#Wipmadness Week 2: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Last Saturday I attended my local OCCRWA meeting. I love the high energy and how supportive these romance writers are. It's tradition in my charter to get a rose for each book contract you sign. I was excited that I got one! I then got to give a little spill on NO MORE GODDESSES. Very fun!
Part of our meetings is hearing speakers. One such romance author, Elizabeth Boyle, spoke on 'Get Out of Your Comfort Zone.' I loved her presentation and thought it was PERFECT for today's theme.
One big thing she said was, "How do you get out your comfort zone without getting out and doing something?"
Some notes from the meeting:
Write down your goals. There's power in doing this and makes them more real.
So what are your goals?
The big mantra of her presentation:
JUST DO IT.
No excuses. The more you write-the easier the words flow.
She gave us a challenge:
Write 1 hour a day for 5 days a week. Write 1k a day. Have writing sprints to help you during the day.
**I've seen these on Twitter and need to do! This will help me be accountable to others.
Use Pinterest with ideas of stories. I do this! Here's mine for book 2 of the Goddesses series:
http://pinterest.com/ixtumea/goddesses-dont-wait-a-goddesses-book/
Love this!
Write it down so you can see it and do it.
Overall her message of the day:
Think outside your niche
Go with your gut
Stick with your craft
Need to challenge self
Jump start writing
And:
JUST WRITE!!!
And our winner this week is: Girl Parker
DM me and let me know which book you want!
For this week I'm giving out these choices:
Just comment below!
Part of our meetings is hearing speakers. One such romance author, Elizabeth Boyle, spoke on 'Get Out of Your Comfort Zone.' I loved her presentation and thought it was PERFECT for today's theme.
One big thing she said was, "How do you get out your comfort zone without getting out and doing something?"
Some notes from the meeting:
Write down your goals. There's power in doing this and makes them more real.
So what are your goals?
The big mantra of her presentation:
JUST DO IT.
No excuses. The more you write-the easier the words flow.
She gave us a challenge:
Write 1 hour a day for 5 days a week. Write 1k a day. Have writing sprints to help you during the day.
**I've seen these on Twitter and need to do! This will help me be accountable to others.
Use Pinterest with ideas of stories. I do this! Here's mine for book 2 of the Goddesses series:
http://pinterest.com/ixtumea/goddesses-dont-wait-a-goddesses-book/
Love this!
Write it down so you can see it and do it.
Overall her message of the day:
Think outside your niche
Go with your gut
Stick with your craft
Need to challenge self
Jump start writing
And:
JUST WRITE!!!
And our winner this week is: Girl Parker
DM me and let me know which book you want!
For this week I'm giving out these choices:
Just comment below!
Comments
OCCRWA sounds brilliant, and it seems like you got a lot from it; especially the guest speaker.
Elizabeth Boyle's advice is excellent, and I agree and try to implement most of it.
My goals for this week are try to work in some of the suggestions a beta reader gave me, and make my MC easier to relate to.
Good luck with your goals.
Now that our houseguest is gone and summer school is settling into a pattern, I'm going to kick the new WIP into high gear. First, I need to reorganize my thoughts and sketch out some events/signposts.
And keeping fingers crossed for a good note from my agent on the last ms...
Rock on, Wipsters!!
I took the leap and registered for the Surrey Int'l Writers' Conference (#SiWC13). It'll be my sixth time and I'm excited for all the inspiration and motivation that I know I'll glean from it. (Coincidentally, Elizabeth Boyle is also presenting at it.) It's four months away, so my goals between now and October will be directly related to getting my w.i.p. in shape for public scrutiny.
I tossed around ideas for a contest piece last week, too, but didn't get anything drafted, so that continues to be a focus for this week. Writing, writing, writing... that's the name of the game. Have at it, Wipsters!
As for goals and challenging myself, I'm sometimes a bit "too good" at this. In other words, I could err on the side of becoming driven to the point of forgetting other important things in my life.
This week, I'm trying to re-focus myself a bit. I'm waiting on feedback on 3 different projects, so in the meantime I will catch up on some real-life stuff, as well as some promo/marketing stuff, which I haven't done in a while.
Yes, OCCRWA is fab! It's the name of my local RWA group. Tons of energy and lots of support for all romance writers including those who are with small press pubs(like me) or self-pub authors. Love it.
Good luck with your goals! And thanks for finding us!
I know the feeling. This past month has been so crazy with end of the school events, son's birthday, huge 12th birthday event at our church, and other equally crazy things. Now I just need to take Elizabeth Boyle's advise and just Write It!
Crossing fingers for you too!
Boyle's advice is welcome at my writer's desk any day. Like now! Do I need a kick in the butt. I have 9 days left to revise and resubmit for a short story anthology. O_O Should be finished with revisions (yet again) for my picture book for my agent, and all I want to do is work on my newest wip. It's definitely not going to get done if I don't get my butt in the chair.
Kim, I love, love, love your Pinterest page! How inspirational. I generally do the same thing, except I print out images and put them in my wip's notebook. But what fun! So where do you get your images? Pinning seems difficult. I'd love to learn all about it!
I hope all of you Wipsters out there have a fabulous week!!
Ooh, I've heard great things about the Surrey Int'l Writer's Conference. Very fun! Don't you just love the energy of a conference?
Sending cyber fairy writing dust your way to help with your contest piece! You can do it!!!
Thanks! Need to see if I can print my Pinterest page and put next to my computer. A few of the pieces I purchased from iStock so I can use them in my book trailers. The other photos I got online. It's very addicting!
Good luck on your writing this week! Shaking my pom-poms your way!!!
Revision has been slow going, but I'm excited about it! Which is all I really care about with writing lately. I'm taking an "I deserve my wipmadness time" attitude lately, instead of an "I have to wipmadness now" outlook. Verb into adjective... or noun. :) Anyhoo. Hoping to keep revising this week, plunging into the next chapt, and stay positive!
Hi all! and good luck!
--Lora
I'm going to the Surrey conference again this year, too--so looking forward to it!
"Just do it" is a good mantra for me this week, too. You might've seen online that I LOST MY WIP last week. The file and the online backup are gone, and my tech guy was unable to retrieve anything. So, I am starting again on this MG project, and instead of moaning about all the brilliant words I lost (I'm sure they were all brilliant, and there's no evidence to prove me wrong! LOL), I just need to sit down and write it again. Just do it. So, I will.
I started writing an hour a day a few months ago and it's a good way to keep writing, even when you're not feeling motivated. Like this evening, when I was tired from work and sweating in my stuffy apartment. I only got one page written, but that's more than I had before :)
Thanks for stopping by and good luck with your revision!
Love your 'tude! I love how you're excited to be working on your revision. I sometimes get to the point with my own revision that I can't stand looking at it. Then I put it aside, tackle another project and then go back. **Like I'll be doing next month!
OMG, that same thing happened to me once! I ended up 'accidently' deleting 10k of a WIP. I thought I'd go crazy! But you know what? I ended up starting again and feel the new passage flowed so much better!
Yes, it's better to just do it and not get too upset.
Yes, Elizabeth said if you write at least 1 hr a day, five days a week? You can probably crack out a couple books. Also it gets easier when you do write everyday.
I'm hoping to continue to do this with my own writing. No more excuses! **I admit, I've been kind of bad that way this last month or so.
I knew I forgot something last night after I completely zonked out post Keysmashing Tots. My word counts dwindled over the weekend due to the 48 Hour Book Challenge. Another big reading challenge starts June 23rd. This week is the 25K words in 7 Days challenge which works nicely with my current writing goals/challenges for the month. However it was already 8pm and I hadn't written a word. I thought of putting it off till the morning but I fought the urge and just butt in chair'd myself.
Started at 8:48pm. First hour or so was tough because Nephew insisted I read him a story and attempted to type on the computer every time he could reach for it. By 10:30pm I'd managed around 1200 words. Not my best based on previous word sprints, but who was I to complain? I fought 'quitting time' and got words out. I ended around 11:20ish with 2367 words. As tired as I was, I'm glad I did it.
Welcome to the fold, Clare. From my experience, this amazing group of writers will keep you motivated throughout the year to just write. :)
Cheers,
Tonette
I finally got prose revisions on my adult romantic fantasy done and sent that to beta readers; finished one chapter revision of my YA dystopian. My other book is out on submission and I've gotten one rejection so far.
I'm turning into a weekend writer, unfortunately. Work sucks away all my time and creativity, but fortunately I have a good backlog from the unemployment phase. :)
Way to go, chica! Love your determination! Every word does help! And look at it this way--you're writing!
Doing a cheer for you!!!!
Thanks for stopping in!
I'm the exact opposite: I'm a week day writer. During the weekends? I'm running off in all different directions and/or getting ready for church. Now that son is 12, which is a milestone in my church, it's even more crazy.
Look at it this way--you're writing which is good. Thanks for stopping by and I'm shaking my pom poms your way!!!