There is nothing like the support of a friend, but a friend who has been where you are is priceless. In my last post I talked about problems I was having with not knowing the motivations of my characters. When I made it to my amazing writers group they had lots of encouragement and reassurances for me. The ring leader, Elise, also gave me an anecdote about not knowing why her serial killer had a certain MO only that he did. She said that it was about half way through the book when her detectives started working out the case that she figured why. So for now I will keep writing what is going on and worry about the why a little further down the line.
ROW80 rundown:
1. Write 500 words per day on any project.
This has kinda happened, but I can't give details because I wrote in a notebook instead of my word processor. I am SO not about to count those words scribbled down, but I will say for the purposes of this I believe that I met my goals. These are the things that happen when you must be on the go in a computer unfriendly place. I am proud of myself for getting something done and I like the things I wrote. Which may be a strong indication it is crap, but it is another thing we worry about on another day.
2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.
Yay for the blogging thing! I seem to have this added to my routine. I was loosing a lot of time finding pictures, but I stumbled across this blog post and landed at a site called Pixabay. It is quick and easy to use, but most importantly full of awesome.
3. Check out at least 10 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.
I was able to read 10 blogs, but only commented on 8. I am pretty sure my phone hates Wordpress because it gives me fits and looses my comments. Have you ever noticed that when the interwebs eats your comments or post you are not as witty the second (or sixth) time you type it out?
4. Use Twitter at least once per day.
Honestly things have been demanding my attention and I wasn't even sure how often I posted in the last few days. Luckily I installed the handy Twitter plug-in and it held the information I sought. I have posted at least once every day. I wasn't able to make an original post on Friday, but that wasn't a requirement.
5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week.
This did not happen. I will definitely try harder next week, but due to the hectic demeanor of the last few days I am not going to beat myself up over it.
6. Read 1 book per week.Still reading Sherlock Holmes slowly. A friend recommended Go Rin No Sho or The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. It is a classic Japanese philosophy book. The quick things I have looked up say it is mostly about marshal arts, but the person who recommended it said it was about applying strategy to all things you do. I will probably give it a read just to see. I read that The Art of War by Sun Tzu, which is on my reading list, was inspired by The Book of Five Rings. So my curiosity has been piqued.
Sounds like you're meeting your targets pretty well. Keep writing and trust that the answer to your "why?" will appear further down the line. The subconscious is a wonderful thing, and it will keep working at the problem until one day it will produce the solution as if by magic.
ReplyDeleteWell said and thanks for the kind words.
DeleteYou're putting words to paper, one way or another, and that's the path to answers...
ReplyDeleteAnd I think I'll be checking out Pixabay..I'm intrigued, and, like you, I spend lots of time looking for images. Especially when I'm busy with other things, too.
Good progress on your goals this week! =)
Thanks, I am thinking the same thing about just getting the words down. Yay getting the words out of my head. Maybe it will keep the chatter in there down.
DeleteSounds like you had a pretty great week! Go you :)
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's nice to take a break from the computer and write with just pen and paper, though it can throw off our standard metrics. What I like to do is just count the words on a few different pages and then average it and apply that number to the overall number of pages. It wont be perfect, but it will give you a decent ballpark.
Art of War seems to get more notice, but I've read both and would say 5 Rings is equally as good, both are worth the read.
Best for the coming week!
It's nice to get another recommendation. I am definitely going to read it. If I can get it do download into my phone anyway.
DeleteI think it is plausible to discover the whole thing by writing...you are able to do it, so it seems like you will find all the details while writing them..good luck.
ReplyDeleteI never considered this approach before. I am not good at not having a plan for EVERYTHING. I just don't like not knowing where I am going, when and for how long. Thanks for your kind words.
DeleteThe Book of Five Rings is primarily about how to kill people with swords and not be killed yourself. Musashi was a very practical minded swordsman compared to some of his peers. While many other swordsman scholars of the time were writing about the intellectual and spiritual aspects of swordsmanship, Musashi's book can best be described as "Why My School of Swordsmanship is the Most Awesome: As Evidenced by My Sixteen Years of Killing People Without dying."
ReplyDeleteWhich isn't to say that I disliked the book, or Musashi, for that matter. He was, without a doubt, a brilliant swordsman, and his book details his specific philosophy in regard to swordsmanship and the act of taking a life and preserving one's own. Perhaps it is more difficult, in this regard, to apply it to modern living. But, you never know. The Art of War has been adapted to suit so many different occupations and lifestyles that its original message has most certainly fallen to the wayside somewhere along the way.
Thanks for the input. I think it will be interesting. The skill and discipline that it takes to become great in combat are applicable to many things in life.
DeleteYay for writing!!! :-) If you are curious (not that you have to read it), but Drawing Out the Dragons by James A. Owen is a really good and quick read. Hit a lot of good points about writing and life.
ReplyDeleteI will have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation and the kind words.
DeleteEnjoyed your post. Did not know you were a member of IWSG too, so am I.
ReplyDeleteMy blog
Juneta at Writer's Gambit
Thanks for stopping by. I am a member, but have not posted in a long time for it and was dropped. I am signing up again and plan on posting on March 4th.
Delete"Have you ever noticed that when the interwebs eats your comments or post you are not as witty the second (or sixth) time you type it out?" Yes. This happens to me all the time and my comment never seems as good the second time I have to type it. If I'm worried my comment is about to be eaten when I press submit/publish, I'll copy it first, that way I don't have to start from scratch if it disappears.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goals. It looks like you're making great progress. Have a good week!
Thanks for the advice, but unfortunately for me I rarely see it coming.
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