Peggy Jaeger's Blog - Posts Tagged "dedication"
Commitment…
This past weekend I was in Las Vegas with my husband and our daughter. They were both registered to run 13.1 miles ( 1/2 marathon) of the Las Vegas Marathon. To anyone who has every attempted even a 5k race, you know the most important part of the marathon is the preparation for it.
My husband is a lifelong runner, my daughter relatively new to the sport, so they prepared in different ways. Both finished exceptionally well, especially for the horrendous weather conditions at the start and end of the race, and both were fine the following day – a little tired, a tad stiff, but no major problems. Their dedication to finishing the race upright and in a certain time frame made me very proud as a wife and mother, and it re-instilled in me my own dedication to writing.
Why writing, you ask? What’s one got to do with the other? Well, I’ll tell you.
Training for the race required a daily commitment to running. A training schedule of increasing miles per day, and then a rest day thrown in, helped with the endurance needed for the long haul. Eating well, at certain times, and foods high in protein and nourishment, allowed their bodies to be at peak performance to withstand the grueling conditions and the long time length the run required. This was no sprint. Muscle training with weights strengthened them to endure the pounding their bodies would take with each stride and sprint. All of this took time, dedication, commitment, and mental focus.
Much the same way writing a novel takes.
You don’t sit down at the laptop and write 75,000 words in one day. Even NaNoWriMo allows you 30 days to write 50,000. No, you write a certain number of words every day, all adding to the gist of the storyline. I once heard Nora Roberts describe why she writes every single day ( like I do.) She said, and I’m paraphrasing, writing is like using a muscle. When you don’t exercise it, it atrophies or weakens and it takes much longer to get it back in shape. To write every day keeps the brain fresh and the storyline clear. Setting out to write a novel takes focus and dedication even when you fall into a plot hole or don’t know where you’re going next. You keep moving forward toward the end. Your brain needs to be nourished and healthy just as your body does, to be able to form coherent sentences and remember where you’re going with the plot.
So marathon running and novel writing are more alike than you’d think. And in the end, one will earn you a medal, and both with give you the satisfaction of a job well done.
My husband is a lifelong runner, my daughter relatively new to the sport, so they prepared in different ways. Both finished exceptionally well, especially for the horrendous weather conditions at the start and end of the race, and both were fine the following day – a little tired, a tad stiff, but no major problems. Their dedication to finishing the race upright and in a certain time frame made me very proud as a wife and mother, and it re-instilled in me my own dedication to writing.
Why writing, you ask? What’s one got to do with the other? Well, I’ll tell you.
Training for the race required a daily commitment to running. A training schedule of increasing miles per day, and then a rest day thrown in, helped with the endurance needed for the long haul. Eating well, at certain times, and foods high in protein and nourishment, allowed their bodies to be at peak performance to withstand the grueling conditions and the long time length the run required. This was no sprint. Muscle training with weights strengthened them to endure the pounding their bodies would take with each stride and sprint. All of this took time, dedication, commitment, and mental focus.
Much the same way writing a novel takes.
You don’t sit down at the laptop and write 75,000 words in one day. Even NaNoWriMo allows you 30 days to write 50,000. No, you write a certain number of words every day, all adding to the gist of the storyline. I once heard Nora Roberts describe why she writes every single day ( like I do.) She said, and I’m paraphrasing, writing is like using a muscle. When you don’t exercise it, it atrophies or weakens and it takes much longer to get it back in shape. To write every day keeps the brain fresh and the storyline clear. Setting out to write a novel takes focus and dedication even when you fall into a plot hole or don’t know where you’re going next. You keep moving forward toward the end. Your brain needs to be nourished and healthy just as your body does, to be able to form coherent sentences and remember where you’re going with the plot.
So marathon running and novel writing are more alike than you’d think. And in the end, one will earn you a medal, and both with give you the satisfaction of a job well done.
Commitment
To see images, click on to https://peggyjaeger.com/2016/11/10/co...
The definition of commitment is:
the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.: the company’s commitment to quality.
a pledge or undertaking: I cannot make such a commitment at the moment.
It is, in my opinion, a loaded word because you can attach so much to it and extract so much from its meaning.
NaNoWriMo, in my opinion, is the practical exemplification of the word commitment. In order to adequately perform the challenge, you must commit to writing every single day inorder to fulfill the 50,000 word goal at the end of the month. To break it down numerically, you need to have a minimum of 1,667 words written every day for 30 days to hit those 50,000 words . Or by the page, you must have written almost 7 pages per day of 250 words per page.
That’s commitment.
Most of the writers I know are far succeeding that minimum every day, myself included. Well, most days, anyway! Life does intervene.
So, as we move towards the end of the second week of NaNoWriMo, let’s keep committed to the goals of:
writing daily
writing a minimum of 1667 words
writing 6-7 pages minimum of approx. 250 words each
staying focused
And because I am such an avid fan of commitment, here’s a little motivation for you to be so, as well…
(click on to link to see images)
When I’m not committed to NaNoWriMo, you can find me committed here:
Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me// Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+
and I’ve also put together a Pinterest motivation/commitment board as well if you need more inspiration ( and by inspiration I mean looking at some pictures of hot guys telling you to write!)
The definition of commitment is:
the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.: the company’s commitment to quality.
a pledge or undertaking: I cannot make such a commitment at the moment.
It is, in my opinion, a loaded word because you can attach so much to it and extract so much from its meaning.
NaNoWriMo, in my opinion, is the practical exemplification of the word commitment. In order to adequately perform the challenge, you must commit to writing every single day inorder to fulfill the 50,000 word goal at the end of the month. To break it down numerically, you need to have a minimum of 1,667 words written every day for 30 days to hit those 50,000 words . Or by the page, you must have written almost 7 pages per day of 250 words per page.
That’s commitment.
Most of the writers I know are far succeeding that minimum every day, myself included. Well, most days, anyway! Life does intervene.
So, as we move towards the end of the second week of NaNoWriMo, let’s keep committed to the goals of:
writing daily
writing a minimum of 1667 words
writing 6-7 pages minimum of approx. 250 words each
staying focused
And because I am such an avid fan of commitment, here’s a little motivation for you to be so, as well…
(click on to link to see images)
When I’m not committed to NaNoWriMo, you can find me committed here:
Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me// Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+
and I’ve also put together a Pinterest motivation/commitment board as well if you need more inspiration ( and by inspiration I mean looking at some pictures of hot guys telling you to write!)
Bribery…and why it works so well during NaNoWrimo
So this is a totally ridiculous, narcissistic blog post today. I’m going full honesty here and tell you how I stay motivated to write so much during the NANOWRIMO challenge. Be prepared…you may learn something that clouds your opinion of me forever.
Okay…Taking a huge, cleansing breath…Here goes.
I bribe myself to keep writing.
I know! How awful is that?? I should be writing because I want to, not because I’ll get a reward if I do. The 50,000+ word book SHOULD be the reward. The ONLY reward.
But no, it’s not.
I start off with a mountain of motivation each morning as I sit at my laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard, giving full vent to all the thoughts and scenes and dialogue that have been running through my brain for the previous 8 hours – the time I should be sleeping but, well, you know. Chronic Insomnia. The brain that never shuts down. That’s me.
Anyhooooo….
I start off like a speeding train and about hour 2-3 I start to get a little fatigued, a little distracted, a little, well, bored. I know I have many more words to write – can feel them jumping out of my fingertips in their efforts to break free from my mind – but I start to wane. To keep myself glued to my chair ( figuratively, folks) I’ve developed little bribery rewards for my diligence. Here are just a few of the things I pamper myself with for my perseverance at the laptop:
If I get another 1000 words down, I’ll have a cup of tea and a Peppermint Patty
If I finish this chapter I’ll troll thru Amazon and look for new books to read
If I hit my 2500 minimum daily word count, I’ll schedule a facial this afternoon
If I can get this dialogue perfect in the next 20 minutes, I’ll go get lunch at Panera.
If I exceed my daily goal I’ll go shopping for makeup/skin care products/perfume, in other words, I’ll go to Sephora.
See how this works???
And isn’t it ridiculous? I didn’t raise my child to do what’s right in life by bribing her. I would have never even thought of that. Her father and I taught her to do what is correct simply for the reward of getting it right. We didn’t say, “do you your homework and you’ll get a cookie. Get an A on a report and I’ll take you shopping.” We never even gave cash for good report cards. The end result – the good grades – was its own reward. None other was needed.
Why can’t I, then, as a fully formed and functioning adult, heed that wisdom?
See? I told you your opinion of me would get clouded.
Le sigh….
When I’m not ruminating on my hapless state or bribing myself to go on, you can find me here:
Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me// Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+
Okay…Taking a huge, cleansing breath…Here goes.
I bribe myself to keep writing.
I know! How awful is that?? I should be writing because I want to, not because I’ll get a reward if I do. The 50,000+ word book SHOULD be the reward. The ONLY reward.
But no, it’s not.
I start off with a mountain of motivation each morning as I sit at my laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard, giving full vent to all the thoughts and scenes and dialogue that have been running through my brain for the previous 8 hours – the time I should be sleeping but, well, you know. Chronic Insomnia. The brain that never shuts down. That’s me.
Anyhooooo….
I start off like a speeding train and about hour 2-3 I start to get a little fatigued, a little distracted, a little, well, bored. I know I have many more words to write – can feel them jumping out of my fingertips in their efforts to break free from my mind – but I start to wane. To keep myself glued to my chair ( figuratively, folks) I’ve developed little bribery rewards for my diligence. Here are just a few of the things I pamper myself with for my perseverance at the laptop:
If I get another 1000 words down, I’ll have a cup of tea and a Peppermint Patty
If I finish this chapter I’ll troll thru Amazon and look for new books to read
If I hit my 2500 minimum daily word count, I’ll schedule a facial this afternoon
If I can get this dialogue perfect in the next 20 minutes, I’ll go get lunch at Panera.
If I exceed my daily goal I’ll go shopping for makeup/skin care products/perfume, in other words, I’ll go to Sephora.
See how this works???
And isn’t it ridiculous? I didn’t raise my child to do what’s right in life by bribing her. I would have never even thought of that. Her father and I taught her to do what is correct simply for the reward of getting it right. We didn’t say, “do you your homework and you’ll get a cookie. Get an A on a report and I’ll take you shopping.” We never even gave cash for good report cards. The end result – the good grades – was its own reward. None other was needed.
Why can’t I, then, as a fully formed and functioning adult, heed that wisdom?
See? I told you your opinion of me would get clouded.
Le sigh….
When I’m not ruminating on my hapless state or bribing myself to go on, you can find me here:
Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me// Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+
