PACING CHECK-IN
Because my job is so full on, I often wonder how different it would all be if I didn’t have a day job. I do take weeks off to write every once in a while. My output is not that different when I’m solely focused on writing, it’s just more sane and sustainable for me. It gives me more rest and restoration time.
If I’m on it, I can really squeeze a significant chunk of writing out of two hours. But since humans are such tricky machines, it’s really hard to know when you’re going to be on it and when you’re going to need more time. That’s why the schedule is so important. It’s good knowing how far off the track I can get with my daily goals while keeping the overall writing goals on track.
It all links back to the outline. Because of the outline, I know how many chapters my book will have. (This may change as I write. I may find that I need another chapter or scene, but having a goal provides the parameters for planning.) Knowing how many pages are in my chapters helps me know how many chapters (or how much of a chapter) I can write in a day. It’s all mathematics!
I paced better this week than last week. I didn’t write five chapters for the week, but the lucky thing is I don’t need to. My buffer gives me the space to fall off the mark here and there. I’m obsessively counting the number of days left and the number of chapters left to the deadline. I have one less buffer day on the end, but I am still right on time!
DEADLINE 2/22—two weeks left!
LOGISTICS, CRAFT & MECHANICS
I am a lifelong pantser (a writer who writes by the seat of their pants vs. outlining). I always thought outlining was dry and boring and too much like work. On the other hand, writing without knowing where I was going felt like an adventure. I felt like I was in the flow—discovering and creating as I went. The problem was, I couldn’t write a novel using this process. Other people can—I know, but it didn’t work for me.
On the work side of my life, I’m the queen of organization. Every point in a process has it’s time. You move things through its stages and allow it to get refined as it moves through the process. I’ve started approaching writing from a more structured process perspective and it’s given me wings!
My new writing strategy is focus on one specific purpose at every stage of the writing journey. When you’re writing by the seat of your pants, you’re doing everything at once. You’re figuring out what the plot will be AND how to animate the plot AND who your characters are AND what the right tone is, etc. etc. When you outline, then draft, then develop, you set aside portions of the work to be addressed one at a time—and to build on each other.
Now, I start with an outline. It’s my proof of concept. How do these characters and ideas fit together? Where will this story go? Once I’ve created the plot, I can focus on the mechanics of the storytelling, rather than trying to do both mechanics and plot at once. Of course, all the work still happens at all stages. You never stop developing characters, fine-tuning the mechanics of the scenes, etc., but by letting myself off the hook for doing all the things at all the times, I’m able to move more quickly through the different levels of storytelling. And for someone who is working a demanding day job, who doesn’t have a lot of time to wonder about my work, having a plan makes it possible for me to be flexible and productive when my time is compromised and I have limited windows of time to move toward completion.
MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-IN
We have a tendency to put more stock in our emotions than in our productivity. If writing feels challenging, we must not be good at it. If we are angry and grasping for time, we must be losing control and completely behind on our goals. If it doesn’t feel fun, we’re in the wrong career and we’re wasting our time. Emotionally, this week felt like a failure. But when I sat down and looked at how much I got done—4 and a half chapters—I realize I rocked this week. I should have spent the whole week feeling like a f—ing rock star because I met the challenge of my work day intruding on my work time like a boss! I worked ungodly hours at my day job and still found windows to get my chapters done.
Emotionally, I invested more energy in raging over what wasn’t working, than celebrating my dedication and creativity in finding solutions to keep moving forward. What a waste of energy. It’s hard to change these habits—possibly impossible to re-set human reactions to thwarted intentions—but it’s good to reflect on them. Are there areas where you are putting more stock in your emotions than in what you’re actually achieving? Are you ignoring your achievements in favor of magnifying your obstacles and your failure? What is that gaining you? In the starkest terms, are you more invested in self-flagellation than self-celebration? Barriers and setbacks aside, can you celebrate what you’ve done and use that as fuel to keep going?
—K.