Weighty Concerns of the Writing Life

OK, so I was all giddy about having lost 9.5 pounds in the past 5 weeks.

I kept thinking about the tie-ins to the writing life. Self-discipline, routine, changing habits.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18).

Nearly as soon as I blabbed my intent for this post topic, I messed up big time.

I had a super stressful week. I STOPPED calculating my food points upon the site. After all, I didn't have the time.

I didn't grocery shop for the things I needed, so I ended up making do without my typical breakfast and lunch choices.

I gave in to emotional eating when I was stressed out twice, only coming to the Lord after I stuffed my face with a high-calorie treat while working hard late at night.

This week I learned a few different things and I would like to share how its challenging me in my writing life.

Plan for high stress writing times.

Often we know just when those times will be: before a conference, preparing for a contest, when we're invited to send a sample to an editor.

Opportunities can spring up out of the blue, but often there is some preparation.

For instance, conference registration is usually in the spring to early summer allowing for several months of preparation.

Sit down with a calendar as soon as you register for a conference or hear about a conference.

I had planned to enter the Phoenix Rattler, but because I hadn't written the date on my calendar I allowed an opportunity to slip away.

I suggest keeping a separate planbook just for writing, that way you can keep track of your larger goals and smaller ones.

For instance I will write on my calendar which days I plan to write my 1000 words and when I will plan to write book reviews or blog posts.

Celebrate what you do right.

Flylady recommends writing down your "ta-das" instead of merely your "to-dos." This builds in a sense of accomplishment. Spend a moment reflecting on what you DID finish, even if it wasn't quite everything on your to-do list.

Habits are essential to the writing life.

I've read that adding one habit a month is a life changer. What habit can you add this month to shake up your writing life?

Reading one craft book each month? Spending 10 minutes reading a quality fiction book to teach you about putting craft into practice?

What about if each time you sit down to write you try to tackle a 1K/1hr?

Then make sure you have the things you need to keep your habit in place. I found a high-fiber breakfast that tastes great, so I try to have it on hand daily.

Perhaps you need to find a spot without internet connection as Casey discussed in her post, so the internet isn't a distraction to your new habit.

Remember whenever you are making changes you will face extra challenges.

Every time we kick it up a notch in our writing life we face distractors.

Sometimes they're from outside: messes from little ones, yet one more accident to clean up from the 3-year-old, your outside job suddenly requiring large amounts of overtime, circumstances.

But often the biggest distractions are from within.

You didn't get your 1000 words in an hour yesterday. You just can't keep up that pace. You'll never get your novel done.

Why even send that out again? All that time to prepare it, all that mental energy...and I'll probably just get a rejection letter?

You know the voices, the lies you face in your writing life.

Spend lots of time listening to the true Voice daily.

Nothing else, no craft book I've read, no critique partner...nothing has changed my writing life as much as reading the Word daily and time in prayer.

The outflow in my writing life has been directly related to God's grace as I seek His face.


What about you? What is the biggest distraction to your writing life? And what steps can you take to try to overcome it?

 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 currently reviews for The Title Trakk and Christian Library Journal.

Post-Holiday Plan for Writers

If you're like me in the wake of Christmas, you've passed along more presents than you can count, eaten more cookies than you can count, and gained more pounds than you even want to know.

Not to mention most of us set aside our writing (or at least scaled back) during this season so we could enjoy time with friends and family.
But as the holidays come to a close, it's time to re-motivate and refocus. I know, I know. It's just as painful for me as it is for you. (Anyone getting flashbacks to childhood lectures from Mom and Dad?)

Here are a few tips to help us battle the post-holiday blahs.

1) Write down a plan. Evaluate your schedule and make realistic goals based on the time you have. Don't try to be Super-Writer here. Look at your pre-holiday schedule and pattern your new one after it, with a little extra challenge thrown in for good measure.

2) Look at your goals and pick one to work on first. Alley pal Keli Gwyn had an awesome post about the concept of going singular when you work toward your goals. To read her wise words, go here.

3) Keep yourself healthy. Y'know those extra pounds I talked about at the beginning? They're going to weigh you down, both physically and mentally. And that means you'll be less effective in working toward your writing goals.

I plan to do a cleanse and detox at the beginning of the new year to rid myself of all the junk I've consumed over the holidays. You don't have to go that extreme, though. Just getting up and exercising a little bit every day will clear your brain of the post-Christmas cobwebs. Grab an apple instead of a Snickers, and you'll be another step closer to working at your best.

4) Enlist support. Accountability isn't a new concept, but how many of us actually do this? Whether it's enlisting support in our health goals or in our writing goals, we're much more likely to succeed if we know someone is breathing down our necks...er, checking in on us...once a week, or whatever timeline we choose.

So who's with me on this? Anyone care to share your goals for 2012? What's your post-holiday plan?

*Cookie photo by Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
**Diary photo by Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

******************************************************************

Sarah Forgrave is a stay-at-home writer-mom who feels blessed to pursue her calling and passion. She writes contemporary romance for the inspirational market and is a regular contributor to the webzine Ungrind.

To learn more about Sarah, visit her personal blog at:
http://www.sarahforgrave.com/blog