What Are You Willing To Sacrifice?

While emailing a published author a few days ago she asked how much would I be willing to sacrifice to get published, because, truth is, you DO have to sacrifice something, and you don't get to know what it is ahead of time. So....I thought about it and realized that writing is more important to me than even I originally thought. My dream is worth it to me to take risks, even if it means writing four or five books a year to keep my head above water...I'll be doing what I love, and that is what matters to me.

But that isn't even all of it. Not only do most Novelists worry about money and spend pretty much every waking minute at the computer...they still have to worry about their project getting rejected. Or about their novel doing so badly they have to switch to a different publisher...

And even though I know all of this I STILL want to do this for a living. Writing is my life and I know it would be more fulfilling if I could write full-time.

So my question to you is this: How much are you willing to sacrifice for your dream? Maybe you'll find, like me, it is worth more to you than you thought possible. Maybe it will give you the strength to keep going.

Now I must go spend time with my hubby. Then its back to plotting my project.

I Found One Of The Problems In My Story

It took awhile, but it just hit me a minute ago: some of the scenes I've written don't move my story forward, don't bring any interesting conflicts or change...or are just plain boring. Now. This is normal for a first draft, but it was taking me in the wrong direction...which means I would have had to start all over again if I had not caught this. So I haven't been continuing my writing. Instead, I'm looking through my planned scenes trying to add new ones and see which ones need to go or just need to be fixed. This may take some time.

Something that might work for you: I did a timed writing asking myself what was I doing wrong, what I needed to change, ect and I came up with quite a few new scenes that way. It also gave me ideas I had not even thought about before. I have heard about timed writing before, but I never really thought it would work. But I was desperate and I tried it. And it did wonders for me.

The only worry going through my head at the moment is I won't finish this book by the deadline I gave myself. But, considering what I'm going through at the moment, I think I'll manage.

Do You Read While You Write?

Not sure if any of you who read this are writers, but I thought I'd ask anyway. Many published writers I have read about say that when they are in the middle of a project they don't read fiction. And for good reason. Writers tend to be a bit like sponges. They can lose their voice while getting lost in another persons.

I find that to be the case with me.It's very hard for me not to take on the style of the book I'm reading if I'm also writing, especially if the book is amazing. So I have learned that, for me, I should stay away from fiction as much as possible when I'm in the middle of a project.

But for others, they don't have a problem reading while writing. In fact, they can find it to be an experience that lifts them up and keeps them excited about writing without affecting the way they write.

So. Do you read when you write? Do you think it's harmful? Does it even matter? I'd love to see what people think about this.

Story Update

The walls have finally come up. Now I need to stop and figure out what is going on so I can get back on the right track. But, I have an idea what my problem is. Mainly....my plot cards kinda suck. This is the first time I have used this technique, so I'm trying to cut myself some slack, but I know that is what it is. My conflicts don't matter to me, the twists, I feel, are too easily seen. So. I won't rework these plot cards but I will focus on making the middle matter.

I am already starting to dread the revision, and I just started! I know it's a pretty common fear, but I can't stop worrying. I'm driving myself crazy really.

Ok. Back to dealing with new plot cards. Hopefully I'll be working on my story again soon.

There is a contest going on at Jennifer J. Bennett's blog. The idea is to write a monolouge about a random household object. It must be under 1000 words and you cannot include a picture. Winner recieves a Barnes and Nobles giftcard. Visit her blog for more information http://jenniferjbennett.blogspot.com/2009/09/contest-2-characterobject-monologue.html

Concerns

It hit me today: I don't like my Plot Cards for the middle of my project. That realization scares me. Although I am not very far yet, if I keep writing every day, soon I will reach the "murky middle". Soon, I won't have any idea of what needs to happen next. I've tried working on my cards, but I'm not making very much progress. I guess I'll just deal with it when I get there.

This brings me to an important point: You should look through your cards before starting your story. If you don't, you'll realize later that you hate many of the scenes you had planned.

I can't wait to write this next scene. This is where things really pick up. I haven't been this excited in a long time. My goal is to write at least 500 new words, which I am almost certain I can accomplish. I've been writing every day, something I haven't done in a year. This is a big step for me.

Before I close I want to recommend a book to anyone reading this. For anyone who wants to write, you need this. "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg changed my life. It made me burn to write. It gave me great tips on how to get started. The section about timed writing is brilliant.

So. I'm off to write and enjoy the day with my husband. Have a great writing day. I know I will.

Finished First Chapter

I finished the first chapter of my project yesterday. It's only seven pages long, but I think they are pretty good for a first draft. I have decided to write every day, even on weekends, because at the moment I only write 300-600 words. Maybe when I am able to write a bit more I will switch back to five days a week, but for now, I need all the time I can get!

In the course Thinking Sideways I am on Lesson 10 and it is about the Law of Unintended Consequences, or LUC. I learned how to create my own LUC, how to make my story deeper and more full of conflict because of this Lesson. Soon I will be writing an unplanned scene based off an unintended consequence...I can't wait! And later this week I'll learn how to write query letters that get noticed, something every writer needs to have mastered in order to get an agent.

Things have been moving rather slowly, but I have been progressing. Best of all, I really think I can finish this project. I know it most likley won't be publishable, but it will be a learning experience. I can't wait to reach the end and I've only just begun!