Laina Turner's Blog, page 50

How I Plan My Writing Time

A friend sent me this yesterday.

And it is so true. Writing is hard. Starting is hard. Finishing…that’s the hardest.

I like to consider myself a go with the flow kind of person. I’m not rigid, and I try not to sweat the small stuff. However, I’m very protective of my writing time and get very grouchy when I don’t get it.

It can be frustrating when you have kids who don’t understand that mom sitting at her laptop on the back deck is actually working. Not just playing. Especially when every time they come out and check on me I may happen to be on Facebook.

It’s research, I swear!

Like most mom’s who don’t have a chauffer, chef, and housekeeper on staff you know it can be very challenging to get everything you need to do done in one day.

As much as I hate getting up early I’ve found that if I don’t get up super early (say 5-5:30am) to get a jump start on my writing I’m more likely not to meet my daily goal. I’ve also found I’m much more creative in the morning.

Maybe since I’m still half asleep?

That might be part of the reason, but I attribute it more too the fact that I write before I check email and before most people are up to text, FB me, Tweet me, email me…you know how it is.

When I write before the average start of the normal workday, I don’t worry about any fires waiting to be put out so I can relax and just let the story flow.

When I’m writing a new book, I set a goal of 1,500 words a day/ 7 days a week. That’s a total of 10,500 words a week and if I don’t make the daily word count you bet I make sure to make it up at some point in the week.

When writing blog posts I try to keep at least 2 weeks ahead (ok 2 weeks is the goal – 1 week is more the actual) and schedule time on my calendar to get these written each day. I force myself to work during that time and not use I’m not feeling creative or I’m not in a writing mood to distract me. Let’s face it we’d all like to be independently wealthy and never have to work but we can’t.

SO WE MUST GET IT DONE!

It’s a job and just like a job if you leave work early one day you need to make it up the next. Self-discipline is the biggest obstacle to any writer, blogger, or entrepreneur in general. The self-discipline to do whatever it is you need to do whether you feel like it or not.

I know my best writing time is early. But you need to figure out what’s best for you. Then put it on your calendar and HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE!

The post How I Plan My Writing Time appeared first on Laina Turner.

Goal Recap (and August goals)

Has it already been 6 weeks since I posted my mid-June/July goals? 

 Where has the time gone?

The goals I posted back in June were for the end of the year so each month I could report my progress. I thought it was a way to hold myself accountable. So here is my first share. It’s not exactly where I wanted to be, but I’m making a little progress and slow incremental gains is the important thing.

Right?!

In case you don’t remember what my goals were (and why should you – I barely do at times) you can read that post here, or I’m also going to recap quickly them for you with the update.

1. Get my weight back down to 138. Epic fail for the majority of the last 6 weeks. I was stressed and tired and in a bad mood and just wasn’t able to motivate myself to eat healthily and exercise. However, about 3 weeks ago I FINALLY pushed through and got back on track. Sometimes you just have to wait until your ready. And now I think I’m ready. I haven’t even had any wine in 2 weeks. In the past 3 weeks, I’ve lost 10 lbs (a lot of water weight of course), and that’s helped me jump start my motivation.

2. Exercise 30 minutes a day. See my explanation above. Pretty much the same thing. Now I’m on track.

3. Blog page views at 300,000 a month. There hasn’t been much growth since I set this goal BUT summer tends to dip, and I’ve remained steady, so it’s almost like growth. To me anyway. I have planned out the remainder of the year, and I feel good I CAN make this goal!

4. Release 3 new fiction books. 1 is done and ready to launch Aug. 25th. Check it out here if you haven’t pre-ordered it yet. Number 2 will be in October and number 3 in December. Still a lot of work to do on those but I know I can do it.

5. Pay off all debt (except house/car). Haven’t paid any down but haven’t incurred any new debt. And there is still time.

6. Pay cash for the wedding (summer 2016 – maybe). I have not had time to do anything regarding this. Not even paying the deposit for a new date. It’s not that I don’t want to get married, I keep putting it off.

Overall, I feel good about where I am. Would I like to be closer to them all? Of course I would. But while I might want to be closer at least I’m not farther.

How are you doing to your goals? I’d love to hear. Leave your comments below.

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Fab 5 Friday

Books that you MUST read!

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – Although easily interpreted as a coming-of-age story, Salinger’s most notable work has many elements that pertain to both adolescence and adulthood, which is precisely what makes it a classic. The struggles with belonging, loss of innocence, sexuality, and most importantly, identity are trials and tribulations that can occur at different stages in life, and often more than once. Holden, Salinger’s protagonist, in the classic runaway who escapes to the big city only to discover that the people he ran away from are those with whom he made memories and those he cannot abandon.

 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – Set during the Great Depression, this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is an icon of American literature. With the recent release of Lee’s follow-up work, Go Set a Watchman, – which is in fact the first draft of Mockingbird – this famous story, along with its infamous characters, has been launched back into the spotlight. Furthermore, recent social tragedies, political reactions, and cultural shifts have called for a reexamination of the evolution of racism in America which is at the heart of this masterpiece.

 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Those twelve words are what make this historical novel a classic. The French Revolution has longed served as an inspiration for literature, art, theatre and music. A complex and poetically written work, Dickens takes readers through 18th Century happenings such as a trial for treason, the storming of Bastille, and a guillotining. All while building tension between the two historically rival states of Britain and France.

 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – Frankenstein is the original ‘monster created by man.’ This concept has spawned countless other books and horror movies in which humans are the sole entity to blame for whatever terror haunts them. Shelley lays the groundwork for what will ultimately become the most iconic, humanlike monster ever created through sketchy, outlandish science. Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane’s resurrection? Anyone?

 

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank – This classic is often associated with the young adult genre due to its author/narrator/protagonist being of adolescent age and the requirement of most school-age children to read this work today. However, what makes this journal stand alone as a classic in general is the nonnegotiable fact that this work documents the most influential words ever thought and written by a young girl in modern times. Anne Frank will forever serve as a symbol of innocence in a time of tragedy, a symbol of strength in a time of suffering, and a representation of what it’s like to grow up in the darkest time of modern history.

 What are some of your favorite classics?

 

 

 

 

 

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Making Yourself Finish

I love starting things. Why? Don’t act like you don’t know it’s a lot easier to START an idea than to fully execute it.

But starting and not finishing doesn’t pay the bills. No one wants to read a half finished blog post, a half finished novel, or a half-finished movie.

Nope, they want the whole thing.

That’s why I currently have 6 works in progress on the book front and pages of half finished blog posts. It’s because I have shiny ball syndrome

~ CAKE ~

and I get a great idea as I’m half way into the current idea.

However, I’ve learned how to make it work. It all comes back to planning and then holding yourself accountable (which is the much harder part).

The reason it’s hard to finish, at last fro me, is because the first half is much more fun than the 2nd half. By then whatever I’m working on isn’t new and shiny anymore, and I want to move on.

But I can’t so I set myself incremental goals and rewards for when they’re met.

They’re often silly things. Such as:

write 2000 words and I can have Tacos for dinner
get that blog post done before you can get up and go the bathroom
finish answering emails and you can read something fun (not necessary for work purposes) for 30 minutes

But the point is silly or not they push me to get the work done.

How do you push yourself to reach the finish line?

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My First Writing Memory

A question I get asked a lot is how long have you known you wanted to be a writer. I can definitively say, since the 2nd grade when I was in Mrs. Pierce’s class. Sitting in alphabetical order between Don Stevens and Michele Yuresko.

How do I remember that you ask when I can barely remember what I did a few hours ago? I have no idea, I just do.

Now I’m not exactly sure what defining moment made me realize in 2nd grade that I wanted to be a writer, I just remember I did.

A friend and I would spend our time making up stories and writing them down. I was an avid reader, even at that time, reading far above my age level. I was an only child so reading and making things up was my favorite pastime since I didn’t have siblings to play with.

At the time, I was really into The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley. This series spanned 20 books ranging from the first in 1941 to the 20th in 1983.

On a side note, my mother had also been a fan as a little girl, and it was an awesome thing to share.

Plus my family had horses so you can imagine as a little girl I was all about the horses (and still am). I was also a huge Trixie Belden mystery series fan, started by Julie Campbell Tatum (later finished under publishing house name Kathryn Kenny) and spanning 39 books and 38 years, which fueled my love of mystery books.

On another side note, my mother read these, and now my 9-year-old daughter is. How freakin cool is that?

In grade school, these were the types of books I tried to emulate. When Francis Ford Coppola produced the movie The Black Stallion in 1979 I made my parents take me to see it several times and then tried to write Ford a letter with my story ideas that I thought would make awesome movies. Needless to say I never got a response but I haven’t stopped writing and it’s just as fun now as it was 35 years ago (oh God has it really been that long since 2nd grade).

I’m lucky in the sense that I earn a living making things up. BEST. JOB. EVER!

What do you remember from grade school?

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One Step At A Time

Sometimes I have a hard time motivating myself. Especially, when it comes to being healthy. I blame Netflix for that because it can be a lot easier to binge watch TV with a bag of chips and a glass bottle of wine than it is to work out. It’s even harder when you’ve spent several days weeks not eating right and exercising.

I’m not saying I’ve done that recently or anything but today might be the 10th day in a row I haven’t had that glass of wine, I’ve eaten healthy, and worked out most days.

My point is that each day you start something new (or again) the next day, and the next, get easier and easier. Taking that first step is the hardest.

But what can you do if you can’t get yourself motivated to take that first step? There isn’t an easy solution. You just have to dig deep and find something that will motivate you enough to get you started.

There are a few things that help motivate me.

A new notebook. Nothing says new start, like a pretty notebook with blank pages just ready to capture your new thoughts and ideas.
Real Housewives. Ok, I admit that one of my guilty pleasures is Bravo TV’s Real Housewives franchises. I like all of them but Orange County is my absolute favorite. I use it as a reward and don’t let myself watch it until I’ve completed something.
An accountability buddy. I would say hands down the best thing I can do to motivate myself is to get one of my besties to hold me accountable. I don’t want to disappoint them, and I don’t want to be embarrassed when they are hounding me about what I asked them to hold me accountable too.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t use food and clothes as a reward but rewarding yourself with food and items that cost money is a bad habit to get into. I know a notebook costs money, but it’s usually under $10, so that’s how I justify it.

At the end of the day, it IS all about the motivation inside you. Believing in yourself and not letting challenges stand in your way.

How do you motivate yourself?

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Fab 5 Friday

Gal Meets Glam – La Baguette

Didn’t get the chance to take that European vacation this summer? Live vicariously through Julia Engel as she details for us her Parisian shopping adventure looking for sweets, treats, and bread for her picnic on Bastille Day. Casual, right?

 

Love & Lemons – erin’s adobo eggplant quesadillas

For you vegetarians out there, these quesadillas looks amazing! Eggplant is a great substitute in traditional meat-centric dishes and here, you quench that Mexican craving without the chicken or beef!

 

Avid Reader’s Musings – May Mini Reviews

She may be behind on her book reviews but this May review came just in time for some mid-summer beach read ideas! Some good options here for whatever you’re in the mood for. I especially liked her review on the 5th book in the Sisterhood series as I think those have sort of fallen on the radar since the movies have stopped being made…

 

Green Wedding Shoes – Natural Bohemian Bridal Inspiration

If you’re planning a wedding (and perhaps happen to live in Colorado), these pictures alone are a must to lust over. Bohemian is taking over the fashion industry and has seeped into bridal. Here, the styling (setting, makeup, hair, jewelry) gives off that boho chic vibe, coupled with beautiful, more traditional lace gowns.

 

delighted momma – Beauty Favorites From the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

I had no idea Nordstrom had this big sale going on right now! Some great products here if you’re looking to splurge on some high-end beauty products or if you’re just looking to replace your daily moisturizer! Bonus: sale is available online so you can peruse the products from the comfort of your own couch.

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That’s Not My Suitcase – releases August 25th

Sterling Towne decided to take a last minute vacation to a sunny paradise to cheer herself up after a divorce. When the airline misplaces her luggage, she thinks it’s just a typical airline snafu until she gets her luggage back only to find out it’s not hers. Rather the suitcase belongs to someone who thought it a good idea to transport a gold Buddha statue via commercial airlines.

Sterling turns the statue into hotel security for safe keeping but then her room is ransacked, and she’s sure there was someone following her in town. Does the owner of the statue think she still has it? But if so, why not just ask? She’s getting nervous, and even her new friend Steve thinks she might be in danger.

Is she? Or is her imagination just working over time?

Pre-order  at .99 cents before the release date when price will increase to $2.99.

 

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The Importance of Planning

“Failing to plan, is planning to fail.”

I’m sure you’ve heard that quote before.

I love to plan, most of the time. There are times when I get to the end of my plan, and then I wing it until I find the time to plan again. Because planning is hard, and it takes time. I hear all the time from people (and myself) that I’m all over the place because I don’t have the time to sit down and plan.

But that’s crap. You don’t have time NOT to plan.

When I don’t plan my stress level rises and my productivity slows.

I have my long-term goals and each year I set yearly goals. That’s easy. It’s the day-to-day plans to get to these goals that are hard.

I have found that if I start Monday morning without my weekly plan in place it slows me down and frustrates. So each Sunday evening I don’t end the day without sitting down with my calendar and all my to do’s and figuring out what I have to do each day.

To prevent myself from over committing I first go through and just put down what HAS to be done. I then create a block schedule for each day. That’s where I assign a timeframe to each task.

For example on a Monday I may have tasks such as:

Working on a book

Check emails

Write a blog post

Write and schedule my social media

I will assign times to them as follows:

6 am – 8 am working on my book

8:15 am – 8:30 am break

8:30 am – 10 am write the blog post

10 am – 10:15 break

10:15 am – 11:15 am write and schedule social media

YES, YOU HAVE TO SCHEDULE BREAKS – YOU’RE NOT A MACHINE!!

I’ve been doing these tasks long enough that I can pretty accurately estimate how much time I need for these things, but it doesn’t always work this easy. Not to mention calls and emails, of course, get in the way.

Those will ALWAYS get in the way, so I have made it a practice – though I admit it’s sometimes hard to stick to – of not checking email until AFTER I finished my first 2 hours of writing each day.

If I don’t inevitably something pops up that I feel needs my immediate attention. Then I get distracted and lose focus on my writing. I’m most creative in the morning, so I need to get in that time.

Today’s life of being connected at all times in fifty different ways have made us all feel like we are so important that someone can’t live without our answer for 2 minutes much less 2 hours. We’ve also all been trained to expect someone to respond to us within 2 minutes, and if they go a while 5 OMG, you start thinking they’re dead.

The truth is an email, text; a phone call can sit unreturned for a couple hours, and no one is going to die. Well, unless you’re a brain surgeon or something then you should probably NOT go off the grid even for 2 hours.

If I block schedule my day, it at least allows me to give every task for that day a spot. If I don’t, I find that I have way to much Monday left for Tuesday and by Thursday I’m about to have a breakdown.

How do you plan your days?

The post The Importance of Planning appeared first on Laina Turner.

The Importance of Planning

“Failing to plan, is planning to fail.”

I’m sure you’ve heard that quote before.

I love to plan, most of the time. There are times when I get to the end of my plan, and then I wing it until I find the time to plan again. Because planning is hard, and it takes time. I hear all the time from people (and myself) that I’m all over the place because I don’t have the time to sit down and plan.

But that’s crap. You don’t have time NOT to plan.

When I don’t plan my stress level rises and my productivity slows.

I have my long-term goals and each year I set yearly goals. That’s easy. It’s the day-to-day plans to get to these goals that are hard.

I have found that if I start Monday morning without my weekly plan in place it slows me down and frustrates. So each Sunday evening I don’t end the day without sitting down with my calendar and all my to do’s and figuring out what I have to do each day.

To prevent myself from over committing I first go through and just put down what HAS to be done. I then create a block schedule for each day. That’s where I assign a timeframe to each task.

For example on a Monday I may have tasks such as:

Working on a book

Check emails

Write a blog post

Write and schedule my social media

I will assign times to them as follows:

6 am – 8 am working on my book

8:15 am – 8:30 am break

8:30 am – 10 am write the blog post

10 am – 10:15 break

10:15 am – 11:15 am write and schedule social media

YES, YOU HAVE TO SCHEDULE BREAKS – YOU’RE NOT A MACHINE!!

I’ve been doing these tasks long enough that I can pretty accurately estimate how much time I need for these things, but it doesn’t always work this easy. Not to mention calls and emails, of course, get in the way.

Those will ALWAYS get in the way, so I have made it a practice – though I admit it’s sometimes hard to stick to – of not checking email until AFTER I finished my first 2 hours of writing each day.

If I don’t inevitably something pops up that I feel needs my immediate attention. Then I get distracted and lose focus on my writing. I’m most creative in the morning, so I need to get in that time.

Today’s life of being connected at all times in fifty different ways have made us all feel like we are so important that someone can’t live without our answer for 2 minutes much less 2 hours. We’ve also all been trained to expect someone to respond to us within 2 minutes, and if they go a while 5 OMG, you start thinking they’re dead.

The truth is an email, text; a phone call can sit unreturned for a couple hours, and no one is going to die. Well, unless you’re a brain surgeon or something then you should probably NOT go off the grid even for 2 hours.

If I block schedule my day, it at least allows me to give every task for that day a spot. If I don’t, I find that I have way to much Monday left for Tuesday and by Thursday I’m about to have a breakdown.

How do you plan your days?

The post The Importance of Planning appeared first on Laina Turner.