Laura Roberts's Blog, page 35

Building a virtual world: 365K Club, week 31

It’s that time of the week again: time for another 365K Club word count check-in! Numbers, please…

July 30, Day 212: 1,249 words

July 31 Day 213: 827 words

August 1, Day 214: 845 words

August 2, Day 215: 1,230 words

August 3, Day 216: 760 words

August 4, Day 217: 777 words

August 5, Day 218: 840 words

That’s a grand total of 6,528 words for the week, 4,452 for the month of August, and 155,217 for the year!

Did I beat last week’s total?

Last week I wrote an astounding 12,819 words, which means missed that total by 6,291 words. It was bound to happen: I broke my winning streak. But never fear, as I have plans to keep experimenting with word sprints and motivational tools to pump those word counts back up again next week.

Badges!

This week I received the Virtual World badge, for describing some of the setting in my WIP. Since my mystery is set in Paris, I described my fictional take on the Eiffel Tower as well as Notre Dame. I love messing with real-life geography and architecture, making improvements that suit my own needs… like a bunch of hidden passageways in Notre Dame that should help my murder and my PI!

July reflections

Since I didn’t give a summary for the month during my last update, I just wanted to include the fact that I ended up writing a whopping 43,806 words during the month of July! This is a personal best for my monthly writing, thus far, so I’m really excited about that. I had originally set my personal monthly goal at 18,000 words, since I’d almost hit that target in June. But to really go ahead and blow that total out of the water is quite amazing.

So how did I do it?

I would credit two things with this month’s extra productivity:

Joining the 750 Words website, and
Having a deadline for my book.

Those two things sound simple, but they’ve been the two biggest motivators for me.

Having a deadline seems obvious, but it’s kind of shocking to see just how much work gets done in the last minute. I know that as a writer, I will always put things off until they can no longer be put off; I’m a lifelong procrastinator. That’s just how I work. Maybe I need that excitement or pressure to get my creativity going. Maybe I just have too many other things going on. I’m not sure what it is, exactly, but I always wrote my college essays the night before, and almost always wrote my pieces for my weekly newspaper column the day I needed to turn them in. Deadlines are the only thing that work for getting my writing finished on time, so I use them.

As for joining the 750 Words website, it turns out I’m also highly motivated by badges!

Writing this book about the video game industry, I’ve learned that I am the type of gamer that enjoys working towards goals and solving puzzles. When I am rewarded with badges – even virtual ones – for my achievements, I feel spurred onward to keep playing the game. So when I can turn my writing into a game that will reward me for reaching certain checkpoints, that’s much more motivating than writing solely for a word count. Interesting, no?

Here are the badges I’ve acquired so far:

The first one is the “Egg,” which they give everyone for completing one day’s worth of writing.

The next is a Turkey, which bowlers will be familiar with, for completing three days in a row.

The Penguin is for five days in a row, and the Flamingo is for 10 days in a row. (You may have noticed they are moving from hatching an egg to flightless birds onward to birds that can fly… that’s a theme on the site that I find interesting.)

I’ve also received the “Inspired” badge, for writing a testimonial about the sight, and the “Patron” badge, for joining as a member (which is $5 a month, after a 30-day free trial).

Here’s the link to the site’s Badges page, in case you want to see what other badges can be acquired.

I find it really interesting to type my morning pages on this website, and then move on to other work during the day, since it gives me a kind of internal check-in, with different measurements like how many words I wrote and how quickly, the outside temperature where I’m writing, and the mood I’m in while writing. I need to experiment with it more in the evenings, since I typically write when I first wake up, or after I’m done with work that I have to turn in for an early-morning deadline.

Using both of these simple tools together has really boosted my word counts, so I’m going to stick with them and see how they continue to help me throughout the month of August!

Goals for next week?

I’ve received edits for my video gaming book, so my goal for this week is to chip away at those one day at a time. I’ll be working on that this weekend, and trying to get the rest of it wrapped up by mid-August at the latest. Wish me luck!

I also sent in a piece for the Guilded Pen anthology – an excerpt from my book, NaNoWriMo: A Cheater’s Guide. We’ll see if it makes it past the selection committee; I was told that some of my language was a little too salty for inclusion, so I rewrote it a bit. Now it just depends on what the editors are looking for, I suppose.

What are you up to this week, in your writing life?

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Another Personal Best: 365K Club, week 30

It’s that time of the week again: time for another 365K Club word count check-in! Numbers, please…

July 23, Day 205: 777 words

July 24 Day 206: 1,113 words

July 25, Day 207: 6,391 words (a new High Score!)

July 26, Day 208: 973 words

July 27, Day 209: 1,004 words

July 28, Day 210: 1,805 words

July 29, Day 211: 756 words

That’s a grand total of 12,819 words for the week, 41,740 for the month of July, and 148,689 for the year!

Did I beat last week’s total?

Last week I wrote 8,814 words, which means I blasted that total to smithereens by 4,005 words! (What exactly is a “smithereen,” anyway?) I also set a new High Score for my daily word counts on July 25th, so this week has been pretty awesome in terms of writing output. I became an official member of the 750 Words site, which I definitely credit for some of my massive word counts lately. Check it out if you’re looking to stick to a daily writing goal.

Badges!

No badges this week, although I keep on breaking my own personal bests, so I keep on designing new badges for myself. Here’s the latest:

Goals for next week?

I turned in my manuscript for the Careers in Gaming book I’ve been working on this month, and I’m waiting to hear back from the publisher about edits I need to make. In the meantime, I’ve sent in a piece for consideration at San Diego Writer’s Ink’s annual A Year in Ink anthology, and I’m currently debating what to submit to the San Diego Writers/Editors Guild for their anthology, The Guilded Pen. That one is due July 31st, so I need to hurry up and pick something!

I can’t believe it’s almost August already. Where did all the time go?!

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New High Score: 365K Club, week 29

I’m a day late this week, but yes – it’s that time of the week again: time for another 365K Club word count check-in! Numbers, please…

July 16, Day 198: 498 words

July 17, Day 199: 815 words

July 18, Day 200: 906 words

July 19, Day 201: 802 words

July 20, Day 202: 1,015 words

July 21, Day 203: 3,497 words

July 22, Day 204: 1,281 words

That’s a grand total of 8,814 words for the week, 29,189 for the month of July, and 135,870 for the year!

Did I beat last week’s total?

Last week I wrote 8,250 words, which means I beat that total by 564 words! I also crushed my previous Best Day Ever on July 21st by 482 words. Take that, July 9!

Badges!

No official badges for me this week, but I would like to award myself the “Sticktoitiveness Badge,” for sitting down and working on a single project with intensity and focus this week. Probably because I had a deadline on Friday (which has now been pushed back to Tuesday). I also made myself a “New High Score!” badge, since the project I’m working on is about video games, and I just beat my previous personal best in terms of word count.

Goals for next week?

For next week, I need to finish up the book that was originally due to my publisher on Friday, and then await edits. I also need to get back to working on my Mayday stories, as I’ve let them sit for too long and I’m getting antsy about finishing that up.

What are you working on this week?

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New personal best: 365K Club, week 28

It’s that time of the week again: time for another 365K Club word count check-in! Numbers, please…

July 9, Day 191: 3,015 words (a new personal best!)

July 10, Day 192: 795 words

July 11, Day 193: 1,881 words

July 12, Day 194: 790 words

July 13, Day 195: 830 words

July 14, Day 196: 800 words

July 15, Day 197: 850 words

That’s a grand total of 8,250 words for the week, 20,375 for the month of July, and 125,602 for the year!

Did I beat last week’s total?

Last week I wrote 10,614 words in my Best Week Ever for 2016 (thus far), which means I fell short this week by 2,364 words. But there’s no shame in my game, because this week includes a new Personal Best for my daily word count. I wrote a total of 3,015 words on July 9, thanks to my participation in San Diego Writers Ink’s Late Night Write.

I found it really helpful to have a block of time (6 to 10 PM) set aside just for writing, and making the trek out to the Ink Spot helped put me in that focused, writing frame of mind. The writing space itself was quiet, except for breaks at 10 minutes to each hour, when SDWI Executive Director Kristen Fogle would call out the time and give us a chance to mingle with our fellow writers.

I definitely think that blocking out a chunk of time like that is incredibly helpful, no matter what you’re working on, since it forces you to just start typing – or writing longhand, as fellow participant Judy Reeves did! I did a mix of both, since my iPad wasn’t charged up to full capacity, brainstorming lots of ideas for upcoming blog posts and writing up a few that I want to turn into a series.

That’s definitely the most I’ve produced in a single sitting, since I’ve been tracking my words, so I am going to try implementing this kind of blocking more. Since I like to experiment with time of day, I’m thinking of trying a weekly Saturday binge-write, with some scheduled in the morning before I hit the gym and some in the evenings (after I’ve recovered from the gym!).

Badges!

No officially designated 10 Minute Novelist badges this week, although I did post a reply to the “Gender Switch” question posed last week. If my MC were to swap genders, I said she’d be Philip Marlowe.

Goals for next week?

My manuscript for the video game book I’ve been working on the past few weeks is due this coming Friday, so I will be typing away madly on that! I should actually have a lot more written at this point, so today is going to be dedicated to writing at least two more chapters to make sure I’m on track to finish on time.

What about you?

What are you working on, and what are some of your goals for the week?

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Best writing week: 365K Club, week 27

It’s that time of the week again: time for another 365K Club word count check-in! Numbers, please…

July 2, Day 184: 861 words

July 3, Day 185: 2,150 words

July 4, Day 186: 2,465 words

July 5, Day 187: 1,642 words

July 6, Day 188: 1,464 words

July 7, Day 189: 957 words

July 8, Day 190: 1,065 words

That’s a grand total of 10,614 words for the week, 11,414 for the month of July, and 116,641 for the year!

Did I beat last week’s total?

Last week I wrote 5,977 words, which means I beat that total by 4,637 words! The secret to my success? Some of my local writing friends and I put together a day-long writing retreat on July 3, and I actually took the entire weekend off work to get some writing done. It’s the first real holiday I’ve taken from work in quite a while, and it felt good not to have any pressure to work on anything besides my writing.

Badges!

Heaps of badges this week! I received the “Arrived at the Emerald City” badge, for reaching my 100,000-word yearly goal. I also received the June Bullseye badge, for hitting my word count target. And I received the Sailor Badge for writing every day for 2 months straight.

Goals for next week?

Since I’ve already reached my 100,000-word goal for the year, I’ve revised my annual goal. Now I’m aiming for my “stretch” goal (as they call it on Kickstarter) of 200,000 words by December 31st!

This week I’ve been working on some chapters for a book I’m writing for a local publisher, on the subject of careers in video games, so my goal for next week is to keep plugging away on that. I have a deadline of July 22 to get the first draft in to my editor, so I really need to keep at it to make sure it’s done on time.

I’m also going to be attending a Late Night Write event at San Diego Writer’s Ink today, so hopefully I can crank out some more words on my Mayday manuscript.

And, although this isn’t really a writing goal, I’m also working on cleaning up my website so that it’s a lot easier for visitors to navigate and see all the different things I do at a glance. So if you notice a few changes in the layout, don’t be alarmed.

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First Lines Friday: 1984 #fridayreads

One of the most unusual first lines in literature is the opening to George Orwell’s 1984:

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

A fitting choice for this week’s First Line Friday, given the chaos of the American Presidential election year and the recent Brexit votes in the UK, 1984 is the story of Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party who works for the Ministry of Truth in Airstrip One (formerly Great Britain). His job entails rewriting newspaper articles from the past, so that historic records show that they’ve always supported the party, and there is no evidence that the government has ever lied to the people.

As Wikipedia notes, “Many of its terms and concepts, such as Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, Room 101, telescreen, 2 + 2 = 5, and memory hole, have entered into common use since its publication in 1949.”

Indeed, 1984 is the novel most responsible for introducing the world to the concept of something being “Orwellian” – that is, the constant system of surveillance and repression that is destructive to a free and open society.

Therefore, the opening line is most fitting, in the context of a clock being physically unable to strike 13 – something we may not quite fathom in an age of largely silent 24-hour clocks, but which certainly made sense in Orwell’s time. Clocks only cycled through 12 hours, then repeated themselves, so the idea of a clock striking 13 suggests that everything that came before this incorrect time would now fall under closer scrutiny, and that nothing is really as it seems.

Another important quote, from an immensely quotable novel, comes from Inner Party member O’Brien:

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.”

Scary stuff, no? What do you make of Orwell’s vision of the future?

What’s YOUR favorite first line?

Leave a comment below and your favorite first line could be featured in an upcoming Friday post!

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#HumpDayReviews: Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit by Steven Pressfield

Over the weekend, I downloaded a free copy of Steven Pressfield’s latest book, Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit, and tore through it.

I highly recommend it to all writers, especially those who are just starting out – whether that’s starting from the very beginning, or stepping into a new genre.

I’m definitely going to be recommending it to all of my editing clients!

So what’s so great about this book?

The title itself conveys most of what you’ll learn. Pressfield’s premise is that nobody really gives a damn about anything you’ve written, no matter how awesome you, as a writer, may think your work is.

In short: you have to earn your audience, and you have to write things that will capture people’s interest, rather than simply humoring your own ego.

How do you do that?

Write stories that follow genre tropes.
Write stories with universal appeal.
Write stories even when you think you’re supposed to be writing nonfiction.
Cut everything that’s not on theme!

Everyone wants to read stories. And stories are about people doing things.

Sounds pretty simple, right?

It may be simple, but it’s not necessarily easy.

Some more bits of wisdom from the book

On writing your “white whale”:

Mediocre ideas never elevate the heart rate. Great ones make you break out in a sweat.

On being an artist:

The Artist enters the Void with nothing and comes back with something.

And if you find yourself lost, unsure what to write next, ask yourself “What’s the concept?”

If you’re interested in learning more about Steven Pressfield and Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit, click here to download a free copy of the book for yourself!

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Top 10 Writing Retreats

In honor of the very first writing retreat I’ve attended (and organized – what?!), I’ve decided to share a list of some of the coolest writing retreats I’ve ever seen on the internet. These are the retreats I totally wish I were attending, rather than returning to my average, normal working life after a nice long weekend (again, one of the first times I’ve had a chance to actually relax over a holiday weekend – what?! x2).

Some of these may also be the most unaffordable writing retreats I’ve ever seen, but hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?

Top 10 Writing Retreats in Exotic Locations That Are Sure to Inspire Pages Upon Pages of Creative Output

10 – Salt Cay Writers Retreat

One of my writer pals actually won a scholarship to this sultry writing retreat in the Bahamas, so I am totally jealous. But this is probably the most exotic retreat in the western hemisphere that also has a literary heritage: according to their website, “William Styron put the finishing touches on Sophie’s Choice while vacationing on Salt Cay, Bahamas.” Indeed, this retreat is actually held on a private island about a mile off Nassau, which is about as straight-up sexy as you can get, don’t you think?

9 – Write A Bestseller Retreat

My Australian writer pal, Diane Lee, attended this writing retreat and gave it high praise. So if I can ever get together enough cash to fly to the eastern hemisphere, I am definitely going to attend this writing retreat in Bali, which combines outdoor activity (what a novel concept!) with writing and editing. Love it!

8 – Summer Literary Seminars

The Russian writing retreat is what first intrigued me about Summer Literary Seminars. These summer escapes are run by a former writing professor of mine, Mikhail Iossel, who is a Russian expat living in Canada. But they’ve also added writing retreats to Kenya, Lithuania and even Montreal, which are unique additions to the usual suspects in France, Italy or the like. In addition, this is one of the only retreats I’ve heard of that runs an annual writing contest for scholarships to attend, so there’s no reason not to go for it.

7 – Hawthornden Castle

This writing retreat, ensconced in a genuine castle in Scotland, is too legit to quit. And if you don’t believe me, check out author Vanessa Gebbie’s blog about her month-long stay there. The fact that there are THREE libraries at this place is reason enough to want to retreat there, don’t you think?

6 – Iceland Writers Retreat

I don’t know about you, but I happen to love the ice and snow. Maybe it’s all that time I spent living in Montreal, which I romanticize as an extremely productive writing period in my life? And, given the news that we’ve actually passed the tipping point for turning back global warming, I suspect that ice and snow are going to become a lot more rare as the years go by. So the thought of a writing retreat in Iceland definitely has its charms. Still not convinced? Read writer Megan Ross’s account of her time on retreat, and you’ll be sold.

5 – Italy In Others Words

If you don’t automatically want to take a writer’s retreat in Italy, I’m not quite sure what’s wrong with you. What’s not to love? Ancient culture. Modern amenities. Beautiful surroundings, and a beautiful romance language. ITALY!

4 – Banff Self-Directed Writing Residency

Is there anything cooler than a writing residency? Doubtful. But a self-directed writing residency in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada is pretty damn cool – particularly during the winter months!

3 – Moroccan Caravan

If you want an adventure, this Moroccan Caravan writing retreat from Writer’s Journey is just one of many. Explore the desert, meditate and write. Where else can you be truly alone but in the middle of a sea of shifting sand?

2 – Paris Writers Retreat

Paris? Writing? Yes, please! I don’t even care who’s running this retreat, or what it actually offers… I just want to be in Paris, writing. ANYWHERE.

1 – Writing Between the Vines

Featuring a variety of retreat options in California wine country, this is one of my ideal retreats in my own backyard. Okay, so I don’t technically live in wine country, but at least I live in the same state, which means travel to my retreat would be relatively reasonable – unlike, say, airfare to Bali. Plus I just love the thought of writing in a vineyard, and sharing a drink and evening meal with the owners of the property, getting a chance to learn more about how grapes are harvested and turned into that succulent drink I enjoy every evening. Who wouldn’t want to retreat to a vineyard? I’d even chip in some work-study for the chance to stay at such a picturesque location, wouldn’t you?

Where would YOU like to hold a writing retreat, assuming money were no object?

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Celebrate Writing: 365K Club, week 26

It’s that time of the week again: time for another 365K Club word count check-in! Numbers, please…

June 25, Day 177: 766 words

June 26, Day 178: 1,064 words

June 27, Day 179: 918 words

June 28, Day 180: 848 words

June 29, Day 181: 807 words

June 30, Day 182: 764 words

July 1, Day 183: 810 words

That’s a grand total of 5,977 words for the week, 17,676 for the month of June (810 for July thus far), and 106,037 for the year!

Did I beat last week’s total?

Last week I wrote 4,680 words, which means I beat that total by 1,287 words!

I attribute this week’s success to joining the 750 Words community, which challenges members to write – you guessed it! – 750 words a day. The setup encourages people to write their “morning pages” (something Julia Cameron talks about in The Writer’s Way) using their site, but you can write anything you like, and then check out their tracking info that gives you information about your mood, word choices, and the temperature while you were writing. You can also earn badges, which is a fun way to encourage yourself to stick with it, and I also joined their monthly challenge to write 750 words every day for a month, which puts you on a Wall of Fame or Wall of Shame, depending on whether you manage to stick with it or not.

Badges!

I’m on a 7-day streak over at 750 Words, which means I’ve earned the Egg, Turkey and Penguin badges so far.

And in terms of 365K Club badges, I also received the Tagline badge for my Case of the Cunning Linguist tagline: “PI Venus Delmar discovers it’s not the love of money that’s the root of all evil… it’s the Catholic Church!”

Goals for next week?

Since it’s a long weekend for most of North America (Canada Day was Friday, and Independence Day is on Monday, woohoo!), some of my writing peeps and I have decided to get together and do a day-long writing retreat this Sunday. I’m currently putting together some ideas for writing exercises we can do together and separately, and trying to figure out what will be a good balance of directed writing activities and alone-time to work on our individual projects. Wish us luck!

What are you doing this holiday weekend?

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Top 10 Ways to Celebrate Reaching Your Goals

In keeping with my theme this week of celebrating reaching my 100,000 word goal for the year (6 whole months early, woohoo!), I’ve decided to make a list of the top 10 ways you can celebrate reaching your goals. The goals being celebrated don’t have to be as monumental as writing 100,000 words, though; you should celebrate every milestone in your life! So, here are a few favorites…

10. Treat Yourself

Whenever you reach a milestone, experts suggest treating yourself to something. This can be a favorite food, a new outfit, or even an impulse buy at the store. Ideally, you should pick something that carries the same weight or value as the milestone you’ve reached, so don’t go splurging on a new car because you just finished your 750 words for the day! Instead, maybe grab one of your favorite chocolate bars, or a nice new notebook.

9. Share With Friends

Another great way to celebrate reaching your goals? Share the news with friends and family! Tell all the people who care about you, so they can join in with a chorus of congratulations.

8. Share on Social Media

By the same token, another good place to share your news is on social media. Your followers will want to help congratulate you as well — and you can even turn your good news into a contest to help reward those that have similar goals (see #3!).

7. Document the Occasion

Another good way to celebrate success is to document it. Take pictures, write a journal entry (or blog post!), mark the date on your calendar or agenda, and declare it a personal holiday so you can remember how you felt at the same time next year. You can even schedule a professional photo shoot to help make this magic moment feel even more special.

6. Try Something New

Instead of celebrating with a trip to your favorite restaurant or usual reward, why not try something new? Venture outside of your comfort zone and sample some new cuisine, or do something unexpected to mark the occasion, like taking a hot air balloon ride or jumping off the high dive at your local pool. Get adventurous; you’ve earned it!

5. Go on an Artist Date

Along similar lines, if you’ve reached a creative milestone, another great way to celebrate is by taking yourself out on an Artist Date. Julia Cameron describes these in The Artist’s Way as “assigned play,” and “a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you.” You can hit up a museum, take a walk on the beach, visit a craft store, explore a new neighborhood, or just go out for coffee. Pick something that gets your heart racing and your sense of wonder engaged, and enjoy!

4. Reflect on the Path

Success is about the actions you’ve taken to achieve this moment, and there were likely lots of moving parts involved. Reflecting back on the path you took to arrive at your milestone is another good way to celebrate, because it will both remind you about the hard work AND give you courage to keep pressing forward with new goals. After all, if you’ve already done it once, how hard will it be to do it again?

3. Support Others on the Journey

Reaching goals can be difficult, especially if they’re big. Once you’ve reached a milestone, you’ll certainly want to share that success with others — but what about helping them, too? Part of your celebration can be found in helping others reach their own goals, especially if you share a similar trajectory. Share your story to inspire others to do the same. Offer advice and tips. Make yourself available to those who have questions, and want to know just how you did it. You can even write a book on the subject!

2. Start a “Success Journal”

Speaking of books, why not start a Success Journal? This notebook (or document saved on your computer) will be dedicated solely to keeping track of your successes and celebrating your wins. Many times we focus on the negative in life, which can end up holding us back. So why not flip the script and focus on the positive? Start by tracking your everyday victories, with a few notes about what you did and how you achieved those goals, and dedicate a whole page to the really big wins. Use different colored pens or markers to doodle, or get creative with scrapbooking items like stickers and washi tape. You can even create a private Pinterest board to give yourself a digital pat on the back – and to inspire yourself to keep going.

1. Create New Goals!

Yep, it’s true: once you’ve hit your big milestone, it’s time to pick a new goal to conquer. Climb every mountain, ford every stream, as Maria Von Trapp might sing. After celebrating your big win, remember to jump right back onto the horse and keep climbing! Soon you’ll reach your dreams!

Congratulations, you’ve reached your goals!

How do YOU celebrate your successes?

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