admin
|
Set your targetSome times we need a push to actually do what we need to in order to achieve our goals. The prospect of having to admit we are lazy can motivate us.
School kids don't want to do their homework, but they do it so they don't get into trouble. The end result is that they learn. It's kind of the same theory here. A kick up the backside might be just what you need to reach your goals. 
Set your target: Post how long you are dedicating to writing, it might be twenty minutes a day or five hours a week.
Report back here weekly: Post how much time you managed to dedicate to your goal, and if you reached your target.
Remember: Each time you achieve your target makes you one step closer to your goals. Stop dreaming about them and make them reality! 
|
Monster
|
I'm gameConsidering I haven't got anywhere with my novel lately, I'll give this a go.
I'll set my target at 2 hours for this week.
|
tttime
|
love the conceptthis is a great idea, a bit like weighing in at a gym. so in my writing exercise program  my goal is 30 minutes each evening and 2 hours over the weekend for this week.
|
brooke
|
Ok I am going to try and finish my two articles and book review by deadline and devote three days next week to staring at my unfinished manuscript and being inspired by you lot. 
|
Amy
|
Short stories - here I come!This is just what I need! 
I'm going to complete one short story this week and ... actually send it off - that's a huge goal for me. 
I'm really excited about this ...
|
admin
|
Target ReminderIt's good to see that you want to achieve your goals.
This is a reminder that your targets are approaching ...
Monster, have you achieved your two hours for this week yet? You've got to Wednesday.
tttime, have you kept your target of 30 mins during the weekdays, and how is your two hours for the weekend going?
Brooke, how are those two articles and a book review going?
Amy, your short story, have you finished the drafts yet and working towards a polished story to submit?
Tick, tick, tick, time is ticking away ...
If this feels like I'm putting you under pressure or making you feel guilty about your targets then good. I want you to finish those goals so I can read your published material and if that means I have to push you a little - so be it (all in good natured fun, of course). Happy writing!
|
Monster
|
I just wanted to say thank you!
This morning I put in 1 & 1/2 hours and finished off a chapter.
I've been putting it off and putting it off. I would never have finished that chapter without setting my 2 hr target. I've still got 30 minutes left so it's onward with the next chapter.
|
tttime
|
not so goodHi all
I didn't get as much done as i hoped. the 30 minutes i am finding is just not long enough and spent an hour on thursday and an hour on friday. the weekend was a big flop with a quick trip to perth (5hrs way) but i am not going to stop i am going to keep working but as for the goal next week i definately need to look at an hour block not 1/2.
|
brooke
|
I am researching for daily eco art article right now but thought I would drop in, so does it still count? I will be done by morning anyway... And this is a writing forum right? hehe
|
admin
|
Targets finished and new ones begin ...Hello all,
By my calculations, the target deadline is up! So how did we go?
Monster, sounds like you achieved your target, well done.
tttime, you did well too. You'll probably find if you set your 30 minutes target that you will continue over that time, I know I do. Once I'm 'in the zone' I forget about the clock, which can drive my family crazy because my 'just ten more minutes' can turn into an hour or more.
Brooke, like you said, it's still writing so keep going. And don't forget those articles and book review.
Amy, how did you go? Did you finish that short story and submit it?
The end of the week, and your targets, means to give yourself a pat on the back for the work you've done.
Now, get ready for a new week and set your targets, or keep the same pace as the previous week, but it would help to state your targets so that you don't let yourself fall back into that comfort stage. Push your targets if you can, even if it's just ten extra minutes.
|
tttime
|
NEW WEEKYesterday was great. I couldn't seam to get a quite spot to myself. I jumped in the car and headed to one of our paddocks. We call it Island and it was great. I took my laptop and ran the battery flat, reluctantly after 3 hours I had to head back in. Once back in and pluged to power I spend another hour at it.
In short I'm feeling positive about this week. i don't have another day off until next friday but I'm not going to let it stop me I intend to achieve 7 hours. An hour a day. I have already done an hour today so its a good start.
Its amazing how motivated i feel, thanks admin
|
Monster
|
Week 2 and here I goHi all,
I know what you mean, tttime, since we started this last week, I can't stop thinking about when I can sit down again to work on my writing some more. I haven't been this inspired for ages.
I'm going to write for 8 hours for this week. That's 6 hrs over the weekend and another 2 through the week. I've agreed to put in a few more hours at work so I probably won't get a lot of time, but I should be able to handle 2 hours.
Actually, I'm going to start as soon as I finish here.
|
Amy
|
Need a pushMy inspiration hasn't kicked in yet, am I doing something wrong? 
I made plans to finish a short story and send it off, remember?
Well I got as far as twenty minutes working on it and sort of fizzled out. I don't plan to give up, I'll keep trying, but if anyone has some pointers, I'd really appreciated it.
|
tttime
|
fool your own brainHi amy
The best advise I can give you when you are having trouble reaching your goal is to try and fool yourself. before you laugh at me what I mean is that maybe trying to finish a whole story is too big for your mind to handle so how about shortening the goal. Maybe say this week I am going to devote an hour to working on story ideas and thirty minutes to some writing exercise just to get the juices flowing like a diary or a blog. It may be that the pressure of the word finish is you problem.
good luck and remember that any writing is a positive step.
Hi Everyone
please call me Tammy it seams funny to get messages refering to me by my handle.
|
admin
|
Well saidWell said, Tammee. I agree.
Finishing a short story and submitting it involves a lot of time and effort. Remember, Amy, take it one step at a time. Work on your characters and plot ideas - this can be quite a lot of work. You may have to research points depending on what the story is. When you're ready to write, focus on the first draft only, and forget trying to get it to a polished tale or submitting it. Just get the story from your head onto the page. It doesn't matter if it takes you three weeks working on the first draft, just take it as it comes. I get the feeling you might be trying to push all the steps in together, break it down and concentrate on each step as you come to it.
The idea of setting targets is not to compete against each other, it is just a guide for you to work towards. To get you on the right track, why not set a target you are confident you can handle, such as twenty minutes a day. See how you go with that for a week, and if you miss a day or whatever then don't let it worry you. We are human, not robots, so things won't always go according to plan.
Also, if you are having trouble with this particular story, then it might not be the right story for you to write. Or you might be looking at it from a POV that isn't working. This can slow the creative process down and cause frustrations. If this is the case, try writing it from a different angle, or write a completely different story.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
|
Amy
|
Wow, thanksThanks so much for that, Tammee and Admin. 
It helped so much. I'm not sure if it was the story or not, but I try a different one and focus on it in steps.
So I'll concentrate on a fresh new idea and start writing it. I'm not aiming to finish it, just as long as I've worked it out and started the writing process. Then I'll see how well I do.
|
tttime
|
Your welcome but its Tammy not Tammee
|
admin
|
oops, sorryOops, look what I started ...
That's my fault, Tammy. My niece has the same name but spells it with 'ee'. I typed it without even thinking. Sorry.
|
admin
|
UpdateOkay all you writers out there, now's the time to let us know how your targets are going and if you're changing your current targets?
Are you spending enough time writing or have you drifted back to old habits?
Looking forward to hearing how you've gone.
|
brooke
|
Yep, well I reached my targets, have new book review to do, another article due tomorrow and am in talks to co-write book, the contract should be getting drawn up soon! So am way ahead for now, but I tend to write in big waves, just not consistently!
|
tttime
|
well i have maintained my time but i have not writen well.
My plan for this week is to maintain the time but set some actual writing goal. I plan to work on my characters. set aside actual files on the personalities and possible interactionsrather than keeping it all in my head, hopefully this will get the juices going and my writing will be more direct.
Anyway keep the ideas flowing
Tammy
|
Matthyew
|
An hour a day seems good, i think ill start there, i have the time i just need the motivation hopefully i can make it longer and get caught up in it all and forget about life for a while:)
|
Monster
|
Hi everyone,
I didn't reach my 15 hours total, but I managed at least an hour a day so I'm pretty happy with that.
The last couple of days I've managed 3 hours so I might actually make it this week, fingers crossed.
By the way, welcome to Mattyew (or would you rather Matt?)
|
Matthyew
|
the whole name is good thanks, preferably with a, 'h' in it too:)
good luck on your next 15 hours
|
admin
|
Hello everyone.
Hope you all had a great weekend.
So how are those goals going? If you have strayed from your targets then let's begin again with new determination.
|
tttime
|
I've had a great week with writing this week. I have enjoyed the writing exercises and I'm planning to spend this week doing the same with the goal of finishing 2 assignments aswell.
TTFN
Tammy
|
Monster
|
Doing pretty well even though I hit a few problems with the chapter I'm currently working on, but I'm persevering with it.
I hope to have this chapter and the next completed by the end of the weekend, fingers crossed.
|
admin
|
Winter writingWith winter on our doorsteps, it's a great time to curl up next to the fire or heater and write. What can you accomplish this season? Will your novel be finished? How many short stories or articles could you have out at publishers?
Tell us how your writing is going.
|
tttime
|
wowHaving never had anything published i'm not convinced that i will be ready by the end of winter, but i love the idea. My mid range ie 3 month goal is to complete the first five chapters of my first novel. My longer term goal will be to have final draft finished in 12 months. My market is short novels - Mills and Boons, definately romance. I was planning to start this goal about the middle of the year as i have been working on character and setting etc but i feel inspired and i can't wait to start. wish me luck...
|
Monster
|
I finished that chapter I wanted to and finished the following one today so I'm pretty proud of myself!
If I can get another chapter out of the way by this time next week then that'll be a big plus.
A three month goal? Hmm, I'd love to say, yeah, I'll have my first draft of my novel completed by that time (and I hope I do) but it seems too good to be true. Then again, I might just make it if I keep up this current pace. At the moment I'm throwing all my spare time into it.
Tammy, good luck, you can do it.
|
admin
|
I'm delighted that you are reaching your goals.
Is anyone finding that it has become a habit to set a target and work towards it?
What will you do for this coming week? Don't get to comfortable with life and forget about your ambitions.
|
Amy
|
Hi all,
I've been a bit slack with the posting but I've written two stories and working on polishing them. Now that I've gotten back into the swing of writing I might go back to that story that was giving me trouble and have another go at it.
I like the idea of a seasonal goal so I hope I've sent some of my stories to publishers by the end of winter.
I haven't gotten into a habit with writing yet, but will let you know if that changes.
|
Sue
|
Which is best?I really like this idea, but I don't know what target to set. I mean, do I pick something that's hard to fail at or do I pick something that's a challenge to achieve?
|
admin
|
Pick what suits you.Sue, it depends mostly on you, how do you work best? Some people like to focus on something they know they can handle while others like to stretch themselves.
If you don't know which way to go, why not try to do something you know you've got a really good shot of achieving. Then next time trying something more challenging where you'll have to work harder to achieve it. Compare the two and see which way you enjoyed more, and which produced either better or more work.
Writing is a personal thing. Don't get caught up in thinking one particular way suits everyone, it doesn't. But remember this: if you're not having fun writing then what's the point? If you hate the process then you'll end up not writing anything.
|
Sue
|
Okay, thanks. I'll experiment a little and see what works for me.
|
|
|
