Dig In for the Long Haul! By Sally Shupe

It’s June. Where has the time gone? Seems like just the other day it was February. As I thought about this, I got to thinking about where I stood with the goals I’d set in January.

Writer Under Construction by Terri Weldon

Today’s post is a little out of the norm. Right now my office looks like a construction zone. And let me tell you, it’s not conducive to writing - at least not for this writer. My computer isn’t hooked up and unlike so many authors I actually use a desktop computer. 

I somehow connected the router and modem, hope I’m even calling them the right things, up to where the phone isn’t working. Since the phone isn’t required for my internet service I’m not sure how I managed that one. 

Not to mention my desk is covered in books that need placed on bookshelves. 

My plans for a lovely, private, and organized office have gone askew. Believe me, I thought I’d be back in my office by now. I need in that room!

All of this has made me think about how rarely things in life go the way we think they will. I should have factored delays into my schedule and I should have asked for help in reconnecting my internet! lol

Writing is a lot like my office. When you’re working on your book don’t let moments of chaos and confusion overwhelm you. Stay focused and even if it takes longer than you originally planned you’ll finally type THE END.

As for me, I hope to have my dream office soon. Maybe I’ll share a picture or two.

What about you - where is your favorite place to write?

Terri Weldon is a blessed to be a full time author. She enjoys traveling, gardening, reading, and shopping for shoes. One of her favorite pastimes is volunteering as the librarian at her church. It allows her to shop for books and spend someone else’s money! Plus, she has the great joy of introducing people to Christian fiction. She lives with her family in the Heartland of the United States and has two adorable Westies – Crosby and Nolly Grace. Terri is a member of ACFW and OCFW, a local chapter of ACFW. You can connect with Terri at www.terriweldon.com 

How Do You Do It? by Susan Tuttle

Life has been crazy busy around my house lately. August raced past in a blur, and September has slammed me in the face. With our new schedule starting, I’m forced to find a new way to organize my time. See, I just returned from ACFW where I was rejuvenated and energized in my writing. In fact, I had the time there to brainstorm a new series I’m starting. But…it’s September and homeschool along with extracurricular fun is also starting. Whether you work full time, have kids starting school, or are watching your grandchildren, the writing life can be hard to squeeze in around the demands of our day-to-day life. So how do you do it?

Plan:
During one of the lunches at ACFW, I had the chance to sit with two women who use planners. I loved this idea! They purchase a planner with a layout that works for them and then build in time for everything from grocery shopping to exercise to plotting. These blocks of time are what they follow as closely as they can, readjusting on a weekly basis to accommodate any changes. With their days scheduled at a glance, they don’t waste time wondering what task to tackle next. It keeps them focused and moving forward.

Guard:
However you choose to block out your time, guarding it is important. As writers we often don’t have offices to commute to, and that means we are writing in the same space our family is living. Laundry piles can call to us. Kids can knock on our bedroom doors. A favorite television show can blare from the other room. While distractions come in all shapes and sizes, it’s up to you to guard your writing time. That may mean giving up on something else you love to do so that you can reach your word count for that day or week. Your book won’t magically transform from your mind onto the page—I know, I’ve tried many times. It takes time at your computer, pounding on those keys.

Attack:
Once you’ve planned your writing slot and guarded that time, attack your manuscript. Sit down and write. Even if it feels like a boulder instead of a block stunting your creativity, put words on the page. You can always, always, always change the words later. And without a doubt, even when they are unsalvageable, you’ve learned more about your story by simply writing them. A nugget you didn’t know about your character. A sentence that suddenly steers your plot in a new direction. Or a big neon sign that says NO, this isn’t the way your story should travel. Whatever the wisdom gleaned, words on a page are never wasted.

So there you have it! And since I’m at the plotting stage of something new, I’d love any advice you’ve found works for you. Happy writing, friendsJ

Susan L. Tuttle lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her best friend and is a homeschooling mom of three. She’s firmly convinced that letters were meant for words, not math, and loves stringing them together into stories that inspire, encourage, and grow women into who God created them to be. Romance, laughter, and cookies are three of her favorite things, though not always in that order. You can connect with Susan at her blog, Steps, Facebook, or Twitter.

Keeping Our Eyes On The Goal by Mischelle Creager

Have you ever set a goal for yourself—maybe loosing ten pounds (or more) by THAT special day so you can wear the dress you’ve been saving, maybe re-designing the back yard in time for an end-of the summer get-together with friends and family, or maybe saving enough for a family trip to Disney World (or whatever place you have as your greatest vacation) next year?

How did you go about accomplishing it? What steps did you take? Or did that goal become a wish and just fly away because there were no steps to support it?

Goals take work and planning. If you notice the items above are all distinct ideas with an ending date.

 

In July, 2013, I set a goal for myself: I would write three novels, start a blog, have a historical website, and publish a historical magazine. AND I would do all of that in two years so I’d be ready to present to agents and editors at the September, 2015 ACFW conference.

 

Now you might think this is impossible, but you need to know that my children are grown, no grandchildren (yet), and my wonderful husband told me years before when he retired that he would do all of the housework (that means cleaning, laundry, cars, and yards). So all I was left with was to write. You also have to understand that I am a total non-geek. I got someone to deal with all the set-ups of my blog, send out my magazine, and design and do the upkeep of my historical website—I just needed to produce the WORDS.

  

I decided I would allow six months to write each book, followed by editing and corrections. Well, eighteen months later, I had the books written, but still needed to finish the editing and corrections. My blog, Families Across the Generations, was up and going, my historical website, Under the Attic Eaves, was being handled, and my historical magazine, Worbly’s Family Monthly Magazine, was right on schedule for publication.  

On Saturday morning in the middle of March, 2015, before I went to my monthly writers group meeting, I signed up and paid for the conference after carefully choosing which editor and agent I wanted to meet with.

At that writers meeting, my goals came crashing down. Well, they didn’t crash down exactly, they made a 180 degree turn. In the matter of two hours, I changed from having everything ready to go to conference to present my series to editors and agents to deciding to self-publish the books. WOW!!!

I now had a new goal—to finish the editing, proofing, covers, formatting, etc. in time to get the books published before the end of the year. Well, to be truthful, my goal was before Thanksgiving.

It’s amazing how having family and friends to guide, mentor, proof-read, etc. and having a definite goal with an ending time can help achieve that (new) goal.

With thanks to all those listed above, I got my books out in early December.

What kind of goals do you set for your writing? Are they general, a big vague ones? Or are they concrete plans with an ending time?

 

Mischelle Creager writes inspirational historical romances set in the mid-1800s. She's not sure which she loves more--researching or writing. When she's not doing one of those two things, she can probably be found reading or baking.

 

She loves to share her historical research and has a website, Under The Attic Eaves, filled with tidbits she's found in books written in the 19th Century. She also "reprints" a historical magazine, Worbly's Family Monthly Magazine, filled with items from books and magazines published in the middle of the 1800s. You can visit these two sites at http://undertheatticeaves.com/ and http://worblysmagazine.com.

 

If you would like to know more about Mischelle, please visit her author website at http://mischellecreager.com.