POWER OF PAGES
  • Welcome
    • Brenda Haas
    • Contact Brenda Haas
  • Brenda's Blog
  • Writing Resources
    • Learning to Write
  • Raising a Reader
  • Teaching a Reader
  • Page-Turning Sites
  • IMAGINATION LIBRARY
  • Imagination Library Celebrity Readers

Finding relevance in a non-relevant day

5/17/2018

0 Comments

 
Today was one of those days.

With two different contractors doing work in two different locations in my home today, I couldn't leave the house.

I couldn't go get groceries. I couldn't buy a ceiling fan at the hardware store. I couldn't even take my vehicle through the car wash. I was stuck ... at home ... with no responsibility calling me away from the young adult novel I've been working on. In other words, I really had no excuse for not getting my self-imposed, mandatory, 5 - 10 pages written, a goal I set for myself early this morning.

It just didn't happen. Perhaps it was the banging hammer or the sound of the rip saw, but I couldn't commit. I wasn't feelin' it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I had a bit of a writer's block.

So, instead of writing, I chose to:

1. Read the most recent issue of "The Writer" magazine, cover to cover.
2. Checked out several websites on how to optimize my own Power of Pages website.
3. Perused the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators website for Northern Ohio, to see if there are any upcoming conferences I should know about. I also looked at the guidelines for starting a writing critique group (something I dearly miss being a part of since I moved about four months ago).
4. Downloaded all of my picture book texts, in PDF format, to my tablet. Re-read each without being able to make changes, which I would likely have done if I'd read it from my Word program on my computer. By doing a true "read through" without the option to edit, I was better able to look at each title with fresh eyes and without getting caught up in fixing every little grammatical issue that caught my eye. This also allowed me to analyze the flow and overall "readability" of my work. I took copious notes on my perceptions of each title, but did not immediately go in to the document and make any changes. I'm a firm believer in letting the ideas stew around in my noggin' for a couple days, before I make any major plot changes.
5. Looked over, edited, and filled in gaps in my most recent notes for my current young adult work-in-progress.
6. Drew a map diagram of the world I am building for my current young adult work-in-progress.
7. Wrote this blog ... it's a Friday, my usual blog day, so why not?

The point of this list is to prove to my readers, and myself, that even if every day doesn't produce 10 new pages to add to your manuscript, it is still possible to find relevance in what may, at first, be perceived as a non-relevant day.

I actually accomplished a great deal. Did any of it further my novel? Not quite. Perhaps.

Regardless, it was no lazy non-writing day. Sometimes, we, as writers, must me okay with doing what we can, even if it wasn't what we originally planned.

I will always try to be relevant. And so should you.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

      Want to automatically receive future blogs?

    Subscribe to Blog

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Writer

    Brenda Haas lived in the Pittsburgh, PA area for over 20 years and moved to Lake Erie with her husband in early 2018. She has two grown daughters and way too many pets.

    A columnist for Pittsburgh area's Penn Franklin News Publishing Company, her "A Little Bit of Life" essays provided a snapshot of being a parent, wife and independent woman who attracts the "quirky" in everyday living. She has also been published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and My Outer Banks Home magazine.

    Brenda currently freelances for various businesses and non-profits and is well-versed in public relations and marketing.

    Works-in-Progress


    Adult:
    "Here or There on Beddington Bluff"
    "Sutton's Choice"
    "Sutton's Second Chance"

    Young Adult:
    "Something Strange at Water's Edge"
    "Hells of Southgate"
    "Forest for the Trees"

    Archives

    October 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    July 2014
    June 2014
    July 2013
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012



    Follow on Twitter:
    @HaasBren



Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.