New hours start tomorrow

[pegkerr]

and I'm really oddly nervous about it. I have a designated hour for writing that I have made appear in my schedule, in the morning by dint of shoving other things aside (namely sleep and time for lunch). I will have to see how much I can stand to cut my lunch, but I'm going to be experiencing somewhat of an income drop (unless, of course, I quickly sell the book under contract, but that's a whole different kettle of fish, namely having to do with how much I dislike having a contract looming over my head like a sword of Damocles).

Anyway: the plan

The first week, I can spend up to a half hour a day of that designated hour cleaning my office, on general clearing-the-decks principles. I don't think it'll take much more than that to get it into a shape where my surroundings are no longer distracting.

No e-mail during the writing hour, and no LiveJournal. After my hour is complete, I can send kijjohnson what I've done that day by e-mail so she can give e-mail me back raw encouragement. Which I will need. A lot.

Re: goal setting: thought of this and went back to look it up. I think I will go through this worksheet this week, too. This re-arrangement of my working schedule to give myself time to write feels like a big deal, because it's the first thing I've done in a long time that says "I have faith in my writing life." Mostly, what I've been thinking for the past four years, all this time that I've been blocked since finishing Swans was that I didn't have faith in it. It's been an interesting process to try to turn that not-so-helpful thinking around. The first step, I think, was getting this LiveJournal. I started it hoping that it would help me kick-start the creative process. I was worried that it would become too much of a time sink instead. Well, it has been a time sink (a very fun one, I might add). But I think there's no doubt that I wouldn't have worked up and started developing this very viable novel idea without it.

Let's see what I do with it.

And it's so different to be writing a book with the LiveJournal audience there, in another way that hadn't occurred to me previously. Previously, when I slacked off writing my other books, only my writing group was there to say, "Well, where's the next part?" Now I have over a hundred people on my friends list, and several have expressed more than a mild hint of interest in this new book. The fact that I'm writing is more public, shall we say. (And a more public forum for failing insists the scaredy-cat in the back of my brain that's been responsible for my writers block the last four years).

Shut up, I tell the scaredy cat. I'm not going to listen. Not this time. Tomorrow I sit down at the computer. We'll see what will happen.

Cheers,
Peg

Comments

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

Go Peg! Go Peg! Go Peg!

I think it's great that you've worked writing time into your daily schedule... more power to you, and can't wait to see the fruits of your labors!

- Darice

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Good luck!!!

[pameladean]

I am entirely in your corner and I know what it feels like to have had a huge hiatus in one's creative life. So I will just add from recent personal experience that, should you sit down at the computer and have nothing happen, you just do it again tomorrow. Sometimes schedules give me stage fright, but it passes.

Pamela

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Yay!

You believe in yourself. We believe in you. The book will happen.

You can do this.

Post your progress? I find it very useful personally, both being able to look back and see what I've done when, and getting some response at the time.

[blackholly.livejournal.com]

The bits of the book you've posted sound lovely. Here's wishing you lots of good writing days.

[skg.livejournal.com]

I hope the words flow like wine.

We all have faith in your writing.
The book sounds delightful, and we're all pulling for you. Take heart.

*sends encouragement*

[odyssea.livejournal.com]

Good luck! I can't wait to read the book, especially after what you've posted.

[cirakaite.livejournal.com]

I friended you while I was halfway through Wild Swans. I've finished it now, and can only say Wow. When I've had a chance to come off the emotional rollercoaster, I'll try to make some sort of coherent attempt at saying exactly what the book meant to me. But I really, really hope that your writing process goes smoothly, because I'd love to read more of whatever you write, no matter how similar/dissimilar to TWS.

~Amanda

[sundancekid.livejournal.com]

Whee! Good luck with your writing! Everything you've posted about your book make it sound fab and I muchly look forward to reading someday when it comes out. :D

[penmage.livejournal.com]

:Climbs on the cheerleading bandwagon:

You can do it! Clearly time for writing is important - I suppose you'd know it better than I - you've published two books, and I'm still a lowly unpublished college student. But it's important to actively believe in your writerliness, I say.

And, I'm looking forward to the new book. I just picked up Wild Swans for a reread, as a matter of fact.

[leiabelle.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the writing! :D

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Allow me to echo the poster above who said, "Take heart!" You've got so many people rooting for you, including (I know, because I have secret knowledge) Mr. Little Guy. And, in sideways interesting news, Heart of the Beast is performing "Wild Swans" as their main stage piece next winter. It's not your adaptation, but it's for sure your neighborhood. There's a lot of good energy behind your efforts, Peg, and we all cheer you on.

K.

[til-midnight.livejournal.com]

::cheers::

You can do it.

I want to thank you for sharing so much of your progress on your book with your livejournal. I've really enjoyed watching you flesh out the characters and create the plot and I consider myself very privileged to be able to watch the developments.

go Peg go!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

May you find pleasure and satisfaction with this new plan. Sounds like a great idea!

Best,
Chris

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the new hours. Hope it works for you. :)

I know that having a lot of people watching can either be a motivating or an intimidating force. However, I've just got back on my writing horse again by starting a short (this is debatable until I finish it) story to send to a livejournal friend who lives overseas. I'm waiting for him to get it by post, and I hope he likes it, because that gives me a motivation to get it done faster. :)

Best of luck all round.

[serendipoz.livejournal.com]

Much luck at schedule redesign and structure. I'm working on structure too, but it's difficult because I'm not good at structure.

Go Peg!