How's It Going to End?

"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb."-Sir Winston Churchill


And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.-James 1:4


Today I received a cute little black and gold badge from ACFW. It will sit in my inbox for a little while, so I can take it out on discouraging days and remember.


Because one year ago today, finishing my novel was a joke. I didn't think I would ever accomplish it. I was discouraged by my first year of homeschooling and all that entailed. I didn't make the time to write. I didn't think I had the time.


Yet somewhere along the way I discovered I needed to make the time. Writing is a ministry and even if I don't ever show my work to anyone else God has used it in my own heart to craft changes in me. 


ACFW 2011. My homeschool group was starting that week. It keeps me quite busy with teaching and serving, I didn't think I would have a minute to miss the fact that I wasn't at ACFW. The truth was...I didn't deserve to be at ACFW, right? I didn't even have a manuscript finished. That night I decided to watch the ACFW awards streaming. Our dear Alley friends were sweet enough to send those of us at home pictures from their phones, and Sherrinda and I were able to chat online from our homes.


That night I broke down bawling. I told my husband, Chris, I really didn't think I would finish my manuscript. Maybe it just wasn't my time for writing and maybe I should let go of the dream. Maybe someday I would finish my book, but I was skeptical. 


My husband reminded me of all the "accidents" that had happened in the short time since I had started writing. He knows we don't believe in "accidents." 


Then he gave me an ultimatum. "I want you to write every other day for one hour for at least a month. If you do, I'll buy you the ACFW conference CDs."


It wasn't about the CDs. It was about the challenge. I needed to prove to myself that I could finish this book.


Shortly afterward I talked to my dear Alley mate, Casey, on the phone. Y'all know that Casey is a bonafide cheerleader!! She told me about #1K/1hr on twitter. Now I had a challenge and a goal. Casey held my toes to the fire (just kidding, of course), the truth is the Lord knew I needed accountability to finish my book and so he gave me a persisent online pal and a husband who wanted me to reach my dreams.


So this novel I started a year and a half ago has been finished in 1K/1 hour segments several times a week from September through February 4th. 


Do you have to give something up to reach that goal?


I loved blogging and book reviewing. I still review for the Title Trakk on a regular basis, but I've given up my personal blog and the rest of my book reviewing. I do not get on Twitter or Facebook. (Although I do click on the bottom of the post to "tweet" my Alleymates posts when I can). I no longer keep up on blogs. 


Possibly I have missed some great contacts that will help me later on. I know I have missed catching up with online friends I have met. 


But writing is just one piece of my pie. I prefer to spend that time on my novel, as per Jody Hedlund's advice here ("How Much Time Should Writers Devote to Social Media"). 


There are other things I've had to give up along the way. That's just part of the journey. 


I don't know how its going to end, this writing journey. In the end I just keep pressing towards the mark. Falling far short at times. Many times. 


If you've finished a manuscript or even if you haven't, I challenge you to take the time to thank someone who has helped you along the way. 

What has helped you reach your writing goal? Who has helped you along the way? 

(I hope you'll permit me the indulgence to post my badge here, since I no longer blog on my personal blog).

Julia enjoys writing women's fiction whenever she can find a chair free of smushed peanut butter sandwiches and lego blocks. She is a wife and homeschooling mama of two littles. She also enjoys reading and reviewing books for The Title Trakk, a Christian review site.

New Year, New Goals!!

http://www.gardenlist.com/

"Resolution" conjures up thoughts of the workout plan that lasts two weeks, until you miss a day...then three...then a month! At least for me.

In our writing life or in any other aspect of our life, it's not resolutions that get us there...it's baby steps and perseverance. Continuing to run the race.

Just as Jesus sanctifies us in our walk with Him, finishing a novel is a day-by-day labor.

Talk about baby-steps. I started my novel about a year and a half ago. I made agonizingly slow progress...editing as I went.

But baby steps add up. Finding the time to write every day just wasn't realistic for me, nor was writing in large chunks. But if writing didn't become a part of my routine, it didn't happen in my busy life.

This winter I will finally finish that novel! I know, I know. Some of you have been known to write 50K words during NANOWRIMO or finish your novels in 3 months. Maybe you can't relate. But I'm betting at least a few of you can.

These are some of the writing lessons I hope to take with me in the New Year:

Keep accountable.  Find email accountability partners. Find a real-life group to hold you accountable. Preferably both. The embarassment of havnig nothing to bring to a critique session keeps you going if nothing else does. So does the fact there's someone on the other end of the computer waiting to hear my word count totals.

Don't belittle the little accomplishments. Every word is important. Every time I hit a 10K milestone I will often excitedly mention it to my husband or family. Just repeating the small victories to myself helps me to persevere to the next 10K.

Dream about what's next. No, I don't mean that you're going to land the agent of your dreams and get published this year. (Not that it wouldn't be great if that happened...). The closer I get to writing "the end", the more time I spend thinking and reading about my next character so I can keep the momentum going.

If you get discouraged, remember the growth you have made and will continue to make. At a recent writer's group session I brought an excerpt from my manuscript written about a year ago. I was immediately asked if it was written a while ago. The commenter said they were used to a different level of quality in my writing. It encourages me to know that in little baby steps my writing WILL grow.

What do you need to do to tend your writing garden this year? What do you need to prune back in your writing in order to grow? What are your tricks to finishing well?

Wishing you and your manuscript a happy New Year!

Julia enjoys writing women's fiction whenever she can find a chair free of smushed peanut butter sandwiches and lego blocks. She is a wife and homeschooling mama of two littles. She also enjoys reading and reviewing books for The Title Trakk, a Christian review site.

Ten-Hut! Forward march!!

OK, so I'm going to get gut-level honest here.

Some of us need a good kick in the pants when it comes to our writing life. Yours truly is one of them.

I regularly struggle with the "mommy martyr" syndrome. Oh, some of you know this all too well. My life revolved around homeschooling. I convinced myself that my writing was a selfish outlet.

Only God had shown me all along the way that for whatever purpose he wanted me to write. I was ignoring part of my calling. Because no one sees my writing except my critique partners I convinced myself that it wasn't ministry. Not like teaching Sunday school...or homeschooling...or serving in my local homeschool group.

I forgot something important. God had been changing my own life through writing. Writing keeps me in check and keeps me real. Writing is therapeutic, touching my life in new ways. Showing me things about myself as I glimpse myself in the weaknesses of my characters.

As I researched and wrote a little bit, God began to bring members of a certain religious group into my life in some strange and interesting ways. I had an opportunity to share my research unexpectedly. Not only is this exciting, but it let me know even if my story is never published...God has a purpose for it.

As I listened to the ACFW convention banquet I must admit I was struggling with the green-eyed monster Pepper talked about yesterday. It was exciting to receive phone messages from the gals at Writer's Alley and really neat to be able to talk to fellow Alley Cat Sherrinda from our homes during the banquet! But I was still struggling.

My world's best supporter, AKA my husband Chris, gave me a big hug. Then he told me he was going to buy me the CDs, but he was making a bargain with me. "I want you to go after this wholeheartedly." He made me promise to write for an hour at least three times a week.

Then one of the Alley Cats upped the ante for me in a phone call. She challenged me to a 1K duel. She offered to join me and help me reach my goal!! What a gift!!

Are you failing to reach for all God is calling you to as a writer?

If you don't schedule it, it won't happen. This sounds elementary, only it wasn't to me. I somehow convinced myself that the writing time would ooze out of my busy mom schedule. Are you convincing yourself that your writing time will come like magic?

Get accountability. This is where my fellow Alley Cat has helped out. Find someone who will hold your feet to the fire. Your spouse might be a perfect choice if he is supportive of your writing time. Also having your spouse on your side sure helps make it happen if you have kids. My husband was willing to take up the slack so that I can write for a set amount of time on certain days.

Play the numbers game. Know what's realistic for you. I used to think it was great to reach 800 words in an hour, now I've discovered its not that difficult to hit 12K or 13K if I'm on a roll. The times I am writing more regularly my numbers go higher. Now, I'm not saying you have to become obsessed with the numbers...but its important to set a goal.

Small rewards. I love to light a nice smelling candle while I write, this may be TMI but since my cat's litter box is hidden in the corner of the room where I write, it can also prevent unpleasant odious distractions. I also love to have a cup of hot tea or cider and a fire going on these Fall days in the snowbelt.

Write your goals on the calendar. I can almost smell victory as I look at the numbers on the calendar. It's very encouraging.

Do you have any tips that have helped you to get motivated and finish that story? I would love to hear them.