March Writing Goals Report; April Writing Goals

[rsadelle]

Report on March:
I again had a day when I just couldn't do anything. Other than that:

• 200 words per day during the week and 500 words per day on weekends of the novel. I managed 200 words every day, but I don't think I ever made it to 500 words a day on a weekend day. I think writing my novel doesn't feel so urgent now that I have a job.


• 100 words per day of the Mike/Kevin story. I did this until I finished it.


• 200 words per day of the actor!Gabe/director!Victoria (my big bang story). Check!


• Edit the accidental marriage fic. This still didn't happen.


• Put in some work on the Joe/Nick control fic. This didn't happen. Sadly, I think it's time for it to come off the list.


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired. Check!


• Say positive things on Twitter. This went fairly well. I ended up posting a lot of fic bits I probably won't finish instead of complaining. I don't know how that worked for other people, but I felt less like I was whining all the time.

April goals:

• 200 words per day during the week and 300 words per day on weekends of the novel. Maybe I'll meet my goal if it's smaller, and then maybe I can work my way up.


• Finish the actor!Gabe/director!Victoria (my big bang story) by writing at least 200 words per day. This has to happen because the rough draft and summary are due April 30.


• Edit the accidental marriage fic. This is staying on the list until it happens!


• Read through the Mike/Kevin story at least once, even without doing a real edit.


• Work on at least one thing for my bingo card.


• Finish the girl!Andy and Matt slept together once story. It just needs the rest of the sex scene and a rewrite of the scene where they play pool, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about the sex scene.


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired.


• Say positive things on Twitter.

Comments

[megyal]

You should see me eying your lists with great interest. Why 200 words as your daily limit?

[rsadelle]

That's the minimum, so theoretically I could write more than that. (What actually happens is that I write that much and then move on to either reading or writing something else.) I used to have a higher minimum, and then I got a job so I'm not home as much, and that seemed reasonable. If I just sit down and do it, I have been known to write 200 words in ten minutes. I keep thinking, "I used to have so much more time when I worked at my old job, even though the commute was longer," and then I realize that when I worked at my old job, I wasn't walking for an hour every morning.

[megyal]

Oh man, I should try that. I'm also super distractible (I don't think that's a word).

[rsadelle]

This in no way precludes distraction! I've started closing my browser/email when it's time to do my writing, because otherwise I just play around on the internet instead.

I also do better when I'm responsible to other people. If I'm only responsible to myself, I just won't do things sometimes. This kind of public commitment is one of the ways I make myself responsible to other people. I also have people reading along with both of the things I have daily word counts for, so I feel like I have to do it so they (including you for one of them!) get a little bit of story every day.

[megyal]

If I'm only responsible to myself, I just won't do things sometimes. Same for me. Do you ever feel that its a bad thing sometimes, though? Like, you don't really feel to do something but it's like an obligation. It happens very to me occasionally, but mostly when I feel depressed over something unrelated and it seeps into my writing.

[rsadelle]

The things where I've made myself obligated to other people are things I want to do/am trying to do anyway, so I usually want to do them anyway. I do feel guilty on those days when I just can't write anything because I feel like I'm not living up to my obligations to them.