My Goal: Finish revising my friggin’ book already!
The road to my goal: 250-500 words on workdays and 500-1000 on my days off.
The sometimes detour when I get stuck: Plot the next book.
Thursday went well, I wrote eight hundred and something words and wrapped up the chapter I was working on. So in that sense, I made my goal of finishing at least a chapter a week.
Friday I started work on the next chapter and just wasn’t feeling it. Part of the reason was that some awesome stuff kinda dropped in my lap and kept me busy. I don’t want to go into exactly what right now, but when I do, I think you’ll agree with the awesome.
So yeah, Friday, not so much writing. But in keeping with my detour goals, I plotted and I really enjoyed it. I’ve been with the WIP for so long I forgot how much I enjoy plotting and discovering where a new story is going.
Saturday, I worked and then helped out my Mom at her ice cream shop, so most of my day was gone by the time I got home. I plotted some more.
And that’s it.
I leave you with an experiment I’m trying out for Sunday updates. Last round I talked about the power music has for getting my writing juices flowing. The post had a great response and I found out many of you feel the same regarding your own juices. A few of you mentioned not writing to music, but don’t worry, this experiment includes you too.
Every Sunday I’ll put up a song that inspires, gets me pumped or just plain excited to write. Maybe it’ll do the same for you, whether you listen to it while you write or before you get started. As long as it helps, I’m happy.
Today’s song is Uprising by Muse. Love these guys. The world will probably end before I ever get tired of a “Hell no, we won’t go!” type of anthem. Enjoy!
Info stuff- Follow my ROW80 progress every Wednesday and Sunday and be here Tuesdays and Thursdays for new posts on me, writing, superheroes, monsters, comics and any other geeky stuff on my mind.
Thanks for the share Andrew. I guess you’re doing well in the plotting. Unfortunately, I’m stuck about what’s next to my story.
It happens to all of us. You just keep working at it and the spark will hit.
While I’m guilty of being one of the ones not being able to listen to music while writing, I love your idea for your Sunday updates. Usually, I have Buffy in the background while I write (the tv in my office doesn’t have cable, so I just pop in dvd’s).
Buffy in the background, the foreground, ANY ground is a swell idea in my book.
Glad you like the Sunday update idea. Even if it primes the writing engine before you get started, it’s a win!
OMG, that is too freaky! I posted my recent “inspiration” song before I came here.
*Weird*
Anyway, plotting is good when you’re stuck in a rut – it’s so easy to get too wrapped up in one book. Good luck next week, enjoy the awesomeness that fell into your lap. 😀
Yeah, it was SO much fun to plot. I get one or two scenes in my head and it’s impossible for me to move on until they’re on paper. Once I do that the story magically appears.
Inspirational music – lovely thought. Thanks for sharing! BTW, congrats on your progress.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
finally got it – have been asking around what this playlist stuff was – it’s like the old car mix – right! not really slow me just seem like it sometimes! like this one not heard them before might add them to my car mix – my music covers just about everything from high opera to pop including c/w, folk. blues,jazz,musicals and soforth from Verdi to Bob Dylan then some days brain will say ‘absulute silence today please’
Muse always gets me pumped. Thanks!
Congrats on your progress!
Thanks!
I’m a little stuck too but trying to make sure whatever scene I’m writing at least moves the story forward a bit. Congrats on finishing the next chapter. Working in the ice cream shop *sigh* and *yum* – mouth drooling for ice cream now.
Good for you! I’ll take words over a blank page any day.
I was making the ice cream, which isn’t nearly as good as eating it.
I don ‘t write to music, but I may start! Your posts are fun!
Thanks! There’s not much I do without music and it’s usually under protest.
Mmmm, I love me some Muse. And “Uprising” is one of my faves of theirs.
Great job on your Goals Andrew! Can’t wait to hear about the mysterious Awesomness.
Thanks, I’ll probably go back to them for more inspiration.
My problem with listening to music while I write is that, due to my obsessive nature, I’m pretty much limited to the radio. My stereo is an old one, with a single CD player and no remote, so once a CD is over I have to get up and walk across the room to replace it. Problem number 1 is that sometimes the music ends and I don’t even notice. Problem number 2 is that I don’t like to interfere with my butt-in-chair meditative state. I keep telling myself, “I’ll just finish this sentence (or this page, or this scene) and then I’ll go change the CD.” But hours pass and I’m still listening to silence. Same thing happens with food. It’ll be 3:30 and I haven’t had lunch.
Wow, you’re hardcore. Great that it leads to so much writing. Maybe setting an alarm, at least for feeding time, would help.
Good going! I’m editing/plotting on the side this ROW80, too. I really find it helpful to have another project to move to when I’m stuck on the first. At least that way I’m still accomplishing something, rather than just staring into space for three weeks!
Yeah, I did the staring off into space last round. No more!
I don’t think I can write without music. Even worse, if a particular song gets tagged to a particular scene, I’ll play that same song over and over until I get that scene right. I call them my “fugue songs.” I’ve played the same song for hours at a time. The neighbors hate me, I think. But it’s not always like that. Thank goodness.
Love the Muse. For a really hilarious video, you’ve got to watch their Knights of Cydonia video. I think it’s on YouTube. If you don’t fall off your chair laughing, I’ll… write you an epic ode??? I don’t know. You name the stakes. It’s just that funny.
And your mom has an ice cream shop? That is so cool!
OMG, that is the worst pun of my life. To punish myself I won’t even erase it. I was also going to write something about you having layers, but nevermind. I’ll just take my lame attempts at levity and slink off to pound away at my keyboard.
See you later, Andrew.
-V
Wow, I’d go nuts listening to the same song for HOURS. That’s pretty impressive. I use music to get me in the right frame of mind. Not so much for a specific scene, but to get me motivated.
I’ll check out that video and thanks for the warning. I’ll make sure I’m strapped into my seat.
And you don’t have to slink away. I like the levity. Pick it up from me having layers . . .
I like your back up strategy: working on plotting the next book!
Thanks. Don’t want to lose focus for even a second!
[…] And now for this weeks song. […]