Writing Productivity – Page 13 – Marie Alice Writes & Reads

Diary of a writing project. Day 206-207-208: 6 days, one week-end and 2 500 words later

I started this writing project with one big, over the top writing goal.

Back then, I taught this was not such an unrealistic, unreasonable writing goal. Giving that many authors can sit and write 4K, 5K, 10K words in a day, I could also do it.

I, mama of young kiddo, was to write 7 500 words a week while working full-time and taking care of every house chores (yes, taking the trash out and mowing the lawn included).

Writing this just makes me smile. And it shows how little I seem to learn, year after year.

One good thing comes out of everything, or so they say. From this pandemic, this prolongs confinement, the good thing I definitively learned is: writing a good novel is what matters the most.

To write a good novel, it takes time, discipline, humility. Hard work. Most important of all: it takes self-care. For example, writing goals are good, important even, as long we, writers, don’t get crazy over it.

This week, I wrote 2 500 words. A very good writing week, even if it’s mean I’m way behind my weekly writing goal, way behind my deadline for this first-draft.
Since the confinement, I haven’t been as productive. Learning to be ok with that took several weeks, but I feel like I’m finally there.

Fellow writer, here’s another thing I realized: as much as I love blogging, as much as I need it even, it’s dividing my writing energies.

I’ll keep up my writing diary, for it’s a project close to my heart, but I’ll switch to weekly or bi-weekly blog post.

Thank you for reading, thank you for following me on my crazy writing quest.

Until next time, stay safe and may all the good words be with you!

Diary of a writing project. Day 198: Nothing to prove but to myself

When I first started this Diary of a writing project, I wanted to prove to myself (and the writing community, to be honest) that I was able to first draft an 85K word novel in six months.

One hundred and ninety-eight days later, I’m 20K words short of finishing the first draft of a paranormal. Which is not bad at all!

Nope, I was not able to finish within my self-imposed deadline. But what I did, what I still do, is much more important to me. I’m writing!

A writer with nothing to prove but to itself is not better for it. Maybe, simply, more free?

After a very good start in September 2019, I hit a wall in November, which I ignored. And, of course, I crashed. After one of the worst December / Holiday season EVER, a new writing mindset was in order.

Starting the New Year, I was going to write at a different pace. Well, I got very sick for nearly two weeks (not pandemic related), to the point where looking at a screen was difficult.

Meanwhile, a virus was spreading in Wuhan, China.

And then, while drafting went so well I’ve started to brainstorm and work on a few outlines for my next writing projects, in March, life as we knew it in North America changed.

Here, the lockdown started on March 13th.

It’s over a month later, we’re still in a lock down. A situation that will go on until… well, it changes a lot these days, but somewhere in May.

The whole book business is morphing, or holding on by a… bookmark. Focusing on writing is hard, even if I’m writing what it’s now called « an escape book ».

Even if, in the back of my mind, I feel like I should put all-nighter after all-nighter, turn off the radio, stop reading the newspapers. I should shut myself out of the world in order to finish the novel asap, then start working more substantially on the grown-up’s Rom-Com.

But one: I couldn’t. Two: again, I would be writing to prove something.

When, again, my one and only concern should be writing the best stories I can.

Which I better go do now.

Fellow writer, I hope you’re home, I hope you’re safe. I wish, for real, that everybody you know is well and is getting through this weird period between the before and the new-normal to come.

Thanks for reading and until next time !