tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454222325290313520.post7000628110792278649..comments2024-03-28T05:13:12.886-04:00Comments on QueryTracker Blog: Writer Productivity Tip: Have Measurable GoalsPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771807777617244491noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454222325290313520.post-52380256166553302592015-02-23T08:00:59.369-05:002015-02-23T08:00:59.369-05:00Thank you for the ideas. I find that if I have the...Thank you for the ideas. I find that if I have the book outlined from one end to another, putting it down is a... maybe not quite a breeze, but much easier. You move the pressure from the writing phase to the planning phase. Plus there is no more writing block because you already know where the story goes.Andreeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09408687122292304322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454222325290313520.post-63266632151915829842015-02-20T14:34:30.916-05:002015-02-20T14:34:30.916-05:00Thanks for the ideas. Until recently, I've nev...Thanks for the ideas. Until recently, I've never had a problem getting the words on paper. I need to set some goals and get going again!Jeri Bairdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09576975074158550253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454222325290313520.post-70511634660656870682015-02-20T11:36:23.125-05:002015-02-20T11:36:23.125-05:00Some time ago, I realized that when I was in colle...Some time ago, I realized that when I was in college, I never heard of a professor granting a term paper extension to a student giving the excuse "I just wasn't inspired. My muse died. I couldn't come up with an idea." More to the point, I never heard of a fellow student who dreamed of giving that excuse.<br /><br />Somehow, when writing needed to happen on pain of penalty (docked marks, course failure, cut from honors program, etc.), it happened. Maybe the resulting paper wouldn't be GOOD... but it would be THERE. And once it was there, time permitting, it could be revised, polished, rearranged... but in order to make it better, it first had to be made, period.<br /><br />So, I sat down and I told myself,"from now on, every day, you are going to do something writing related. Deadline is bedtime. You can write. You can research. You can polish. You IM a friend and bounce ideas off them. You can let a friend bounce ideas off of you. And... if you happen to finish a chapter, you can take a couple of days off if you really need to recharge. But ONLY if you hit a milestone."<br /><br />My goal is at least one completed scene before bedtime. Most nights, I hit it. Sometimes, I don't. Hey. I'm human. But once I decided that writing was mandatory, writing started happening, even when I didn't think I was particularly inspired. These days, I don't usually get writer's block. When I do, it's more because the scene that has to happen is outside my expertise. (I'm bad with action sequences. When I need to write one, it requires some psyching up.) But staring at a blank word document and wondering what on earth to type into it is (mostly!) a thing of the past.Ellen Fleischerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09266071733436809256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454222325290313520.post-2757926958986675072015-02-20T08:58:58.904-05:002015-02-20T08:58:58.904-05:00Great post! I love the idea of a Personal Novel-Wr...Great post! I love the idea of a Personal Novel-Writing Lent. For the past three years, I've made writing plans for the year, with mixed results. This year I have started also making weekly goals that are more like yours -- for instance, this week my goal is to reach 75k on my current novel. :)<br /><br />Something else that helps with these measurable goals is to provide positive reinforcement for yourself every time you meet them! I love chocolate, so I get one Hershey's Kiss for every 250 words I write. A serving of Kisses is 9, so that's a lot of writing in a day if I want the whole serving! ;)Stephanie Cainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07169145912195690598noreply@blogger.com