Monday Morning Quarterbacking

It was a busy weekend here.  Too busy, which is evidenced by the fact that my total word count for Saturday and Sunday was 171, and that was done late last night.  It also shows that, in spite of good intentions, we don't always get words on paper as planned.

That low word count does set me back a little, but because I had a few days when I managed more words than my 640, I'm not that far behind.  The key is to keep writing past that daily word count on the days when the words flow from your fingertips--or at least you have the time to push yourself for more--and not beat yourself up when life gets in the way.  At present, I'm 354 words behind, but that's less than two pages.  I know I can catch up in a day and maybe even gain a little extra ground.

So what kept me from reaching my daily goals this weekend?  Saturday we attended Woofstock and had a wonderful time.  (I'll blog about it over at scribbles tomorrow.)  Saturday evening was family night, so I never get any writing done then.  Yesterday I met with a friend and attended an event for a couple of hours, then did some catching up on other things at home that had been shoved aside to make more time for writing.

The other thing that kept me from adding to my word count was that I wasn't quite sure where I was going.  I'd finished the first chapter on Friday night with a total of 1675 for the day--an example of how some days the writing goes well--but I was feeling iffy about how the next scene would play out.  I'd done some storyboarding to write the overview of the story for my editor to look at, but an overview only contains the highlights and turning points of the story.  I had a lot of holes to fill to get from point A to B and Y to Z.  I still don't have it finished, but I have ideas and will do some work on it today.

If you're wondering about storyboards, what they are or how to go about making and using one, check out Harlequin Romance author Susan Meiers' blog on Using a Storyboard.  You can also check out my blog, Who, Me?  Plot?, for more and a photo of my (old) plotting board.  It's old because I have a new one!

Sometimes we can't control the interruptions in our plans.  When that happens, even if it's because the interruption is planned by us, the best thing to do is take a step back and reassess what needs to be done to catch up.  Keep in mind that catching up doesn't have to happen in one day, but can be spread over several.  Like a football team working a few yards at a time to reach the goal line and score posts, we don't give up simply because we didn't make the word count needed to advance.  We'll get another chance again the next day, and maybe then we'll make a long run for the goal posts.