The new project is going well. I made my goal of 8000 words for July. Now, I know that doesn't sound like much, and I should be able to do that in a good week, but for me at the moment, it was important to set a small, easily achieved goal and bask in the glow of success. I'll be more ambitious for August.
Which brings me to the question: Is it better to aim high and risk failing, or cheat a bit by setting a ridiculously easy goal and succeeding? I guess that answer is: both are valid approaches, as long as they work for you. The worst case scenario is setting that ridiculous goal and still not achieving it!
So, the goal for August is... 20 000 words. No, make that 15 000. More ambitious than July, still achievable, could be setting myself up to crash and burn, but I'll feel great if I make it.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Motivation
Every one needs some 'down time', I agree, but when a month passed and I hadn't really progressed very far with my next book, I decided to ask myself 'why?' I like my characters, and my world. I know where I'm heading re: plot and story line. Hmmm. I'm really not sure what the problem is. And I'm not sure about the solution, either.
Drastic action was called for. I'd already enrolled in another QWC Year of the Novel course, so when it came time to send through the details about my 'project', I decided to tackle something new. Maybe that's what was missing! I've been immersed in the world of Sahaar for so long, I need a holiday. My course runs for 5 months, I've picked a smaller project, a children's novel, so I'm looking at about 35 000 - 45 000 words. If I work consistently, I should have the completed manuscript by September/October. Okay, I can hear that sniggering there in the background...
So far, my brilliant plan is working. My word count isn't too hefty yet, but I have a fair bit of research to do. Setting a 'research plan' was one of the topics we covered in the first lesson. 'Be specific about the time you are allocating to research. Be specific about your topics.' These are hard lessons, but ones I really need to listen to.
So... my goal before our next lesson in 2 weeks time is 8 000 words. That doesn't seem like a lot, so hopefully I'll do it.
Drastic action was called for. I'd already enrolled in another QWC Year of the Novel course, so when it came time to send through the details about my 'project', I decided to tackle something new. Maybe that's what was missing! I've been immersed in the world of Sahaar for so long, I need a holiday. My course runs for 5 months, I've picked a smaller project, a children's novel, so I'm looking at about 35 000 - 45 000 words. If I work consistently, I should have the completed manuscript by September/October. Okay, I can hear that sniggering there in the background...
So far, my brilliant plan is working. My word count isn't too hefty yet, but I have a fair bit of research to do. Setting a 'research plan' was one of the topics we covered in the first lesson. 'Be specific about the time you are allocating to research. Be specific about your topics.' These are hard lessons, but ones I really need to listen to.
So... my goal before our next lesson in 2 weeks time is 8 000 words. That doesn't seem like a lot, so hopefully I'll do it.
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