The Art of Creating a Writer's Mission Statement

Here's a short little article I just published in Cheryl Wright's Writer2Writer ezine in November on creating a writer's mission statement.

I'm in the process of getting links together on goal setting, motivation and all that good stuff you need before you venture into writing (or can use a refresher on) to post here daily and thought the mission statement idea was a fab place to start. No use in writing goals if you don't know why you're writing...right?

Enjoy....more later, when I finish the 1500 words for the day (currently on 0...lol)

Need Motivation and Focus? The Art of Creating A Writer's Mission Statement

Small steps

Today was all about getting a little bit done at a time on the book.

Planned to outline this AM but the lack of motivation got in the way as did a lunch invite from my brother & sister-in-law. Didn't sit down until about 8pm, intended to outline half of the chapter but managed to get about 1/3 done, which resulted in an 8 page outline.

I'm liking this extended/deep outlining process as it gets all the stuff out and when I write I don't have any excuse to stop--all my "stuff" is there waiting on me. I started the book this way but meandered down the path of bullet outlines, which slowed down the writing as I had to backtrack and fill in details.

Hey, I'm not complaining. I can probably get a good 20 pages out of those 8 tomorrow (ok, so that's a lie...maybe just 15ish) and resume outlining tomorrow night. Could be a pattern...

wastin' away again in Margaritaville....

...or bloggerville, as is appropriate.

Haven't done a lick of writing today (why dowe say "lick" of writing when we actually should say "stroke"...well, let's leave that thought alone for a dirtier blog somewhere...)

I did read up on the research for chapter 8 but haven't outlined (my goal for the day). Promised the kid I'd take him to the bookstore this evening so we can spend the giftcards burning holes in our pockets...but I'm starting to feel guilty for not at least nailing 1000 words.

The good news is that I've been having a *blast* updating my blog. Brought over lots of goodies from the FountainPenInc blog and will be adding more each day. Stay tuned...

Beth...who is off (to write, honest!)

Chapter 6....aka....

...the chapter from HELL....(I can curse, it's my blog).

Chapter 6 would not end. Like that annoying song my son listened to as a kid...the song that never ends...chapter 6 was the chapter that wouldn't say goodbye. Who knew "organizing your office space" and "establishing vendor relationships" would be so gut-wrenchingly agonizing?!

Well, good news is that it's done. Tomorrow it's the outline of chapter 8, HR issues. No, I didn't forget chapter 7--it's just been integrated into chapter 5 with taxes and all that....stuff. I've already sworn enough for one post.....

Integration

Whether anyone cares or not, I've had a few thoughts about adding to this blog in the upcoming year...thoughts I hope will help writers.

Til May or so of last year, I had another blog solely for writer's resources that I loved playing with but often found myself without time to update and add to. I've got lots of good ideas for helping writers...resources, interviews, etc., but not the time to manage two blogs.

What I've come up with is the idea to integrate that blog into this one. I have grand plans but think it will be slow-going at first. I'm in the process of getting some friends and published authors to interview and share their hard-won insights here, along with finding all types of resources to post.

Hopefully I'll get my act together and start posting more helpful stuff soon.....

trudging through middle mud

That's how I feel right now on this section of the book. Maybe the sparkle and fun of finishing the first 20K words has worn off, maybe I want time to sleep in on my Xmas break from teaching, maybe I want (want?!) to clean my house in anticipation of having friends over for New Years...whatever the reason, I've become a true writer over this last week and a half from the standpoint of forcing myself to sit and write (BICHOK as my friend Steph says...butt in chair, hands on keyboard).

I even skipped the chapter on tax laws and crap like that that I have no interest in writing (good test strategy: do the stuff you know & like first then come back and do the other stuff). I'm slogging through "setting up your office" and "establishing relationships with vendors" to get to something fun like "creating your service manual" and "hiring employees"...

But this *is* the life of a writer--the heart of the true writer's career. It isn't about the glitz and glamour of booksignings (though I did lament with the girls today at the Serious Writer lunch that no one will probably ask me to autograph my business book....) or radio interviews, but those days when you *don't* want to write and you have a deadline to meet. Nonwriters don't get that part...they only see the completed book and imagine the enchanted fairy's magic wand that produced it, not the sense of dread in the pit of the writer's gut when she approached her laptop with only two valid sentences to type for 4 hours of work.

Ah, well. It's keeping me writing, which is the whole idea....

one deadline down...

....two to go....

Just emailed deadline one to the editor on the business book. It was due today, but since I'm calendar-challenged, I thought the deadline was yesterday. Sent it yesterday and got a note back from the editor that she'd like me to generate a table of contents (TOC) and resend it back so she could send it directly to editorial.

I did and learned something new! I didn't know how to do the TOC via word, but it was actually very easy. Wish I'd had known that trick when putting the thesis together last year (at about this time!). Ah well!

So the first 85 pages are done, editorial should return that draft by Friday, so I'll be editing over Xmas. Hey, I don't mind. Just plug in the iPod and gimme a red pen...

Next deadline of 160ish pages (40K words) is due, I think, January 13th. What is that, like a Monday or something?

40 and going strong....

...not my age, my page count....

Not bad for the week. Had hoped to get to 50, and I'll be there tomorrow without a doubt. I'm halfway through chapter three and will finish sometime Sunday.

I have to admit I like my writing system with this book and wish it would easily transfer to fiction. Going on my TOC, I outline one chapter at a time, then write it. Finish that, outline next chapter, write it...yadda yadda. Unlike fiction, it takes the guesswork out of where to go next. No choices on what plot point to meander down, which character trait to develop, which scene to insert. If only fiction were so definable...

If anyone knows of a good way to transition this outlining exercise into fiction, I'm all ears...

Off to keep book at a basketball game where my mind can decompress and come back fresh tomorrow. Writers need to play, too.

20 pages in 3 days...

...or, roughly 5200 words, for those keeping track. That's what I finished, not what I'm hoping to accomplish. I'm really amazed by myself!

Started chapter 2 tonight, and it has three major sections. Ambitious Beth figured she could do twenty NEW pages tonight and whip out the whole chapter. Realistic Beth had dinner ready to go when the boys wanted it (pasta...oh so easy), went to school an hour early so she could leave an hour early and come home to weight-lift before writing (to alliviate that "I don't have time to workout because I'm on deadline" guilt) and did take a short break to make some tea three hours into the writing session to avoid burnout.

And now Happy Beth is done. Even though this is my bedtime (yeah, so what? I get up before you even THINK about it!) I feel like I could eke out another half-section, but why burn my brain out? Tomorrow is another free evening, four solid hours of writing, but Weds. is yoga night and Thurs is camp-meeting night, so those will give me reprieve. Probably can do a few pages Thursday but with any luck, tomorrow night I can bang out the rest of chapter two and spend Thursday outlining three.

So way very cool. I love writing.

good news and bad news

the bad news is that I did not make my page goals last night before the football game. I managed only about 3500 words total...or roughly 13 pages.

the good news is that I didn't make the goal because I finished writing all of chapter 1. I'm chunking this bad boy into manageable pieces, and outlining a chapter at a time, writing it, then outlining the next.

even better news is that today I managed to outline all of chapter 2, right down to the sidebars and quizzes I'm including. I'll get started on that tomorrow night. 20 pages...30...? We'll see.

And the best news of all is that Oklahoma won and Pitt prevailed, which sent my Buckeyes shooting back up to #1 in the BCS. Sorry for the football spoiler but for a rebuilding year, Coach Tressel & the boys really made us proud.

Now to meet the next goal before New Orleans....

nerd!

Because I'm a total nerd and not afraid to admit it, I had to post this quick followup before lunch:

I have a little writing tracker software program I picked up years ago from Kresley Cole (still on her website) where you plug in the word count of what you want your finished work to be, how many days it will take, and it spits out how many pages a day you need (or words a day) to get to that goal on time.

Plugged in today's word count (2722) and realized that it was exactly 1000 words more than last count (1722.). Exactly. Very cool.

Told you I was a nerd. Did I say it was EXACTLY 1000 more words?

I think I need food. I'm getting a little silly here...

only 3...and Go Sooners

yeah, lofty goal those 15 pages were. Should have set that goal prior to hanging out last night until 3am for a friend's birthday celebration ...lol...

Now, though, the tea has kicked in, and I'm onto the last section of chapter 1 in my outline--one I think will be fun and fast writing....alas, as luck has it, my 2p.m. deadline has arrived and it's time for a little shopping and lunch. Should be back around 4, in time to write for 4 more hours.

(sports alert...if you don't like sports, stop here as it's time for a little Buckeye football reference)

I sacrifice a lot for my writing...I give up lunch dates, meetings with friends over coffee, chances to clean my kitchen (such a sacrifice) but I'm not giving up watching Oklahoma beat Missouri so my Buckeyes have one more shot at getting into the national championship game in New Orleans. Plus, it's the last college football game before the bowl games...another six months without college football...sigh....so I'm working to get my stuff done today by 8pm so I can get my last gridiron fix of the season without guilt for not writing til midnight.

Go Sooners...

drafts, quotes and edits...oh, and goals, too

I'm working on the book right now and have come up with a problem (not big, maybe more like an issue) and wonder how other writers deal with it.

As I write (two more pages down since noon today), I'm finding places where I need to insert some research or quotes in order to make the information resonate. I don't usually include those things in the first draft (nonfiction we're talking)--that's a second/third draft issue.

My question is...I'm writing the first draft, and normally my second draft is for content editing (changing sentences and paragraphs) as opposed to copy editing (grammar, spelling, etc--usually my last draft). I'm wondering if I should use the second draft as a "quote and research" draft only and leave the content editing for the third draft, or should I do "quotes and research" AND content editing in the second draft together? Or, hell, do "quotes and research" AFTER content editing? That almost seems more logical as the quote & research placement is meant to enhance particular text.

Or is all this talk just procrastination because I've spent 20 minutes working on one paragraph that refuses to solidify on the page? Hmmm....

Goal: page 15 by 2p.m. The hubby and I have gift certificates to spend that expire today (!!) so we're doing lunch and shopping at two. Good deadline....and since I'm hungry, I'm gonna go meet it!

More later (maybe)

patience

Just checked email before getting started on the writing today & found a very nice surprise.

My article on diabetic summer camps for Diabetes Explorer magazine was to originally be published in September. I received the check after the final draft was turned in, and the editor emailed to let me know there were some changes going on at the magazine ...my article would be pushed back for publication.

I didn't expect it to be published. I've never had an article get pushed back, and have heard only disappointing stories from other authors who've been through the same thing only to have their articles cut from publishing.

So today's email--a PDF final draft of my article to edit--was great news. It's slated for the January issue and I'm excited. This article is one with a lot of personal attachment for me. The two guys I quoted are two of the most important people in my life--my brother Richie and best friend Nate (and Darlene, the camp director I quoted, is a dear longtime friend as well). The camp I mention in the article is the one I've worked at for the past 14 summers. Makes it even more special.

Being patient as a writer is hard but it's a good thing.

1722 words...or 7.3333333 pages

Yeah, that's what I finished tonight in the business book. Not shabby at all, if I say so myself (even though the words are blending together as the evening wears on).

I have to admit I'm liking this writing a lot. I love research, love nonfiction, love being told what to do (in writing but not in life, as I'm sure my mother would agree..lol). With this wonderful :) outline I've already created, it's a hell of a lot easier than writing fiction. I know where I'm going, where I've been, and what I'm forgetting as I'm going. Since my first 20K words (about 80 pages) is due December 17th, sitting around procrastinating about whether or not I use the word "types" or "kinds" for three days in the name of writing perfection really isn't an option. I just sat down and started typing.

Took a break about three pages into it for a shower, and came up with the perfect first line for the next topic. I like how that worked. And if I get stumped by a word or phrase I know is buried in my subconscious or on the edge of my brain, I'm just putting it into parenthesis. It'll be there when I come back to edit, but more importantly, it keeps me from stopping.

Weirdly, I'm doing OK so far writing the rough draft on the computer. I did take the four big topics of chapter one and outline them in depth in the notebook, my hurried scribbles indecipherable to anyone, including me at times, but hey--it's working.

Ok...off to bed to dream of words and headings...only 64K words to go....

she liked it!

So I sent in the first assignment for my new book deal today--the outline of the table of contents.

I was a little nervous as the editor specified she wanted the TOC as well as a summary for each chapter. My brain doesn't work like that: I write extremely detailed outlines. (thanks, Mrs. Frere!) So I sent it in as it was, no summary, only detailed details with a note to the editor that I'd be glad to write an additional summary if she wanted (I wouldn't be glad but the nice Beth made me say that).

The editor emailed back to let me know she'd gotten the TOC--and it was great. Gave me the go-ahead to work on the book as the TOC says and to send her an invoice for the work. Way cool.

Shameless self promotion

It is my blog, isn't it?!

A good article for all you writer-types to consider before starting your next writing project

(a good article because I wrote it)....at Writer2Writer.com

Need Motivation and Focus?
The Art of Creating a Writer’s Mission Statement

TOC Rough Draft Down, Book to go....

First update on the work-for-hire:

Just finished writing the table of contents. Longhand, of course, as we all know (and care..hahah) that longhand helps me think better.

Must have been thinking a lot as the TOC ended up being about 12 pages long. I've got two of 'em (pages, that is) typed up...through about chapter 5 so far, and only with headings and subheadings, no details (yet). Trying to cram it all in tonight as I'm heading to my niece's wedding tomorrow out of town and plan to do absolutely no work at all.

Since the TOC is due Weds, this is pretty in-advance for me. I must admit the topic matter wasn't as interesting to me when I bid on the job but the more I read (three research books), the more interesting it is.

Now if just those 85K pages would come as easy....

Off to type....

she said yes...

....to that work-for-hire the editor offered.

Call me crazy but I just want to see if I can do it. Write a book (nonfiction) on a topic (cleaning) I know little to nothing about (all research provided) in a ridiculously short period of time (90 days).

Sent in the contract. Sure, the money isn't great, but if I put my behind in the seat every day and crank out 810 words a day (between 3-4 pages) I'll have it done by the February deadline.

If not..well, we'll get to that. I'm just now about 1/3 through creating the table of contents (darn, doesn't count toward the 65K word count), so I'm still going strong.

hmm...writing...or...breathing?

You'd think that since I haven't blogged my writing progress lately that there hasn't been any.

You'd be mostly right.

Picked up a nasty chest cold early last week and unfortunately, cold and sinus medicine do nothing to up the creativity or energy levels. I know writers are supposed to persevere through everything for the sake of writing but I must admit here that being able to easily breath and not cough up a lung trumps being able to write...

So now that I'm sorta getting better (less fever, more energy, less coughing), I'm writing again. Maybe I just needed a little out-of-my-mind break (love those dreams I have on cough medicine LOL).

Tonight I added to my story. All totaled it's now 6 solid pages and comes in at just over 1400 words. It ain't a novel yet but it's still pulling my interest so I'm happy with that. For now. Until the Nyquil is out of my system, anyway....