LADIES & GENTLEMEN...RRRROW80 CHECK-IN

It's not as if I've conquered any great thing, yet I feel as if I'm more on track (even in this limited amount of ROW80 the 4th time) with my goals than before. So, yay!

Sunday: 128 words
Monday: 172 words -- also a reading day. I finished SAVE THE CAT: Strikes Back! And had a huge epiphany with his book and Sonia's post at ROW80. He is so inspirational http://www.blakesnyder.com/
Tuesday: 109 words. Plus finished the first 2 steps in the snowflake method. http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

I'll leave you with one of the most inspirational songs I know!

ROW80 CHECK-IN, BABY

Feeling (Minnesota) optimistic.
Wednesday:
 242 words
Check-ins with 5 other ROWers

Thursday:
103 words

Friday:
0 words :(

Saturday:
214 words
Blog

So, overall the word count (while measly) is right on track for my goals. Check-ins with other people is good too, blog posts...not so much so. But, I'm not letting that keep me down -- nononono. I'm seriously, seriously setting up a blogging schedule. You'll know when I know.

TODAY'S QUOTE

"Going to the moon's no problem, all we need is a rocket."
Mickey Mouse


I love the simplicity of this quote -- he gets right to it. All we do need is a rocket. Sure we need lots of other things but if we had all those other things, like scientists and trajectories and ground control -- they don't actually get you to the moon. Not in the literal sense. It's the rocket that gets you there.

And I can make a writing analogy! Writing a book's no problem, all you need is a plot.

Sure you need characters, and description and deep point of view, but none of those will write you a book. It might write you something, but it'll be boring. Sorry.

This quote makes me smile -- and makes me feel like I can accomplish anything. What's your fave quote, and tell me why.

WHAT? THERE'S A TEST TODAY?!

So, I'm already behind! But it's okay, it makes me laugh. Only because in my head I was thinking ROW80 started TODAY, not the 3rd -- when I actually posted my goals. Iiiidjit!

Okay, I've also spent the last two days writing a resume. (Confession: I've never had to write a resume, I know. )

So now here I am ready to start my goals. Yay! But now I have to make up for 3 days. Darn.
I did have an epiphany two days ago -- hey, maybe I should make regular epiphanies a goal -- initially I was taking my contemporary paranormal YA (that was finished but, had a distinct who are these people? to it) pulling it apart and using some of the premises and characters but making it historical and adding steampunk elements -- seemed easy.

Well, I stalled and I couldn't figure out why. Then it hit me; these people I was writing about weren't just my contemporary characters with different names. No. They were their own characters, damn it. Oh, and hey, the original characters? yeah, they wanted their lives back, but with purpose and cooler stuff.

So, now I have a YA that needs some major work, but most of the core stuff is done aaand I have my YA steampunkish that can now breath on its own. I am full up with shtuff and I love it.

What's happening with you guys?

OUT WITH A WHIMPER...

So, I realized I haven't been around lately. Oh, I've been around -- to lots of blogs, just not at my own blog.  Natalie Hartford visited and said she liked my goals -- er, um, those were from the first week in September. Talk about a slacker -- actually, let's not.

It's all good though. I'm already motivated for the next go around. I'm just not going to try for the big bang.

Think Small


Yup. No grandiose goals of finishing a WIP in 17 days, or brainstorming an entire plot in a caffeinated induced state of delusional genius-osity. Nope.

ROW80 taught me a few things about myself, I really like coming up with goals and I'm really bad at achieving them. Look, I'm a positive person -- I make Pollyanna look like a crab -- but these goals I made for myself were not conducive to me achieving them. I also learned, I have to actually make time to write, can't just wait for it to happen. Sheesh, who knew?

Goals: 
100 words a day -- no. matter. what. I don't care if I do have a life, I can eek out 100 words a day.


2 blogs a week (ROW80 check-ins do not, do. not. count.


Visit (at least) 5 other Row-ers of the 80 a week. 


That's it girls and boys. This makes me ridiculously happy. Baby goals, yay!

TODAY'S QUOTE

My desk is like my refrigerator -- if I wait long enough, I don't have to figure out what to do/make with all the stuff, I can just toss it.
Amy Kennedy 8/01/11

I thought this quote as I was waiding through the brilliant ideas detritus (I love that word) of my desk. Half the stuff I couldn't even be sure what the scribbles were related to and the other half's still waiting.

The stoopid thing is, I'm an organized person. School stuff all in file marked School (present year), tax receipts in appropriate folders, bed made, dishes washed, house clean(ly-ish). My desk? My desk is an unwieldy crap storm. Ah well, what're you gonna do?

Clearly my desk is my Waterloo.
What's your Waterloo? And, would organizing my desk make my writing life any easier?

Renewing My ROW80 Vows...Vegas Style! Oh, Poop.

Okay, maybe not Vegas style, but I am renewing my goals and that reminded me of renewing vows and that reminded me of my girlfriend and her husband who did renew their vows when they were in Vegas -- with an Elvis impersonator. It was awesome!

I want my writing goals to be awesome too -- or, at least, to exist. And if I need an Elvis to do it -- so be it. See how he's motivating me?

I've been woefully absent from check-ins and am feeling the nagging sense of "not trying hard enough" bouncing in my brain. Sure life has hit me with it's very essence of lifeness, ie: a crapstorm of yuck. But, like all good midwesterners, I know we need that shit manure to grow some fine stuff.

Enough.
Okay, goals:
Write and attach scene cards to Big Board
Write full outline, send to critique partner
Write 2 blogs a week (sheesh, at least)

This is it. This is my awesome. If I can complete this it really will be my awesome!

Happy writing everyone! How's everyone else doing?