The Home Stretch & #WriteMotivation
Every ball these days is a curve ball. You’d think I would learn to prepare for it, but somehow, it always takes me by surprise.
Because of a wonderful offer by an amazing agent intern, my goals almost struck out. But I will report what I have done and then you can all judge me accordingly.
MARCH GOALS:
1) Write 20,000 words on RFA
Wrote 5000+
2) Blog 4 times
This will be my third post, so not all-together bad.
3) Read 4 books, one on the writing craft
Still slogging through Book 1 of A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin and On Writing, by Stephen King.
4) Do not think negatively about the queries I sent in February
I haven’t had time to think about them at all.
5) Participate in Pitch Madness: Clue Edition (I’m scared to do this, but the agents are amazing!)
Yes. Rejected.
I also revised the first third of my TPR MS to improve my submission chances based on the amazing critique by Agent Intern Anon. of my first 5 chapters. I am working as hard and fast as I can to get it even more perfect.
Thanks so much for all of your #WriteMotivation support! Maybe someday we can have a conference and cater a bakery to make us cookies that look like books and words. And I want the waiters to dress up like dinosaurs.
Intrinsic Value
After discussing writing fears with my daughter and husband, they shared nearly the same idea with me. Their separate but exact alignment on the subject forced me to recognize that I might actually be wrong.
I might be wrong . . .
What was I wrong about? Writing and being an author has to make me money.
While both of them think that if I keep practicing and working hard to become a better writer, that someday my talent will be acknowledged and possibly make me some $$ cold hard cash, there is an intrinsic value to my writing that can’t be measured by money, by critique partners, an agent, an editor, or the entire publishing industry.
There is value in my writing for myself and those who see how happy it makes me. I hope that if writing makes you as happy as it makes me, you won’t let anyone take that away from you. Not even yourself.
#WriteMotivation Goal Check:
1) Write fifteen pages per week of new material.
See below.
2) Edit five hours per week.
Week 1: Edited 6 hours.
Week 2: Edited 10 hours.
Week 3: Edited 16 hours.
I’ve learned that I prefer not to edit and write new material at the same time. I tried, but my brain can’t switch very well on the same day, and while I can switch every other day, I would rather not.
Week 4: Edited 5 hours (My husband and I went on a weekend away for our birthdays, so no regrets.)
3) Read one book per week.
Week 1: The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas
Week 2: Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
Week 3: The House of the Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Week 4: Am reading The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
4) Critique SS for my critique partner.
DONE!
5) Read/crit L for my other critique partner.
About 2/3 done.