Goals are Set. Now What?

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Today marks the official last day of the first week of the new year.  Our goals should be made.  In theory, we should be moving forward on them.

Reaching our goal is like climbing a staircase.  We start at the bottom by deciding what it is we want to accomplish, then step by step, we move toward it.  That takes motivation.  The key is knowing what each step involves so we can more easily get to the top aka Our Goal.  That's where a little planning comes in.  My goals won't be the same as another's, but there are a few steps that we all can take to make the trip easier.

As it was last year, my goal this year is a specific word count.  Because of that, I have a good idea of what I can do in that amount of time.  I set last year's goal at 120,000 words.  I included both blogging and book word count and ended up nearly doubling my goal. This year I'm sticking totally with main writing word count, which I've increased to just over last year's total.  A quick look on the right will show that I haven't made any progress yet.

Why no progress?  For nearly two weeks before Christmas and after New Year's Day, there have been five grandkids, ages 3-11, here from morning until evening.  By the time they leave, I do well to know my name.  Now that they're back in school, I can relax and work some during the day.  (3-year-old will still be here during the day.)  What I realized last night is that I've been waffling, not knowing for sure what I specifically want to work on this year.  I gave it some thought yesterday and last night, and I now have a clear idea of what I'm going to do.  Of course it can change, but I can look up that long stairway and see the top.  I know how to work my goal.

Stuck with no idea of where to start?  If you're working on a specific book/manuscript or more than one, it doesn't matter whether you've set your goal to write to the finish or if you'll use page count or word count as your goal.  By now you should have broken that big goal into smaller ones.  You should also know what you want to work on.  That puts you one step up.  Forward motion!  What's left is each of the rest of the steps aka mini-goals.  It's like losing weight.  We do it day by day, pound by pound, whether dieting or exercising or both.  Writing goals work the same way.

There are a few things that can help make the journey easier.

1. Know what kind of story you'll be writing.  Whether it's romance, suspense, paranormal, inspirational or other, have an idea of 
2. Know your characters.  Not just their names, but who they are, what they do, and especially where they came from.  This is where GMC comes in.  This doesn't have to be done in a day, and quite often when the writing is moving along, we often discover things about characters that we didn't know when we wrote the first words or even chapters.  Or even more often, we've had these characters in our mind for some time, growing little by little.
3. Know where your story is going.  This doesn't mean your book must be completely plotted or even a little plotting, but if you know where it needs to start, what the main turning point will be, and some kind of an idea of how it will end, you can go from point to point more quickly and smoothly, without a major panic attack.
4. Know when your best writing time is and write on a regular schedule.  I'm guilty of not doing this as much as I should, so it's something I need to work on.  Remember, the more often you write, the easier it becomes.  You might even get lucky and make it a habit.  If you know on Monday that you're going to be writing the second scene of chapter four on Wednesday, you can be thinking about how that scene will play out.
5. Know in your heart that if you get behind on your mini-goals, you can still make progress and quite possibly still make your goal.  You missed a day writing on your 3-page-a-day goal?  Write one extra page for each of the next 3 days, and you're back on track.  Or give up an evening of television to make some progress.  Your goal isn't over until the time is up.

If you've found some ways to keep yourself motivated through the year-long goal, share them!  We learn not only from what we do, but from others do, too.  

Let's make 2013 the year we meet and maybe even exceed our goals.  I'm willing to try.  How about you?

Everyone has inside himself a piece of good news! The good news is that you really don’t know how great you can be, how much you can love, what you can accomplish, and what your potential is! - Anne Frank

Ring Out the Old...

MOTIVATION MONDAY

This is it.  The last holiday...the last day...of 2012.  It's a time to reflect on the year that has past.  A time to remember our successes and and celebrate them.  It's also a time to look at those things that weren't a success and learn why.

I've said it here before, and I'm going to repeat it.  I don't make New Year's Resolutions.  Why?  Because like most people, the majority of those resolutions never see the light of day.  We have good intentions.  Excellent intentions, in fact.  But they lack what's needed to succeed.

Instead of making resolutions, I set goals.  Not only do I set a goal, but I also plan a path to reach it.  I try to make sure the goal can be achieved, because setting a goal that's impossible to attain is a waste of time and energy.

Did you set any goals for 2012?  Any kind of goal.  It could have been a writing goal, a self-improvement goal, or anything you felt you needed as a positive push in you life.  I set a writing goal, along with my fellow WARA members, and I'm happy to say I not only reached it, but surpassed it.  Later in the year, I set a goal to walk a mile or two at least five days a week.  I didn't do as well with that goal, once the really hot summer weather arrived...and stayed.  But for almost two months I worked on it, so it wasn't a complete fail.  Simply trying is a positive.

If you haven't given any thought to setting a goal for 2013, that's okay.  There's still time.  If not today and tonight, then over the next week or month or whenever you discover you need motivation to get you start and keep you going.  Working on the goals we set is motivation in action.

May 2013 be your year to shine!

Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. - Alfred, Lord Tennyson

'Tis the Season to Listen to Our Inner Silence

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

I'm one of those rare people who finds beauty in the starkness of winter.  While I love the brisk air and the scents and colors of autumn, it doesn't last long, and I'm left with something close to the picture on the left.  There are only a few remnants of the leaves that are still barely hanging on.  The year is doing much the same thing.  It's speeding right along to the end, ready to begin again on January 1.

It's a hectic time of year, these days between Halloween and New Year's Day.  Women, especially, are faced with the dilemma of finding enough time to do it all. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, that can be eased by using KISS and delegating.  This year, I discovered that there seemed to be only a blink of an eye between Halloween and Thanksgiving, when in reality it was a full two weeks.  I suspect I'll feel the same when looking back to Thanksgiving from Christmas.  As it is, life seems to move fast, and age makes it seem to go even faster.

Between now and the first of the year, we'll be running at top speed, hampering any thoughts other than those connected to menus, recipes gifts, decorations, cards, and all the rest of the trimmings of the holidays.  There are so many things on our lists of things to do that we forget to take a moment for ourselves or even to breathe.  But we can do something about that.  In fact, we need to do something.

• Turn off the TV that blares Buy This! every fifteen minutes.  Try it for 10 minutes.  Try it for 30.  
• Take a walk and let your mind wander to anything but the have to do's.
• Daydream.  And if you don't remember how, it's time to relearn.
• Put on some music, either soothing or upbeat, whichever makes you smile.
• Start a journal...or morning pages à la The Artist's Way.
• Start a Blessing Box or Thankful Jar.
• Meditate or learn how to meditate (There are free guided meditations online, just do a search for them.)
• Breathe  and breathe again.

We have a new dog, something I said I'd never do again, but this one desperately needed a new home.  So Max, the Pekingnese, has become part of our family.  Either my daughter or I take him outside several times a day.  One of the things I've noticed as I stand in the backyard is that I can hear the leaves falling.  Yes, really hear them drop from the trees and hit the ground beneath.  And yet I know that in the spring they'll be replaced by a new growth of buds that will begin the cycle of life, once again.  It's humbling.

Take some time to breathe and enjoy a few quiet moments of this special time of year.  Stop and listen to your inner silence.  Doing so will not only help you find peace in chaos, but possibly a moment of joyous illumination in your life.

We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly - spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order. ~ Susan Taylor

Fourth Down and Too Long: When You Fall Short of Your Goal

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Yes, Football Fever is in full swing here with my beloved K-State in first place in the Big 12.  What better way to think of being behind on a goal than to look at it in terms of a football game?  You're not a football fan?  Okay, we'll leave the football analogy behind for a few minutes.

At the beginning of this year, members of my local writers' group decided to have a Word Count Challenge. Each of us who wanted to participate announced a goal for the year.  Those ranged from 10,000 words to over 309,000 words.  The total group word count goal is over 1 million words.

Each month we report how many words we've written on our WIP, blog, or other that's related to writing.  That number is totaled for the participant and also for the group.  It was decided that the winner would not be the person who wrote the most words, but the one closest to or farthest over her goal.  At the end of October, our group is at 75% of the combined goal.  Not bad!  We still have two months to go, so maybe we'll make it to that million. :)

But what if we don't meet that total goal?  We're coming up on fourth down (our last chance to move the ball down the field) and we aren't even close to the goal posts.  Is it time to give up?  Shall we just pack it up, get on the bus and go home?

Goals are one of the tools we use to motivate us to get something done.  They're also a measure of how far we've come and how far we have yet to go.  Looking back over the past 10 months of this year, I think most of the participants in our writers' group challenge have learned some things about goal setting.  I don't know how each chose her goal.  Some may have decided that a finished manuscript of XXXXXX number of words would be the goal.  Some may have decided that if they could get some words on paper, they'd be happy, so they went for the lower end.  (We did have a minimum number of 10,000 words.)  A few have reached the personal goal, while others are very close, and others have far to go.

If you set a goal, as we did, but see that you're falling behind, don't give up.  I always try to look at it as forward motion and feel good that I'm on the positive side, no matter how small that may be.  I like to tell myself that there's success in doing, not just finishing.

"Never consider the possibility of failure; as long as you persist, you will be successful." ~ Brian Tracy

When Your Motivation and Creativity Need a Boost

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Life has been getting in the way lately, so I'm behind on blogging.  In fact, I nearly skipped today, but something came through in my email that caught my attention.

iVillage.com often has some great motivation tools for a variety of things in our lives.

• Need some decorating or storage ideas?  
• Need some motivation to exercise?  
• Need some tips on making your relationships better?  
• Need tips on healthy foods?

iVillage will send you an email on the latest tips and tricks for all that and more.

Today's topic is 10 Ways to Boost Your Creativity, and here are the highlights:

1. Break Your Routine
2. Do It
3. Daydream
4. Brainstorm
5. Interact with People
6. Schedule It
7. Expand Your Experiences
8. Reflect
9. Relax
10. Change Your Space

Those are just the tip of the iceberg.  Use the link above or below to see it all.

# 10 is what I did this weekend.  I moved most of the furniture in my office.  With colder weather coming on, I decided my desk in front of a window might not be the best idea.  Too bad I didn't have time to do some painting!  Now I get to spend the rest of the week (and weeks to come) sorting through all the boxes and containers to throw out the things no longer needed or wanted.  I'm hopeful I can downsize, which in itself will mean less clutter and more room to CREATE!

Be sure to visit 10 Ways to Boost Your Creativity at iVillage for more information on each of the 10 Ways listed above.

"You can't wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club." ~ Jack London

The Uphill Climb

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Because it's a creative field, writing will always have its ups and downs.  As writers, we need to learn to accept this and go with the flow.  That last downhill to the finish is exhilarating, while the uphill is often stressful.  Enjoy the ride down, but try to enjoy the one up, too.

I'm currently working on revisions from my editor for  my July book, while still dealing with whatever this upper-respiratory thing is.  Not fun.  But life---and work---goes on.  Deadlines don't care.  So because of the crunch I'm in, I'm going to share some motivation links I've saved.  There are tons of them out there and can be found by simply searching the word *motivation*.  So whenever you feel that you don't know where to start to motivate yourself, remember that Google is your friend. ☺

• PICK THE BRAIN - Grow yourself   The current post here is about motivating self and others.  While at first glance we might think motivating others has nothing to do with our own motivation, getting someone (offspring or partner) to pick up the slack can give us the freedom to become more motivated.  (more PickTheBrain)
• MOTIVATION123  All kinds of goodies for motivation to choose from.
• MOTIVATIONAL WELLBEING - From the opening page: "This website contains tons of free motivational tools and resources such as quotes, videos, songs, poems, speeches, articles and much more to assist you in actively pursuing your goals. The goal here is to get you motivated to take action."
• PSYCHOLOGY TODAY Motivation  Psychology Today is always a good place to start when looking for information on anything related to mental energy and emotions.

If none of the above do the trick, take a look at Penny Rader's post at Bits & Bytes for more great links!

Whatever you find doesn't have to be a lifetime motivation.  If something gets you through the day, but not much longer, that's okay.  Keep working on it until you find something new.  Make a game of it.  Make it a treasure hunt!  Because it really can be a treasure.

That's it for today!  My motivation is a deadline, which I need to start working toward.

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice.” - Wayne Dyer

Bring on the Tissues

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

If only the tissues were needed for a sad movie.  No, it doesn't work that way.

I woke up yesterday morning with a sore throat.   With no nose tickle warning of a cold coming on, but knowing I had a busy day ahead, I took my usual ward-off-a-cold meds.  Quite often I can nip a cold in the bud on the first day.  Not this time.  Today isn't any better---I woke up coughing---so I decided to take it easy.  The only problem is, there are things that need to be done.  Goals for the day need to be reached.  Motivation to do that needs to kick in.  That isn't happening.  I hate being sick.

It takes being motivated to choose a goal.  On the other hand, there needs to be a goal to be motivated to reach.  Seems to be something of a conundrum.  We're in an endless circle.  Without one, the other doesn't work.

A person needs a goal to be motivated to move/work toward a goal.

We start with an idea or a need that we hope leads to an idea.  Once we have one or the other, the next step is setting the goal.

I have the goal.

It wasn't all that difficult.  After reaching the goal of finishing the eighth book set in Desperation, OK, a few weeks ago, I gave myself a few days off.  That didn't last long, since I already knew that I needed to move on to the next two books, so that became my next goal.

GOAL=2-book proposal

I have the motivation.

I was eager to start on the story of the sister of the two previous heroes, so the motivation is there.  In fact, in this case, the motivation came before the goal and spurred me on to finish Dylan's story.  It doesn't always work that way.

MOTIVATION=Writing Erin's story, plus I'll need another that is yet undecided

Breaking the goal down into smaller goals.  

For a 2-book proposal, I need the first three chapters and a full synopsis (approximately 7-8 pages for me) of the first story and a short (two page or so) synopsis on the second story idea.

• First three chapters  

For a full synopsis, I have to have an idea of where the story is going after that third chapter, so, for me, I have to plot the story.  Those three chapters were finished almost a week ago, and I finished plotting on Saturday.

• Plot story

Once I have the story plotted, I can write the synopsis.  It's never easy, but with a road map to follow, it isn't as hard as it could be.  (And this is why I learned to plot!)

• Write synopsis

Now that the proposal for the first book is in the process of being written, the idea of the second book can be "cooking" in my subconscious.  I don't necessarily need as much information or plot for this one, but I do need to know the characters well, their GMCs, the main points of the story (opening, turning points, black moment and resolution).  The rest of the story will eventually fall into place while the first is being written.  It's amazing how ideas come along when focusing on something else. 

• Make notes on second book for short synopsis
• Write second synopsis

It may sound easy.  Of course it isn't, but when once it starts, it can often gain momentum.  There will be bumps and dips and curves, but the idea is to keep moving.

And then what?

I'll be doing revisions and edits and checking galleys on the two books that will be out next year.  While that time seems far away in one sense, March is only 5 months away.  Besides, we all know there is no rest for the wicked. 

This is how I do it...when I do it.  Each writer works out her or his own way.  I have friends who plot even more deeply than I do and others who have scene ideas, but don't actually plot.  Then there are some who plot as they go.  In the beginning, we have a goal and motivation.  In the end, we have a story that becomes a book.  Or we hope it will. :)

Find your way and go with it.  Tweak and make changes when needed.  Just remember that it all revolves around goals and motivation.

Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing. ~ Thomas Jefferson

When You Just Don't Feel Like It

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Yes, that's a picture of my crown.  My queenly crown.  My Queen of Procrastination crown.  It's on my head right now because I'm living up to my title.

For the past few days, I've been having trouble being motivated enough to get my work done.  It really needs to be done.  And I've been trying.  Really trying.  I'm getting words on paper, but I just don't seem to be making the headway I think I should.  I don't seem to be able to find the motivation I need.  I guess you could say that I'm demotivated.

We've all see the motivational posters and plaques that help us to keep going, even when the going gets rough.  I'm a sucker for them.  Pinterest abounds with them.  So does Facebook.  A day doesn't go by that several dozen of my "FB friends" haven't posted them there.  I've gotten to the point where I often scroll right through.  Some people post picture after picture, and since I'm a big sucker, I have to snag a few for my own use.  As if I actually use them.  They end up in my a folder on my computer, where they sit as I scroll by yet again.

But have you seen the demotivational posters?  Today is one of those days that I can really get behind them. The following text from the posters is found on a website called Despair.com.  These posters bear the name of Demotivators®.

• GET TO WORK You aren't paid to believe in the power of your dreams.
• WISHES When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams can come true.  Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth which will destroy all life.  Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for.  Unless it's death by meteor.
• BELIEVE IN YOURSELF Because the rest of us think you're an idiot.

Obviously my sense of humor has taken a left turn, but there's a plus to that.  I'm laughing.  It hasn't been much of a laughing day, but these did  it.

And now that there's a smile on my face (where did that come from?), I really should take the above demotivational quotes to heart.  I need to GET TO WORK  After all, you're I'm not paid to believe in the power of your my dreams.  Talk about a wake-up call!

Because goal setting is a part of getting motivated, my goal for this week is to write and finish chapter 3 of a new book.  20 pages, give or take a couple. 4000-5000 words.  I can do it.  And when I can't I'll think of this:

PROCRASTINATION Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness always pays off now.  (Demotivators®)

 Have a wonderful week!

Which Bird Are You?

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Most of the time I don't know what I'll be blogging about until I start.  I'm sure that's easy to believe, considering how often I ramble.  But this morning was a little different.  Before I'd even thought about the blog, the topic magically presented itself to me.

Okay, there's no magic to it.  I had to make a fast trip to Walmart.  Because I'm there several times during the week---it's a seven minute walk, if need be, and my talent for shopping once every two weeks died some time ago---I'm familiar with and "know" several of the many clerks.  These are the ones who greet me with a smile and ask how I'm doing as if they really want to know and then chat with me while they scan and bag my items.  When greeted by one of these at the checkout this morning, my answer was that I was still trying to wake up.  (I'd been up for maybe fifteen minutes when I climbed in the car to drive over there.)  She said her daughter was a Night Owl (yes, capitalized on purpose), and I answered that so was I.

Ding! Ding! Ding!  We have a blog topic.

There have been many interesting studies done, both scientific and not-so-scientific, on the subject of sleep.  We tend to joke about it, but there really are differences in our sleep cycles that point to whether we're more productive in the morning and daytime (Larks/Early Birds) or evening and nighttime (Owls/Night Owls).  Because society as a whole has decided that we all get up in the morning to go to school, go to our job, clean our house or whatever, that's what we do.  Of course there are those odd ducks (to add to the bird mix) who work late and night shifts.  And shop at Walmart at 3 a.m..

Not sure which one you are?  Not sure it makes a difference?  Check out HUNCH - Early Birds vs. Night Owls: Are night owls really smarter? where you can discover which one you are.

We’re all familiar with the Benjamin Franklin aphorism, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” But sleep research from the London School of Economics concludes that people with higher IQs tend to be night owls who sleep in. Early risers may catch the worm, but could it be that they’re not the brightest birds in the nest?

Of course, being an early bird doesn’t mean you’re a dodo. Other research from the University of Bologna shows that people who go to bed earlier are more well-adjusted — more cooperative, considerate, and persistent. They cope better with deadlines and tend to do better in school. They’re less grouchy when they wake up. Meanwhile, night owls are less reliable, more moody, and often struggle with addiction. They’re more likely to drink, smoke, and have eating disorders. (What else is there to do in the wee-est hours)?

What does learning and knowing about your biological clock have to do with motivation?  If you're a Lark and are trying to do the brunt of you creative work at night, you're working against yourself.  The same is true for an Owl who tries to create when the sun is shining.  These biological clocks that tell our bodies when to sleep and wake have been with us since birth.  We can't change them.  Working against them is a poor choice.  Guess what?  I'm well known for making poor choices.

So what's a writer or anyone to do?  We each have to accept our internal rhythm and do whatever we can to work with it, instead of against it.  For instance, I know Larks who get up two or more hours before their family, just so they have a special, quiet time to write.  Me?  It takes me two our to wake up!  Besides, if I get up earlier, I have to go to bed earlier, and I lose that time at night.  There's not much sense in battling something you can't win.

As an Owl, I'd sleep until close to noon and stay up until the wee hours.  In fact, I've done that.  At one point is time, I worked a short shift of 6 to 11.  P.M.  I'd wake up late, sometimes after noon, then stay up until 3 or 4 in the morning to write.  It worked great at the time.  The reason I don't do that now is that the first of my g-kids arrive around 8 a.m., the others shortly after.  I have them at school by 8:30.  Sadly, I can't just slip back in under the covers for a few more hours of sleep.  For some reason, once I'm up, I'm up, although a short afternoon nap is a perk I take advantage of when I can.

Then comes the problem of not being able to think as clearly as the sun begins to set.  When biologically I should be getting ready to hit some of my peak hours, I'm starting to droop and the brain is beginning to shut down for the next cycle: sleep.  The article Life's Extremes: Early Birds vs. Nigh Owls at LIVE SCIENCE explains it well:

Right from birth, our personal biological clocks are already wound. Genetics establishes a person's "chronotype," which is pegged to when his or her body feels up and at 'em.

"People span the range of those who are very early risers to very late setters, and this is genetically determined," said Frederick Brown, a professor of psychology at Penn State.

To a certain extent, behavior and environment — say, routinely pumping iron in a well-lit gym toward midnight — can shift our built-in predispositions. But for those of us squarely in one chronotype camp or the other, in the end, the body is the boss.

"If you're a morning-type person, you can't become an evening type, and vice versa," said Brown.

Intellectually, we understand that we need to motivate ourselves to do things and especially to do those things well.  But if we're fighting our internal rhythms, we're having to virtually swim upstream, a real motivation killer.  Once you know if you're a Lark or an Owl, instead of trying to fight against it because of external things (jobs and/or family), discover a way to work with it.  The answers are there, if only you look for them.

“Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness.” ― Allen Ginsberg

From THE END to THE BEGINNING

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

One of the things that motivates me to get moving and start writing is when a new story idea is swirling through my head.  That usually happens during the last half of the current WIP, the least helpful time for new conversations to start up between new characters who have begun to take up residence in my head.  There are times when those newbies can get far too loud, drowning out the current characters, who stand in the corner, arms crossed, scowling.  (Yes, that's how they look in my head.  No, I'm not crazy.  I'm a writer.)

What's a writer to do when the new story takes over before the current one is finished?  Notes.  Copious notes.  Some can be salvaged and prove worthy, many won't.  It's a form of brainstorming without...well, without storming the brain. ☺  In fact, it's more like a dumping those maddening bits and pieces to make way for what needs to be attended to.

Yesterday was the official THE END to the writing of DESIGNS ON THE COWBOY.  Sure, there will be revisions.  That's pretty much a given.  And other small things will need to be attended to, such as a dedication and Dear Reader letter.  Those will come later.  For all intents and purposes, the book is finished, and I'm happy.  I like this book.  It's very emotional.  But then damaged heroes are like that.  Throw in a damaged heroine and...   I hope readers will like it, too.

It's all circular.  The end of one is the beginning of another, which eventually ends and another begins.  It's like George Carlin's joke about the spelling of his first name.  "G-E-O-R-G-E-O-R-G-E-O-R..."

Now that I'm done, I should be off on a vacation, right?  YES!  Uh, no.  But while a vacation isn't possible right now, I had planned to give myself a rest on the story/writing stuff for a few days, but it isn't happening.  Those characters are the next thing to yelling at me to get started.  Motivation for cleaning (and other life things) has been pushed aside, while Motivation (notice it's capitalized with a big M) for writing is cranked up to 12 on a scale of 1-10.  Let's face it.  I will be writing.  (Is there a Twitter # for that?)

Where does that motivation come from?  This time it came from one of the minor characters.  It's pretty obvious to me that this character needs her own story.  I hadn't planned it that way.  The heroes of A NANNY FOR THE COWBOY and DESIGNS ON THE COWBOY are brothers.  Simple enough.  Except they have an older sister who keeps butting in and helping them make their lives better, although they don't think so in the beginning.  My thought?  And the two heroes' thought, too.  The tables need to be turned.  She deserves her own story.  It's payback time.

Having a story idea is one of the best motivators to get a writer writing.  There will be times later when that motivation begins to wane, and we have to plant ourselves in a chair and make ourselves write, but for now, I'm eager to get going.  In fact, I started several weeks ago when those first ideas started pushing their way into my head.  For those who have lots of ideas, but the ideas seem to wimp out, long before they become a book, there are several things to help building ideas into a book and keep that motivation going.

• Find a friend and brainstorm
• Write something--anything--at least every-other day, no matter whether it's good or bad, short or long.
• Make a note of any idea, even if you think it isn't all that good.  Bad ideas can lead to aha! moments.
• While doing mindless chores, listen to the voices in your head.  (Just don't tell the family.)
• Play the What If game.
• Interview one of your characters.  Sometimes there's something in his or her past that will spark an idea of where to go next.
• Write scenes out of order.  Have an idea of what's going to happen a few chapters into the book?  Or near the end?  Or does the Black Moment keep getting in the way when you're writing Chapter 4?  Write it!  You don't have to worry that it's perfect or polished, just get it written down.  Save it as its own file for later, then go back to where you were.  You can pick up scene later.  You'll feel better because you made progress.
• Do ideas come to you at the worst times?  Get a voice recorder (or use the one on your cell phone, if it's equipped with one) and record those ideas and even conversations between characters.  Later you can put it into text.  It's great for when you're driving!  With people using Bluetooths (Blueteeth?) these days, no one will pay attention to you.

My best "idea" time is right after I settle in my bed for the night.  I'm sure anyone who thinks, much less writes, has turned on a light to jot something down.  I've been known once or twice to get out of bed, go into my office, pull up a new Word file, and start typing.  I recently went for my voice recorder and made notes that way, complete with the dialogue of three characters.  Be prepared with notepad, laptop, or voice recorder and let the the ideas roll.

Instead of wishing you had motivation, find it. When you find it, use it.  Don't just think about it, do it.  It only takes a little work to set you on the road and move on down it.

"When a man tells you he got rich through hard work, ask him: Whose?" — Don Marquis

Almost There

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Even my body is crying out today.  "Get it over with!  Finish it, would ya?"

I'm at the point in this book where I don't want to read another word of it.  You know, when the characters for a new story are buzzing around in your head, but you have to keep telling them to shush, because the current story needs one more pass with a fine-tooth comb.  It's in the last phase.  The final pass.  The polishing stage.

While it should be a time of celebration, it never is.  Just how long can it take to read one chapter, anyway?  Sure, it's red pencil time, but it's the third time through, so there shouldn't be a lot of changes.  Right?  With a 3-year-old coming into my office every fifteen minutes, it could take an eternity.  Add the fact that I've discovered several missing words, and I'm beginning to wonder if someone has been coming in during the wee hours of the morning and messing with this manuscript. One way or another, I'll meet that deadline.  But it isn't going to be painless.

Frankly, I'd rather be daydreaming.  I've been sitting so long, my left leg is screaming at me, and I'm sure my backside has gained a few inches in diameter.  The ibuprofen has finally kicked in, which is the only reason I'm here typing this, but there are eleven more chapters to polish, and I'd so hoped to be halfway through this before midnight tonight.  That might take a miracle.  I won't hold my breath.

Yes, the motivation is there.  The end of the writing of this book is in sight. I even took some time off from writing over the weekend, just to give my mind (and body) a rest before this final read-through.  Oh, well.  Nothing is perfect.

Being able to write an imaginary FINIS on the final page is motivation enough to sit and finish this.  Another 55,000+ words written, revised and done.  It will be wonderful not to have to think about that for a while.  At least that's what I tell myself.  I know that isn't the truth.  I can hear those new characters as I type this and wish for some silence.  Still, being this close does help with the motivation to finish.

So now we have one more motivation to add to our list.  That wonderful feeling of crossing off or checkmarking or X-ing or FINIS-ing can't be duplicated.  Is that why we look for goals?  That exhilaration when the goal is met?

YOU BET!!

Reward time is just around the corner.  I swear I can almost smell it.  (We're going to the Renaissance Fair this weekend, and I can already smell the turkey legs.)  But no reward quite yet, so I'd better get back to the polishing.  I'm almost there.  And "there" is where we all want to be. :)

“People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.” - Zig Zigler

Patterning

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Finding a title for this blog post took more time and thought than deciding on a topic.  The thing is, it's easy to talk (or blog) about something, but actually doing it and repeating it can sometimes prove to be difficult, if not impossible.

I pulled out my handy Synonym Finder (The Synonym Finder by J.I. Rodale) and looked up the word "habit," because what we're really trying to do is to motivate ourselves enough to make something--writing maybe--a habit.  Right?

Habit, routine, practice---none have the right ring to them to make me want to repeat the same thing over and over.  Oops!  Now that sounds really boring and not very positive.  Let me tell you, finding an image that had something to do with repeated action was much simpler.  When I saw the escalator, the light bulb went on over my head.  An escalator goes and goes, never stopping until, well, probably when the mall or store or whatever closes--if it does--and then it's started again the next day.  (Gee, sounds like my life!)  Making something a habit is much the same.

We've all watched small children shrink back in fear of stepping on an escalator.  I vaguely remember when I was a child that my mother kept telling me to just step on it and stop being afraid.  I was convinced my foot was going to get caught somehow and I'd be pulled down between those panels of steel to be cut into ribbons.  (BTW, the escalators at Macy's in Chicago went about 100 mph.  Or seemed to.)  As an adult, I rarely give it a thought.  Stepping on an elevator with barely a glance has become a habit for most of us.  Wouldn't it be nice to make a habit of writing regularly (or anything else!) the same way?

So I checked out a few more words, since habit, routine, and practice struck me as being on the not too nifty side of the list.  There had to be words that were more positive and would lure me into making something a habit.  A GOOD habit.

I came up with two.  Custom and pattern.  Of those, I chose pattern.  The reason I chose it is because the word patterning came to mind.  Here's what dictionary.com has to say:

patterning  pat·tern·ing (pāt'ər-nĭng)  n. 

 A method of physical therapy in which a rigid pattern of exercises is imposed to stimulate weak or paralyzed nerves and muscles to act on their own.

Oh, yeah. Uh huh.  Weak or paralyzed nerves and muscles?  What a wonderful description of what it's like to try to get back to writing (or playing the piano, exercising, painting, etc.) after not having done it for a while.

As for the word pattern, this definition pretty much says it.

 pattern pat·tern   noun

5. a combination of qualities, acts, tendencies, etc., forming a consistent or characteristic arrangement: the behavior patterns of teenagers.

Apparently I've been doing some patterning and didn't realize it.  I know it's important to write every day.  When I don't write for a while, I have a very hard time getting back into it.  The simple act of thinking up words, much less stringing them together to make a coherent sentence, can be almost physically painful after not doing it.  While I know I need to do these things, I don't.  I find something else to do.

Let's face it.  I understand goal setting and how breaking a large goal into smaller pieces is the key to reaching that goal.  Well, that and actually doing those daily goals. ☺ That's where my problem lies.  But I'm working on correcting that.  For the past two weeks, I've been writing steadily and reaching goals better than ever.  I've been stimulating those weak and even sometimes paralyzed writing nerves and muscles.  I'm within a chapter of having a book finished and shouldn't have a problem of making my deadline.  After that?  I plan to keep going.  Who knows what I can accomplish?  Who knows what we all can accomplish, if only we learn to use patterning?

"Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become... habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny! What we think we become." ~ Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady

A Time to Work, A Time to Play

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

The four sports depicted in the photos on the left share something in common.  They all involve a goal of some kind.  Of course the obvious goal is to win, but a team must make more goals, scoring than the other team to win.

I've blogged a lot here, especially on Mondays, about setting and working toward goals.  I've even mention that we should reward ourselves in some way when we reach each goal, no matter how big or small.  But while reading the latest blog post, Scheduling Success, at Left-Brained Business for Write-Brained People, I started thinking about how much we use setting goals for work, but many of us don't tend to set goals for play.

I'm probably the worst person about making time for fun or to just relax.  There are some days that I work twelve to sixteen hours.  While that isn't always fast-paced work, it's still work and doesn't leave a lot of time for play.  I'm beginning to notice that more and more.  It isn't just because of writing or Facebook/Twitter.  Long ago, when my daughters were young, I discovered I couldn't spend each evening in front of the television, so I pretty much stopped watching.  Don't get me wrong.  I find television entertaining, but to get things done, I had to give up the majority of shows I watched.  Amazingly, it didn't kill me!  Only in the last few years have I decided I could allow myself television time, and I've begun watching again.  Not so much this summer, of course, although HBO is kind enough to offer programs the grab and hold my attention.

So I've added some TV to my life again.  I've also added walking.

I understand that there are some people who might look at me as if I'd lost my mind when I say that walking is relaxing.  They're partly right.  It isn't relaxing in the true sense of the word, but it does help start my day on the positive side.  I listen to music on my Mp3 player, get some exercise and fresh air, and clear my brain.  I've also found that if I don't force it, major breakthroughs in my stories have resulted by just getting out there for thirty minutes or more each day and putting one foot in front of the other.  I also discovered that I missed my walks when the temps were so high that even mornings were miserable, forcing me to take a break for a few weeks.  My only fear is that by the time I get home again and do whatever needs to be done to get the rest of the morning going, I may forget.  (Note to self:  Check again on getting a small voice recorder.)

I've discovered that time spent with friends makes life better.

It doesn't happen often.  Although my writing group gets together for a meeting once a month, it's work related and doesn't count as a simple get-together with friends.  Yesterday, I met friends Patricia Davids, Penny Rader, and Deborah Eades, at the movie theater to see Hope Springs. We had a great time, just kicking back in a cool theater with popcorn and drinks, while watching the movie unfold.  (A super movie, especially for anyone over 40.)  Seeing a movie is something I do maybe twice a year.  This really should change.

I'm learning again that life isn't just doing the day to day things that must be done.  It's more than paying the bills and keeping the car running. It's more than writing and creating websites and getting grandkids to school.  And even though I've had to re-adjust my writing goals and am running on a tight schedule toward deadline, I'm definitely going to find a little more time to enjoy television, a few movies, walking, and friends.

Next time you start making goals, be sure to build in some play time.  It doesn't have to be a lot, it doesn't even have to be every day, but it should be often.

Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold.  But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow. ~ Douglas Pagels, These Are the Gifts I'd Like to Give to You

Staying On Track

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

My favorite season is just around the corner.  In fact, if this morning's low temperature of 63 degrees is any indication, it just might be here in time for September.  I won't hold my breath on that, though.  This year has not been a model for seasons.

Fall (aka Autumn) has always been a symbol of new beginnings for me. While New Year's Eve/Day is the traditional time to make changes and set new goals, mine has always been that time when the new school year rolls around.  And while it's been (mumble, mumble) years since I've attended school, I haven't been able to shake that new and exciting feeling when Back-to-School time rolls around and the promise of a new start is in the cool, crisp air.

Back-to-School for me now means fewer small people in my home, and this year there'll be four of the five grandkids heading back on Wednesday.  Only one--3-year-old Payton--will be here.

While I would love to say that I'll be looking into that fresh start this week, I can't honestly do that.  I'm in the middle of a deadline and halfway through finishing the book.  It's been a wild ride this year.  One would think that as the g-kids grow older, the watching-over of them would be easier.  No, it's more like the older they grow, the bigger they get, taking up more space that the year before.  It's getting crowded in here!  Writing during the day used to be doable.  Now it's become impossible.  That means less gets done, and that leads to getting behind on goals.  When I get behind on goals, I'm more easily distracted.  That's cause for trouble.

I have a long list of things I want to do--office rearranging, bedroom fixing up, movies to watch, a new season on TV--but I have to tell myself to be patient.  I can meet that deadline if I stay on track.  It's only a month away.  All those things can wait for a little while.  Come Wednesday, my schedule will change and I'll be making adjustments, but I'm looking forward to it.  There may be a switch in the track, but I'm staying on.  After all, there's a promise of a new start in the early morning air.

Are you setting new goals or are you working on current ones?  If neither, why not?

If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living. ~ Gail Sheehy

Swift Kicks and Whatever It Takes

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

I'm going to start by being honest.  I can talk until I'm blue about motivation, but I'm as often UNmotivated as everyone else. As proof of this, I'm doing rewrites right now, mixing old with new, and I'm wondering if bamboo under the fingernails wouldn't be easier.

The funny thing about these rewrites is that I have a close writer friend who just finished a round of the same.  Hers weren't requested/suggested changes, but something she needed to do to get a long-ago idea up to par for the here and now.  The farther into it she got, the more she questioned her sanity.  I'm feeling that same insanity.  But when it comes to her book, I have no doubt it will be fabulous.  I also know for a fact that she survived and is back to her usual lovable loony self, working on a new and completely different book.

As for me, I worked all day yesterday, on and off, to rework one scene.  Yes, that's one scene.  Approximately 6-7 pages.  Actually, it was a combination of two scenes that originally were set on two different days.  It should have been a no-brainer.  It wasn't.  By late last night, I couldn't remember what I'd added, taken out, left as it was, changed a tad, changed a lot or even what the scene was about.  I finally quit, did some laundry, and watched The Network on HBO.  Only later, when my eyes were beginning to cross and the clothes tumbled in the dryer, was I able to read through and discover I just might have gotten it right.  A miracle!

Has this small glow of accomplishment spurred me on to continue?
Are you kidding?

Just the thought of doing this for not only the next two scenes to finish the chapter, but more than likely another 3 or 4 chapters makes me want to hide in a cave--and not the writing cave.  (My friend has no idea how much admiration I have for her at the moment.)

Why aren't I simply writing from scratch?

1. Because there were a few gems among the mundane words and phrases.  
2. Because I'm getting to know my characters better.  They'd somehow taken on personalities that weren't what I'd originally envisioned, and I'm trying to make them see that their headstrong ways are not appreciated.  Wrestling is slimming, right?  
3. Because I have faith in myself that I can make this better.  I wish that was enough motivation.

In the end, it's all going to come down to meeting the goals I've set.  They're not easy goals by any stretch.  60 pages every 2 weeks.  My average is usually 20 a week.  5-6 a day is pushing it for me.  (With 5 grandkids here every weekday, writing must wait until evening, when the brain has already slowed to a crawl.)  In times of extreme duress--aka racing to a deadline--I can push myself to extremes, but only for a short time.  Like one day.  Last month, I miraculously wrote 19 pages in a day.  I'm not sure I can survive that again.

But that's way too much about me.  What about you?

• Have you set goals for the week, whether writing or life?
• Are these goals part of a long term goal you're working toward?  Or simply a stand-alone goal for something special?  (Don't worry, it doesn't matter.  It only needs to be specified in your mind.)
• Have you chosen a reward for reaching a goal, whether a mini-goal that's part of a bigger one, or a single one?
• If this is a must-reach goal, have you alerted friends and family that you will be unreachable during specified times?
• Are you prepared to force yourself to work toward your goal, when every fiber of your being cries out, "I just want to have fun!"?  (Yes, this is here because of personal experience...every day.)

Oh, and for anyone who might be following my walking-each-day goal, I walked one day last week, and it was a shortened version.  (See me grimace in shame?)  However, I did walk this morning.  With temps continuing in the 100s this week, we'll see how that goes.  Maybe a goal to return my treadmill to an exercise machine, instead of a clothes rack would work?

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”

The Name of the Game is Scheduling

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Now don't start moaning and groaning.  Believe me, I understand the pain the word "schedule" can cause.  I've always been one of those people who likes to do things when I'm in the mood...or when I absolutely can't put them off any longer.  In fact, I still have some winter clothes to put away, but since I'm asleep most of the time when I'm in my bedroom, I'm only reminded twice a day.

The thing is, I've had to learn to at least rough out an idea of when I need to do things.  Book deadlines can do that, forcing a more non-conformist into something resembling a pretzel if the lesson isn't learned early.

But writing isn't the only thing in our lives that we sometimes need to fit into a schedule.  With four girls, leaving doing laundry until clean clothes were needed would have been a disaster.  Although my house wasn't always visitor-ready, there were times when I followed a stringent schedule.  Looking back, that schedule wasn't such a bad idea.

Schedules aren't just for getting things done.  They're also for giving us more time to enjoy the things in life we might otherwise not have time for...because we're doing those have-to and need-to things we didn't get done.  That usually happens because we've found some super ways to waste time.  Ouch!


According to ADHD experts, who really know a lot about being a space cadet or having trouble staying on task, there small things we can do to make our lives go a little more smoothly.  Those small things can quickly become our best time savers.

• Do you forget appointments or that you need to be somewhere?  Or do you lose track of time in the morning, causing you to have to rush or be late to work?  Set an alarm!  It's easy to get involved in something else so much that we lose track of time.  My daughters will be happy to share memories of the times that I was late picking them up from school.  Now that they're grown, there are the grandkids, and although the school is only a couple of minutes away, I need to get there early.  I also am easily distracted, so I've set an alarm on my phone for five minutes before I need to leave, allow myself one "snooze," and then I'm out the door on time.
• Are you feeling overwhelmed about a task?  Set a timer.  Oh, yeah, this one works.  There are times that the thought of having to sit and write X number of pages just makes me want to crawl in a corner.  I've learned that if I set a timer for ten minutes and actually start putting words on paper--whether they're good or not--by the time that timer goes off, I'm actually getting into a rhythm and don't want to stop.  On those occasions when that doesn't happen, at least I accomplished a little.  Eventually and in a much shorter period of time, I'll get it done.
• Is a big project--or even the thought of it--getting you down?  Break the project into smaller, more manageable goals.  Not only does this help make things easier to accomplish, the accomplishment itself can help keep you going.  A book isn't written in one day.  Even if you tried it, you'd find that life is going to demand your attention.  Even meals will need to be prepared/purchased and eaten.  A few pages a day, four or five days a week will do the trick and not take huge chunks of your time.  The trick is remembering that if you write 1 page a day without fail, in a year you'll have a 365 page novel.  And don't forget to reward yourself when each step--maybe a chapter?--is reached!
• Do you walk out of the house, forgetting the car keys, your cell phone or other important items?  That means using precious time to look for what's missing.  Instead, designate a spot near the door for the things you know you'll need.  I finally solved my problem of losing my keys.  I bought a coiled plastic chain that I've attached to my purse and the other has a hook for my keys.  It can tuck into my purse, and it's also long enough to reach the ignition when my purse is next to me on the seat.  Another plus is not worrying about locking my keys in the car.  It's much harder to miss my purse than it is to miss pulling the keys out of the ignition.  Oh, and I love purses with pockets--on the outside and inside--giving everything its own place.
• Do you lose track of time while playing games online, spending time on Facebook or Twitter or even reading blogs?  There's no reason to give up the things you enjoy, only because you've let those things take over your life and your time.  All you need to remember is "moderation in all things" and to set a timer or alarm.
• Are you overwhelmed by all the mundane tasks that are leaving you no room for others?  Ask for help.  Kids, husbands, roommates, anyone who resides with you or even near you is prime for being helpful.  Sometimes all that's need is to ask.  Other times it might require a little training time. Whether is kids folding laundry or hubby sharing cooking duty, there's always something that someone can help with that will free up a bit of your time.

Don't have a clue how to create a schedule?  Check out some online tips and tricks for created a schedule to suit your lifestyle, below, or do a search for others.

• How to Create a Daily Schedule (eHow) 
• Using EXCEL for Schedules and Planners
• Optimize Your Productivity with Daily, Weekly Routines (Zen Habits)

Remember, it may take some adjustments and extra time to find exactly what works best for you.  Even then, nothing is set in stone.  You can adjust your schedule whenever you feel it's needed or when major life changes demand it.  Just don't give up too early, if you feel overwhelmed and have over-scheduled yourself.  That's when a step back and reassessment is needed.

Thanks to iVillage.com for some ideas on the tips used in this blog post!

Moderation in all things. - Andria Terence, Roman comic dramatist (185 BC - 159 BC) 

Scarlett O'Hara Syndrome

MOTIVATION MONDAYS


You may be asking, what is Scarlett O'Hara Syndrome.  There's a simple answer to that.

"I won't think about that now, I'll think about that tomorrow." 

Back in January of this year, I declared each Monday to be Motivational Monday here on the blog.  The reason was that I'd been procrastinating about all kinds of things, but mostly about things that needed to be done--some desperately needing to be done-- that I'd kept putting off.

I've been working on that problem and although I'd love to say I have it solved, that would be a lie.  Still, I've made some progress.  Most of the time, anyway.

If we tend to put many things off until later, it's probably a habit we formed long ago.  It can be changed, but it takes some work...which probably brings another round of procrastinating.  Definitely a vicious circle.  But it can be better, and a round of seeing a shrink isn't necessarily needed.  Sometimes it's best to just do than to study why it isn't done.

A friend and fellow writers group member blogged at Bits & Bytes on Thursday about her own procrastination. Because I'd been putting off the need to get some words on paper or work on revisions or do a few other things, her post was a painful reminder that I sometimes have that P word problem, too.  Let's face it.  At one time or another, we each will put off what needs to be done the most.

When it comes to writers, when procrastination becomes a normal part of the writing life, there's a chance it's because of one of two reasons:  Fear of Failure or Fear of Success.

Only the procrastinating writer can decided which fear has gained the power to immobilize.  And trying to determine it could end up being yet another tool in avoidance.  So what's a procrastinator to do?  Especially a writer with dreams of being published or a published writer who has fallen into a writing slump?

Here are a few suggestions to try that might break the stagnation and kick start some forward movement.

BEGIN NOW

• Stop beating yourself up.  You can make a change.  
• Stop complaining and whining (yes, we all do it), and form a plan.
• Make a fresh start.  There's nothing we can do to change what we did or didn't do in the past, so leave it behind.
• Set a goal.  Don't sabotage yourself before you begin, so make it small and attainable to begin with.  If your writing has become non-existent or almost non-existent, and you want to change that, set a weekly page or word count goal.  Keep it small.
• Make a new habit.  A GOOD one. ☺  Get up an hour early and devote it to writing or whatever it is you need to do.  Turn off the television for an hour or two in the evening.  If you're a writer, take a pad and pen or a laptop computer and go to a library or coffee shop or even to a park and write.  I've found that my morning walk clears the cobwebs from my brain and gets it working, so that by the time I'm  home again, I have an idea of what I'll be writing.
• Give yourself little rewards whenever you reach a goal.

ENLIST FRIENDS

• Ask a friend to help keep you on track.  Even if the two of you don't share the same goal, you can still  support and encourage each other.
• Find others who are dealing with or have dealt with the same problem and brainstorm some ideas that might help.
• Challenge someone who struggles with the same thing you do.  Remember that it's not who does it best, but that each of you are DOING.

Sometimes there's only one way and that's the Nike way.  "Just Do It"  We can make excuses until the end of time, but if we really want something, we have to take that first step.  After that, the road ahead doesn't look quite as daunting.

If procrastination is something you deal with and you find yourself going nowhere, or if you have some ideas that may help others, please feel free to share them here!


Thank you to Tammy, Reese, Pat, and Debo for the inspiration for this post, their always super ideas, and their friendship.


In the end of GWTW, the real Scarlett--- the strong, independent woman, who never let anyone or anything get her down---gives us all hope.

"Tara! Home. I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all... tomorrow is another day." - Scarlett O'Hara, the last lines of Gone With the Wind

Accepting the Subjective Truth

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

What does a picture of shelves and shelves of books have to do with accepting the truth?  The answer is: A lot.  Or even more specifically:  A lot of books.

A fellow writer in our local writers group replied to another writer's email about contest scores with a legitimate statement.  "So much of this business is personal taste."

Let me first say that the second writer's scores were very good.  All four of the scores were in the top 25% of the total.  That's nothing to feel bad about, and she should feel very proud.

Now look at that photo on the left and imagine a huge room filled with those shelves.  Some of those books are newer than others, but they're all books.  At some point in time, they're all read by someone.  Some are read more than others.

Which brings us back to the comment about so much of this business being personal taste.  That sentence, that statement, begs the question of how much of any business--or product--is personal taste.  My answer to the question (and it's subjective aka personal opinion aka personal taste) is probably about 99.something%.

Instead of diving into this strange percentage and reason for it, let's take a look at some current publishing stats.  (This information and much, much more on publishing and books can be found at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/statistics.cfm.  It's definitely worth reading through it all.)

What genres/categories are people buying?

55% Popular fiction
10% Religious nonfiction
9% Cooking/Crafts
--2001 Consumer Research Study on Book Purchasing by the Book Industry Study Group, http://www.bisg.org

It's obvious that popular fiction is currently, well, the most popular.  Don't stop there, though.  Break that down into genres, and things get a little more into popularity, who likes what, and...wait for it...personal taste.

In romance alone, there are enough genres and subgenres to make a readers head spin.  For instance, Romance Writers of America (RWA) lists nine (9) subgenres.  They are:

• Contemporary Series Romance
• Contemporary Single Title Romance
• Historical Romance
• Inspirational Romance
• Novels with Strong Romantic Elements
• Paranormal Romance
• Regency Romance
• Romantic Suspense
• Young Adult Romance

If you're a romance reader or writer, you know that the above is only the tip of the iceberg.  There are mixes of subgenres, such as Young Adult Historical Romance, Inspirational Suspense Romance, and Paranormal Romance, all of which include many sub-subgenres.  There are Time-Travel Romances, Futuristic, Fantasy, Western Historical, Western Contemporary, Medieval, Scottish Historical, English Historical, Chick-Lit, Romantic Comedy...  Yeah, you get the picture.

So why all the genres, subgenres and sub-subgenres?  Personal Taste.  And that personal taste thing goes for writers and readers.

While I've read quite a few of those sub and sub-subs, and considering the fact that I cut my (romance reading) teeth on Regency Romance (Georgette Heyer, to be specific), I wouldn't even begin to try to write it or all of those subs and sub-subs.  Or even half of them.  Anyone who might try to write so many would probably be wasting his/her time, not to mention going slowly insane with all the research and details.  We each have our strengths and our weaknesses.  It's wisest, especially when first starting out, to choose the two that feel the most comfortable.

Apples and oranges and broccoli and cauliflower

Back to accepting the subjective truth.  Fact is, most things in life are subjective.  In other words, most things in life are affected and chosen by personal taste.  We choose the books we read by which genres and subgenres we like, by the authors who write them, and other individual likes and dislikes.  A particular cover might catch our fancy.  Or the blurb on the back.  Or something a friend mentioned about a book.  Or even the fact that it's on sale or free. ;)

Not only do are the books we read chosen by our individual and personal taste, but so are the TV shows we watch, the movies we go to, the music we listen to, the clothes we wear, the things we do in our spare time, and...the food we eat.

I like black.  Two of my daughters like purple.  One likes pink.  Someone out there likes orange.  Or green. Or yellow.

Except for math and most of science, everything is personal taste.  Everything is SUBJECTIVE.  For me, even math and science are subjective, because since sixth grade, I've hated math and science. ☺  And to think that when I was in fifth grade, I wanted to be a research scientist when I grew up.  I even had my own microscope.


SUBJECTIVITY AND MOTIVATION

There are genres of fiction that I would probably never choose to read, much less write.  That doesn't mean they aren't good.  It means they aren't among my personal tastes.

Not everyone who reads or even everyone who reads fiction or this genre or that genre will choose to write.  But if you do choose to write, begin with the old adage of write what you know and especially what you like.  If you're not writing what you enjoy, you're losing out on two things:  (1)The prime motivation for writing aka the reason we all dipped our toe in this crazy business and (2) the joy of doing it.

When it comes to personal taste, a writer chooses what kind of story to write.  In other words, a writer is as subjective as the people who will or won't read that writer's books.

There's more to this subjective thing, such as contest judges, agents, editors, readers and more, so next week we'll focus on those and how they do and don't affect our motivation and what we choose to write.  Stop back next Monday for More Subjective Truth. :)

Most beginning writers (and I was the same) are like chefs trying to cook great dishes that they've never tasted themselves. How can you make a great (or even an adequate) bouillabaisse if you've never had any? If you don't really understand why people read mysteries (or romances or literary novels or thrillers or whatever), then there's no way in the world you're going to write one that anyone wants to publish. (This is the meaning of the well-known expression "Write what you know.") - Daniel Quinn

There's a Reason They're Called Deadlines

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Writers aren't the only ones who have deadlines.  Many others do, too.  Teachers have teaching and grading deadlines to meet each quarter, businesses have payroll deadlines to meet, and the IRS has tax deadlines.  Appropriate for the day before taxes are due, isn't it?

Right now I'm facing a deadline to finish writing the full manuscript of a book.  This will be the seventh story set in Desperation, Oklahoma, and will introduce two new characters who are brothers and the new women who win their hearts.  Characters from previous books will, of course, make appearances and be a part of the two stories.  I've really enjoyed writing this series and am looking forward to finishing this story and meeting the May 10 deadline, so I can start on the next one.

I'll be one of the first to admit that it was easier to write when deadlines were nothing to get excited about and no one was waiting for a finished product.  I could write at my own pace, which, by the way, was much faster than it is now!  Sometimes learning how to do it better means doing it a little slower.  That doesn't mean that I didn't try to set a pace and have a finish date of some kind in mind.  Because I entered contests fairly often and always had a complete manuscript of my entry, I knew ahead of time when I wanted to have the manuscript finished.  Part of that had to do with never writing a synopsis until the "book" was finished.  Just one more thing I had to learn to do differently later on.

Deadlines are those goals we make and need motivation to reach.  My motivation at the moment is to not disappoint my editor by having to ask for an extension.  Even though I'm behind schedule, it isn't an impossibility to finish on the time.  It will, however, mean I have to work harder and faster.  It's easy to start out with a positive attitude, but it's just as easy to become more negative as time goes by.  Characters become uncooperative.  Plot points that seemed perfect before now seem weak.  Time to write becomes harder to come by and family/job/life requires more time than writing will allow.

If your goals aren't being as easily met as you'd hoped and planned; if external things have taken up time that you'd planned to spend writing or working on your goal, now isn't the time to give up. Pull up the boot straps of determination, take a deep breath, and throw in a dash of positive energy for good measure.  As we used to say at CataRomance, BICHOK (Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard) and start writing.  There's no guarantee that you'll hit that deadline, but you'll come closer to doing it, if you just keep your eye on the deadline and move in that direction.

Oh! I nearly forgot.  Why do they call them deadlines?  Because we'll kill ourselves to get to the finish line. ;)

Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; while others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than before. ~ Polybius