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.
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.
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