Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Productivity Happens

So, I'm having one of those writing stretches where writing feels similar to pulling teeth.  I sit down at the keyboard and immediately am hit by a paralyzing fear of writing the wrong thing.  I know that this is a first draft.  I know that I can revise anything I write.  But I still have the irrational belief that if I write something horrible down, I'll be stuck with it. 

I'm not a doctor, but I have two diagnosis for this problem.
1.  I shared the piece too early.  I really do know better.  I have several critique groups I joined in hopes of finding a writing community.  Though my piece isn't really ready for public viewing, I shared the first chapter with my dear critique partners.  I've gotten great feedback, but I think this threw off my devil-may-care attitude towards writing the first draft.  Now, the damn thing counts for something, because I have people who are willing to see it.  Ahhhhh!  Cue internal editor freak-out.

2.  I went balls-to-the-wall to finish Nanowrimo last month.  I wrote 21,000 words in three days.  It was awesome to learn that I can actually produce that much in a short time, and much of it was actually decent writing.  However, it threw off my slow-but-steady groove.  Now, I sit at the computer thinking about how I really should write 8,000 words today, when I really just need to focus on my previous 2,000words/day minimum.  When things go hay-wire, I go back to basics.

The upside?  This procrastination has led me to a great find:  Sara Cotner's organization system.  This woman is an organizer extraordinaire, and she has shared her tools with the web.  For her templates, go here.  I follow her blog and am impressed with how effortlessly she seems to juggle her busy life.  I now have all of my writing goals listed on her handy-dandy weekly planner, so I now have no excuses.   My favorite part?  How she incorporates post-it notes into the planner.  Brilliant!

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