend the heads up that I’m working to have something to her soon. This is a Round 2 goal and I don’t want to wait till the end of the round before I send her the first 2 chapters.
  • Workout a minimum of 200-minutes a week and round it out with plenty of water, sleep and my calorie limit– I got them all again this week. with an extra 45 minutes of exercise too, score.
  • Study one of the Nia 52-moves each week (the 52-moves is like the ballet bar for Nia lovers): Cross Behind. Start in Open Stance. Step back and onto the ball of your left foot, crossing your ankles as if making a small “x.” Keep your back heel high. Alternate sides. Repeat, but this time rise up onto the balls of both feet when you cross behind. Keep the “x” small by keeping both feet under your hips. Use the strength of your feet to rise up, keep your shoulders relaxed, your arms hanging freely, and exhale as you rise. Benefits: develops mobility and stability in your legs, which helps you move more efficiently.
  • Finish the Sanjana bars and start the Opal bars (i.e. studying the song/movement structure)– I revisited the Sanjana bars this week too. Two weeks in a row! Man it’s getting crazy around here.
  • Listen to the Nia sound track for the Sanjana routine each week and add Opal when I get to their bars– done
  • Plan out and start participating in the last of my needed continuing education credits for PMP certification– no progress and I’m ok with that…as long as I start participating by the end of the round.

As promised, I have another clip picked special by the hubby, see yesterday’s post for an explanation.

ROW80 check-in #15

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This week I tried out a new strategy: get the hard stuff done first. It worked fantastic! I got some stuff on my list done that I have not yet this round, plus a few things not on the goal list, score! However, some of the easier stuff on my list became harder to get too. I guess there really are only 24-hours in a day. Did I learn something from the experience? Yes! I CAN get the hard stuff done, but in the end I still need balance. I still need to work on my focus and cut the crap out of my week.

The Goals – week-3 results

  • Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- done
  • Write 2,000 words each week– 1246, bummer, WK 4 PRIORITY
  • Spend time editing at least 2-times each week– done!
  • Finish reading current craft book and start another– made no progress again, WK 4 PRIORITY
  • Participate in Before You Hit Send Self-Editing Workshop in April– the workshop is almost over and the day it ends I’m going to revisit each lesson in an effort to make sure it all sinks in.
  • Turn 2nd-draft chapters to my writer friend for her critique– maybe after I finish reviewing my workshop notes I’ll be able to push this goal out.
  • Workout a minimum of 200-minutes a week and round it out with plenty of water, sleep and my calorie limit– I got them all this week! Finally!
  • Study one of the Nia 52-moves each week (the 52-moves is like the ballet bar for Nia lovers): Cross Front. Start in Open Stance. Step out diagonally and face the corner, pointing both feet in the direction you want to go. Let your arms and hands swing freely. Benefits: strengthens your inner thigh muscles, which helps you develop greater stability when stopping suddenly.
  • Finish the Sanjana bars and start the Opal bars (i.e. studying the song/movement structure)– I revisited the Sanjana bars this week, yeah! Would love to see progress on this goal two weeks in a row. WK 4 PRIORITY
  • Listen to the Nia sound track for the Sanjana routine each week and add Opal when I get to their bars– done
  • Plan out and start participating in the last of my needed continuing education credits for PMP certification– no progress and I’m ok with that…as long as I start participating by the end of the round.

More progress, but still more room for improvement. This week I’m NOT going to shy away from the hard stuff AND I’m going to work on my focus. It’s time to hit a groove and really start moving forward. Have a great week everyone.

ROW80 check-in #14

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Last week I identified a problem: my focus. This week I poked and prodded my focus and it’s getting better. However, it has become obvious that my focus will remain a nagging trigger ready to throw me off track, IF I let it. Kristen Lamb’s post this week, Stress Less, Write More, came at a perfect time for me.

There are items on my list that give me more problems than others. So, here is my new approach. Problem items will be given a priority of early in the day or early in the week. The approach is certainly worth a try. Who knows how my day or week could open up if I get the hard stuff out of the way FIRST.

The Goals – week-2 results

  • Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- done
  • Write 2,000 words each week– done! 2,054 :)
  • Spend time editing at least 2-times each week– I didn’t edit at all this week! Total bummer because that means I’m falling behind in my workshop assignments. WK 3 PRIORITY
  • Finish reading current craft book and start another– made no progress again, WK 3 PRIORITY
  • Participate in Before You Hit Send Self-Editing Workshop in April– the workshop is 1/2 over. I’ve already learned quite a bit and I am looking forward to the topics up next. I have been studying each lesson, but I have a backlog of assignments to finish.
  • Turn 2nd-draft chapters to my writer friend for her critique– not going to make progress here if I don’t spend time editing.
  • Workout a minimum of 200-minutes a week and round it out with plenty of water, sleep and my calorie limit– I got all but one again this week. Daily water intake has been spot on, hopefully it will flush away some bad restaurant choices, but I did get plenty of sleep this week and I nailed my workout minutes, 200!
  • Study one of the Nia 52-moves each week (the 52-moves is like the ballet bar for Nia lovers): Sink and Pivot Table Wipe. Start in “A” stance. Make a quarter turn to the right, bending at the knees and sinking slightly. Pick up your left foot, pivot your left thigh as you place the ball of your left foot on the ground. At the same time, use your left hand to wipe off an imaginary table, moving your hand from back to front. Keep your shoulders and the unused arm relaxed. Alternate sides. Benefits: keeps the feet, ankles, knees, and hip joints agile and the upper body mobile.
  • Finish the Sanjana bars and start the Opal bars (i.e. studying the song/movement structure)– I made no progress again this week WK 3 PRIORITY
  • Listen to the Nia sound track for the Sanjana routine each week and add Opal when I get to their bars– done
  • Plan out and start participating in the last of my needed continuing education credits for PMP certification– no progress and I’m ok with that…as long as I start participating by the end of the round.

More progress, but still room for improvement. I’m stressing a little and I’m searching for my groove. Specifically I want the week to not feel so hard, but I have a plan for that. I’ll let you know next week what happens.

Not sure about the following, but I am curious about how future technology will help ease our stress

ROW80 check-in #13

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Another week has said bye, bye. My time management skills are improving, but there are still areas for improvement. A zillion things need to get done everyday and on top we heap on the goals. Is it all a recipe for trouble and stress? Nope, recipe to keep adjusting until we figure it out. If my goals have any hope of completion, I’m going to need to train like an athlete. No, I’m not talking physical fitness. I’m talking about keeping my eye on the ball. Distraction is an evil word and there are many we battle with daily.

In the last few weeks I’ve been taking different approaches to my time management. I seem to be having some success with a certain theory: get a little done all day long. I do a little here…stop…do a littler over there…stop… I think this is working for me, because when I start a new task I’m staying focused. As soon as my focus lapses I get sucked into things that I should not get sucked into. There are not enough hours in a day, but there are 24, and I want to make sure I’m using them wisely.

My problem: it’s easy to get off track, but here is where the training comes in and I will try, try, try again. I’m hoping my goals will get easier over the course of this round. It will be interesting to see how my training goes. How did I do this week? Let’s take a look see

The Goals & week-1 results

  • Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- done, easy peasy and effective this week, since I got some needed plotting accomplished
  • Write 2,000 words each week– done! 2,015 🙂
  • Spend time editing at least 2-times each week– I actually worked on edits 4-days this week
  • Finish reading current craft book and start another– made no progress here, but see the next line
  • Participate in Before You Hit Send Self-Editing Workshop in April– the workshop started this week and so far I’m lovin it!!
  • Turn 2nd-draft chapters to my writer friend for her critique– I did get some editing done this week, but there is much more to do before the 2nd draft is ready. I’m hoping to have a several chapters to her by the end of this round.
  • Workout a minimum of 200-minutes a week and round it out with plenty of water, sleep and my calorie limit- I got all but one this week. Daily water intake has been spot on, which always helps with the calorie limit and I did get plenty of sleep this week. Unfortunately I fell short on the workout minutes, only getting 160.
  • Study one of the Nia 52-moves each week (the 52-moves is like the ballet bar for Nia lovers): Stepping back onto the ball of your foot: start in Open Stance and keep your head, chest, and pelvis upright. Step directly onto the ball of one foot and keep the heel high. Practice walking around the room, stop, step back onto the ball of your foot. Benefits: improves mobility and stability in the foot and ankle, which helps you move with precision and sensitivity
  • Finish the Sanjana bars and start the Opal bars (i.e. studying the song/movement structure)– I made no progress this week 😦
  • Listen to the Nia sound track for the Sanjana routine each week and add Opal when I get to their bars– done
  • Plan out and start participating in the last of my needed continuing education credits for PMP certification– no progress

Progress, but lots of room for improvement. This week I’m going to concentrate on recognizing my lack of focus and attempt to be preemptive and save some time in the process. I am off and running, which is a good place to start, and did you see I made my word goal!!

I’m going to be gone all day visiting family, but I will be checking up on the other ROW80ers this evening and tomorrow.

Happy Sunday and happy week everyone.

ROW80 check-in #11

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I’m leaving for vacation today. YEAH!! Right now I am either running around the house, driving to/from the airport, or standing on the beach. It is going to be a crazy, exciting, relaxing day. The 7-days leading up to travel day are always crazy for me, aren’t they for everyone? The big question is did I make time for writing this week, the truth is in, where are my priorities?

Sunday through Wednesday brought me zero words and barely any time with my characters. Sure I was crazy with work, preparing for the trip, and pulling together tax stuff (our goal was to get everything to the accountant before we left today- score, that got done!!), but come on, I can do better than zilch!! Thursday brought me back to comfort. I got coffee time with my characters and writing too.

Distraction was the name of the game this week. Do you have a problem writing when you are distracted? Man oh man, each time I went to work on a scene my mind wandered to packing or cleaning or yuck, taxes. Luckily I got my to-do list done and we are happily on our way to Florida. But what about my characters? Poor Lydia wants some challenges and success too and poor forgotten Sam wants to know when I’m going to finish writing the last couple of scenes for her book!

I finally got to writing on Friday and Saturday and I ended the week with 487 words 😦 I’m totally bummed. My expectations should not have been so high for such a busy week…lesson learned. My priorities are fine, I’m not going to beat myself up over the poor output this week, but I see where some better planning could have helped…lesson learned.

I blogged a little this week too, have you seen my links post from yesterday? Go for the links and stay for the video of Dave Grohl!!

I’m still in the middle of reading James Scott Bells plot and structures and when that is done I will jump right into another craft book, but what about an on-line course? Hmm…I’ve been thinking about this for a while and there are several I’ve been thinking about. Friday I registered for Angela James’ Before You Hit Send workshop and I’m excited!! Not only will I learn a ton over the course of the 3-weeks, but I know this is the next step I need. The decision is making me feel like a writer. Yes, I’ve felt like a writer before, but each step (writing day after day, reading about the craft, joining ROW80, making a word count goal) makes me feel more confident and capable of claiming the moniker.

I am a writer.

I said it and now I need to own it. I am a writer. My skills are a work in progress, but the truth is in. I am a writer.

My vacation priority will be reading and spending time with my characters. Plotting WILL occur on my vacation. I’ll be back next week with tales from the vaca.  Next week I’ll also be back to: butt in seat, fingers on the keyboard and I will write.

ROW80 check-in #10

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My birthday week is coming to an end, boo-hoo 🙂 it has seriously been a great week. A party, date night, mom’s spaghetti, songs and a Facebook bonanza of happy wishes all make for a great birthday week…but did I get anything done this week, did I write?

Yes, I wrote and wrote and hit my word goal for the 3rd week in a row, yahoooo!! My word goal really seems to be working for me and it makes me so very happy. With each week I’m also getting a firmer grasp on my time management for blog/craft book reading. It’s a practice not a perfect. My weakness right now is editing. I have a ton to do on my very first WIP and the last three weeks I’ve done zero editing, zilch, zip, nada…boo-hoo for real.

My goals for the week ahead include, spending at least an hour a day with my characters, hitting my word goal (2,000 words), continue with efficient time management for blog/craft book reading, and edit! I will edit. 🙂

short post this week, hmm, more time for birthday cookies!! 😀

ROW80 check-in #9

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Small shifts have been appearing in my daily grind for the last couple of weeks, but not until this week did I feel some relief. I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to soak in all the information I can find. Writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Hmm…I’ve been trying to sprint the length of a marathon. If I don’t change something quick the cramps are going to force me out of the race…

Do you have rituals that keep you productive? I did, back in my days of working in an office I had ways of getting an amazing amount of work done everyday. My first rule was always removing distractions. Well, I’m a mother of two youngins, distraction is now my life. There is still certain times, not always the same time, that I have fewer distractions. In the dainty pearls of non-distraction I’m finding a groove. My shiny new trick is to be flexible.

I have now realized I had become the ugly step sister trying to cram my writing into the wrong shoe. Well no more. My Aha! moment came while reading Marc and Angel this week. The very first item on the list is to create a TO-DON’T list of all the things that pull you away from productivity and waste time. I may not have a lot of dainty pearls of non-distraction, but when they appear I need to make the most of them. It takes time to get a grove moving and once I’m IN my productivity soars. I’ve been a bit manic trying to race to get my fingers on everything, constantly distracted by all the things I want to get done, in the mean time I’m not getting anything done. The fifth item on their list talks about breaking down your goals into realistic, high impact tasks. Love it!! Lots to do to get my books done and it can only happen one step at a time. I think I actually heard that this time around. Number nine is to work in 90-minute intervals. My dainty pearls my not be 90-minutes, but still, breaks are good, breaks are fuel. Number ten is to reply to emails, v-mail and texts at a set time. I’ll be adding twitter, craft study and blog reading to that list. I could and have filled my whole day of dainty pearls with these items and then I do not get anything done on my books…all play and no writing makes me an ugly step sister.

Marc and Angels post came out on Monday…click…click…click. Love starting out the week with my shoulders relaxed and a fresh perspective.

Last week I started to feel the nudge to create a weekly word goal, which is something I’ve been hiding from. I’ve wanted a word goal, but feared it would just become one more thing to make me feel like I was failing. In all the things I’ve been reading one thing was abundantly clear: writers write. In the dainty pearls I will write! It’s now official, my word goal is 2,000 a week.

Monday morning during my dainty pearl I added 615 words to my novella, nice! Then the in-laws came into town, no more dainty pearls. The in-laws went home and the next day (Wednesday) I was out of town for a Nia White Belt Intensive refresher. I had a lovely day, but no dainty pearls. Thursday and Friday it was back to my dainty pearl plan and I got down 923 and 693 words respectively for a grand total of 2,231 for the week! I’ve added 4,300 words in the last two weeks. OMG, I’m writing!!

And that’s not all. Yesterday’s words were for the opening scene of my first book that I’ve been thinking about for a month! I feel so much better now that I can see her life (written down) before the wrench I just had to throw at her. My original goal of spending an hour a day with my characters paid off here. I kept thinking and tweaking the images in my head. Finally it was actually a shiny new shoe (no glass slipper) that actually paved the way.

I’m not quite Cinderella in her beautiful dress, but I’ve dusty off my rags.

Writers write.

ROW80 check-in #8

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I’ve had a couple of struggle weeks and I’m desperately trying to keep my chin above the keyboard. What did I find going on in my head this week? Was it: More of the same, a new face to the madness, or was it something altogether different…

Thanks to some tremendous comments last week my mind has actually calmed and ACCEPTED the task ahead. I no longer have that hopeless feeling. It’s going to take one step at a time and all steps WILL be moving in a forward direction.

I’m working on some new goals. I’m not a nail biter, but I suddenly had the urge.

I’m going to try a few on for size and see what fits. My current goal is to spend an hour a week with my characters, which I will continue as it has been working well. I would also like to add some goals for reading my craft books/blogs, which is something I have been doing. I have not been tracking my time and I think I’ll be shocked by how much time this task is soaking up. I would really like to add a word count goal…I’m going to start with 2,000 a week. OH BOY!! I did make that goal this week, yeah!! Lastly, I need to add an editing goal. My first book needs a lot more work and unless I’m working on it weekly it is not going to get finished, EEK! That will NOT do.

My to-do list is weighty, but it can only get done one step at a time. I can feel the pressure sliding off my chest. There is still so much to be done, but the course is getting built. It is up to me whether or not I stay on track.

The ROW80 check-ins have been extremely helpful. I’m happier than ever that I signed up!!

Have a great week everyone.

ROW80 check-in #7

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It has have been a full week now with my new balanced structure and I can firmly say my plan still needs tweaking. I don’t need another full overhaul, but just some tweaking and some acceptance. Spending an hour a day with my characters has served me well this week, but that needs some tweaking too. My mind just can’t seem to let go of learning. I find so much good information (via twitter, blogs, and in the Plot & Structure book I’m reading) that I can’t seem to let it go and just be creative. There-in lies my problem.

Wanting to learn and respecting the craft makes perfect sense, but in itself is not the real problem.

It has taken me a long time and a lot of effort on my part to accept my need to be a writer. Making up for lost time is always a vicious circle. Now I find myself in the infamous catch-22: I need to write, but I want to learn before I write

uuuurrrrrgh

Balance

yes, my balance needs some tweaking, some acceptance, and a firm step forward.

The week began with three days of glorious writing, plotting, and editing. I added 1,622 words and charted 14 chapters. Now all I can see is problems that I need to fix and I’m having a problem moving forward. I can’t seem to fix the problems or write new scenes.

big girl breath, balance, acceptance

In the last few months I have learned and accepted a great deal about my writing. I guess you can say I’ve moved from the pretty in pink stage to the all is dull and grey stage. Well, forget grey. I’m changing my colors to blue. I am working woman blue.

I’m pushing up my sleeves and getting down to the business at hand. I will Seize the day and what ever it can provide me. Now it is time to work hard and just move forward.

Each week I will continue to spend an hour a day with my characters. I will read and learn about my craft. In time my writing abilities will improve, but it will take time. Heck most things, that are really worth the investment, take a life time of study anyways. In the mean time…I. will. write!

ROW80 check-in #6

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Balance and new direction was my theme this week

Last week’s check-in was full of what is not working for me, it was ugly. A few days into the new week and a couple of solutions presented itself. First, I need to re-organize my day and fit writing/editing time in the morning. Can you say priorities people!! Second, education! I’m learning so much from the blogs I follow and articles I find via twitter (you can find what I’ve really found helpful in my Saturday posts- “Links of the week”). I also need to spend more structured time each week on my craft. “Plot & Structure” by James Scott Bell, oh yeah, each week we are going to spending some time together. I already started reading and I’m having a hard time putting it down, interesting.

I’m re-committing.

1 hour everyday with my characters is my goal for this round. This week I spent more time plotting in my head than time writing/editing, my re-balancing should help with that problem, but in my head I had some break-throughs. I’ve discovered the need for a new opening scene in WIP: I’m All Yours.  The WIP now has three scenes left to be written and I’m excited about each. The novella is missing some major plots points still and I’ve been thinking about them all week. I have that feeling of a little feather poking out of a pillow. Just a little tug and I’ll have it out & in my fingers.

I’m excited about my re-balancing. I’m focusing on what is important. My boss from over 10 years ago, we had a love/hate relationship. In somethings he was simply brilliant. He liked to remind me: it doesn’t all have to get done today. you can come back tomorrow and work on it some more. It’s called job security.

No one can fire me from my writing, but me. Well, I’ve fired the old me and the new me has got the job.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!