Tag Archives: #ROW80

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 -Round 2 2012- The Goals

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What’s Row80? A round of words in 80 days is the writing challenge that knows you have a life.

This is my 2nd round of 80-days and this time I’m digging in with both feet and a few other parts too. I actually have other goals in my life besides writing. What did you say, really, you do too? There is no reason to dissect my goals, especially with the ROW80 theme. Besides some shiny new writing goals, I will also be sharing my healthy journey and Nia training goals.

2011 was my year of active change. Not only did I start writing my first serious WIP (the others will go unmentioned), but I started and stayed on a healthy journey and I fell in love with Nia. On April 4th I opened my Simply Sidney blog and a few short months later was introduced to Nia by a fellow blogger. On October 23 I started this blog. Right now SJMaylee is my writing home base, but some day, who knows when, I will be mentioning my published books. In November I took The Nia White Belt Training and ever since I have been studying and trying to learn a routine. And there is that Project Management certification that requires me to do continuing education. Lots of stuff going on for sure, but 2012 is a continuation of forward movement.

On a personal front I’m working on my writing chops, my WIP, my health and Nia. On a family front, I’m raising two active little ones, taking care of my husband of 12 years, our home and that evil day job, which can thankfully be done at home. My goals for round 2 will be based on my personal goals, but I will be keeping my family in mind. No crazy bouncing stretches for me, smooth yoga is the way.

We have a life and that life nourishes our soul and comes out in our writing. Ah…..feels good.

What does my soul want? It wants to finish a book!

My only goal last round was to spend an hour a day with my characters. Living with my characters keeps them close and talking to me=happy place. Last round I also flirted with a word count goal. No more flirting, it’s time to get serious, but what should the number be? I was handling 2,000 words a week pretty well WHEN I managed my time (ended the round with almost 11,000 words). Some day soon I want my weekly number to be 5,000. I need a challenge right now, not a set-up for failure.

The Goals

  • Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters
  • Write 2,000 words each week or 22,000 for the round
  • Spend time editing at least 2 times each week
  • Finish reading current craft book and start another
  • Participate in Before You Hit Send Self-Editing Workshop in April
  • Turn 2nd draft chapters to my writer friend for her critique
  • Workout a minimum of 200-minutes a week and round it out with plenty of water, sleep and my calorie limit
  • Study one of the Nia 52-moves each week
  • Finish the Sanjana bars and start the Opal bars (i.e. studying the song/movement structure)
  • Listen to the Nia sound track for the Sanjana routine each week and add Opal when I get to their bars
  • Plan out and start participating in the last of my needed continuing education credits for PMP certification

That’s one long list, especially compared to my list for the 1st round. Well I wanted to get serious. Wonder how drama filled my updates will be? I’m a pretty reasonable person so I hope to get the drama limited or interesting at least 🙂

ROW80 check-in #12

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The end of the my first round of 80-days has arrived. I survived. More importantly I wrote. I continued working on my first ever WIP and started my second, adding just shy of 12,000 words. Not bad considering I WAS the girl who was too afraid to even have a word count goal. I have continued to find like-minded folks through the social medias and I’m finding my stride.

This round helped me to dip my toe at a word count goal (2,000/week, which I hit a few times during the end of the round) and that more than anything is helping me to claim the name of writer.

Writer is NOT my only goal here, so onward I must march.

I’m excited an anxious to start my 2nd round of 80-days. My mind is all a crazy with goal ideas. I took it easy with my first round goal, but it helped me to take a firm step forward. My goal for this 1st round was to simply spend one hour a day with my characters. The hour helped to spur word count sprints and would leave me giddy all day long!! I have a strong desire to challenge myself in the 2nd round. My hour will remain, but word counts and edit goals WILL be added.

Thank you to all the other ROW80 participants!! We hung in there and I’m very proud of us all.

Goodbye round 1, you will always be my first and for that alone I’m taking fond memories with me.

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!