paper graffiti http://papergraffiti.com the life of a writer Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:59:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 en keeping the momentum http://papergraffiti.com/keeping-the-momentum/ http://papergraffiti.com/keeping-the-momentum/#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:40:50 +0000 jess http://papergraffiti.com/?p=748 I wasn’t able to meet my goal yesterday, which actually would have made up for what I missed on Friday and Saturday as WELL as Sunday’s goal.  I had lots of plans for yesterday, including cleaning part of the apartment, going to the grocery store, writing, and hanging out with friends.  I got as far as a shower and some writing, thanks to being felled by a mid-afternoon migraine.  Thankfully I felt better by about 7, but I am so tired post-migraine that it’s hard for me to do much else.  I have under 2,000 more words to write to catch up, which I feel confident that I can do tonight.

The important thing to me was that I had written something.  I feel a lot better having only written a little rather than not writing at all.  I really want to buckle down and get a bunch done this week, because I know that this weekend I’m going to be in happy new iPhone owner land, going out on a date with my husband, hanging out with friends and generally relaxing.  I have to keep the momentum going through the week to make my August goal.

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Word Counts - Today: 0 | August: 3,232 | 2008: 16,046

]]> http://papergraffiti.com/keeping-the-momentum/feed/ working through my weekend goals http://papergraffiti.com/working-through-my-weekend-goals/ http://papergraffiti.com/working-through-my-weekend-goals/#comments Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:29:03 +0000 jess http://papergraffiti.com/?p=745 I only managed 265 words last night before my Friday night plans intruded on my writing, but I plan on making up the rest of the goal today in addition to my Saturday goal.  It’s really not that much more.  I just feel good about writing even a little yesterday, so that I don’t break my stride.  I really like seeing my writing counts progress in the sidebar of this blog, and it goes away if I miss a day!

I’ve got some actual blogging planned for this weekend as well…I set up a great day planner system that I want to share (it has a writing bent, I swear!), I’ve got some new writing software I’m trying out, and I’m starting to get excited for NaNoWriMo 2008!  Stay tuned.

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Word Counts - Today: 92 | August: 2,528 | 2008: 15,342

]]> http://papergraffiti.com/working-through-my-weekend-goals/feed/ motivation is a number http://papergraffiti.com/motivation-is-a-number/ http://papergraffiti.com/motivation-is-a-number/#comments Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:59:06 +0000 jess http://papergraffiti.com/?p=743 I met (and slightly exceeded) my word count goal for today.  I didn’t really feel like writing but I did it anyway, and it was a lot more fun that I thought it would be.  I’m tired, I don’t feel well, but I got my word count.  I love seeing that number go up!

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Word Counts - Today: 1,108 | August: 2,171 | 2008: 14,985

]]> http://papergraffiti.com/motivation-is-a-number/feed/ goals and priorities - a writer’s biggest hurdles http://papergraffiti.com/goals-and-priorities-a-writers-biggest-hurdles/ http://papergraffiti.com/goals-and-priorities-a-writers-biggest-hurdles/#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:08:51 +0000 jess http://papergraffiti.com/?p=741 My biggest goal, my lifelong dream, is to finish writing a novel.  After all, you have to finish it before you can publish it, right?

I am great at starting things, and I think if life didn’t get in the way, I would be great at finishing them too.  But sadly, that’s just not the way things usually work–I can’t quit my day job and devote myself to being a full-time fledgling author, even though I would love to do nothing more.

I have responsibilities, and I have a life away from the computer, the notebook, and the novel.  I can’t ignore those.  My life interrupts my dreams frequently, whether it’s a health issue, a big project at the office, or an occurence beyond my control that is just plain more important than blogging or writing.

I get so used to having to set aside my novel–my dream, my goal–for the important stuff that I let the little stuff start getting in the way, too.  I’ll find myself surfing the Internet, watching Project Runway, or organizing my iTunes collection instead of writing.  Once I let myself stop treating it like it’s important, it falls by the wayside and it’s hard to get back on the wagon again.

Not only am I getting back on the wagon, I’m getting in the driver’s seat.  There are things in this world that I can’t control, but the one thing I know I can control is ME.  I used to be good at setting goals, meeting them, and exceeding them, so i know I have it in me if I just put my dream first for a change.  I think we have the tendency to put off our dreams because they don’t feel tangible or realistic, and usually only realize that it’s time to push towards fulfilling those dreams when we might not have another chance down the road.  I do that all the time, and it stops here.  I’ve been inspired by too many successful, driven people lately to let my suddenly acquired sloth-like habits get the better of me.

I’m setting some goals for myself to get back up to the high volume of writing that I used to be able to attain without even breaking a sweat.  I’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month for 4 of the last 5 years, but I haven’t ever made it to 50,000 words in November, so I’m going to prepare until I’m blue in the face, and then write my butt off until November 31.  So I have a schedule for myself:

  • By the end of this month, I will have written 12,500 words–1/4 of the National Novel Writing Month goal.  That means that for the next 12 days, I have to write 1042 words per day.
  • In September, I am planning on doubling my word count to 25,000 words.  That should get me in the groove to make the big push in November.
  • In October, I plan on writing 25,000 more words, as well as doing the outlining, research, and planning for my November project.  I make the bad habit of going in cold to a project because I am just so excited to get started, and it usually ends up coming back and biting me in the ass.

This writing will be my NUMBER ONE priority–more important than blogging, more important than surfing the Internet, more important than fall TV (thank goodness for DVRs).  As much as I love doing all those other things, I’m never going to get a book written if I don’t start putting it first.

Take that, life!

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Word Counts - Today: 1,063 | August: 1,063 | 2008: 13,877

]]> http://papergraffiti.com/goals-and-priorities-a-writers-biggest-hurdles/feed/ equal parts horrible and amazing http://papergraffiti.com/equal-parts-horrible-and-amazing/ http://papergraffiti.com/equal-parts-horrible-and-amazing/#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:58:18 +0000 jess http://papergraffiti.com/?p=728 On our way home earlier, my husband told me that today was horrible, yet somehow also amazing.  I can’t think of a better way to sum up the day we have had.

We said goodbye to someone today, a little light in all our lives that will never truly go out.  It is a horrible thing for a community to suffer the loss of a child, and yet ours has.  Ours has lost a sweet, bright, beautiful child who taught us all something about love.  It hurts my heart so much to know that he is gone, and I hurt terribly inside for his parents and his family.

The amazing thing happened when we, this community, came together to be there for our friends in their time of need.  There was strength there today, strength that I hope helped our friends even for just a moment, and it was amazing.  This group of people I am lucky to call my friends heeds a rallying call like no other group I have ever seen.  When I met them, I was falling in love with my husband.  I was terrified that they would hate me, but they welcomed me with open arms and now I cannot imagine a time when they were not my friends.  Now, we are scattered a little–time, circumstance, LIFE has changed us all.  But having everyone together today, even for such a tragic event, was strangely beautiful and wholly comforting.

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Word Counts - Today: 0 | August: 0 | 2008: 12,814

]]> http://papergraffiti.com/equal-parts-horrible-and-amazing/feed/ there are no real words for sorrow http://papergraffiti.com/there-are-no-real-words-for-sorrow/ http://papergraffiti.com/there-are-no-real-words-for-sorrow/#comments Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:27:12 +0000 jess http://papergraffiti.com/?p=723 Things will be kind of quiet around the blog this weekend as I focus myself on more important real-life things, like my husband, family and friends. Two of our friends have experienced an indescribable loss, and it just makes you think about the kind of things that really matter.

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

~ Khalil Gibran

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Word Counts - Today: 0 | August: 0 | 2008: 12,814

]]> http://papergraffiti.com/there-are-no-real-words-for-sorrow/feed/ writing update - yay me! http://papergraffiti.com/writing-update-yay-me/ http://papergraffiti.com/writing-update-yay-me/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:33:19 +0000 jess http://papergraffiti.com/?p=720 I’ve been really down on myself for neglecting my personal writing projects this month.  As always, I’ve had pretty good reasons, but it’s easy to start playing up your perceived failures to yourself.

However, I HAVE been writing–blogging, that is.  I’ve been a busy little bee during the last half of this month working on my tech blog, Daily Tech Diva, and my blog here.  My overall goal as a writer is to keep creating content, and I have to keep reminding myself that when I blog, that’s exactly what I’m doing!

To reward myself, I’ve added my blogging total for the month (not including this post) to my word counter, which you can see below. 7,725 blogging words feels pretty good.

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Word Counts - Today: 7,725 | July: 8,341 | 2008: 12,814

]]> http://papergraffiti.com/writing-update-yay-me/feed/ my favorite writing tool http://papergraffiti.com/my-favorite-writing-tool/ http://papergraffiti.com/my-favorite-writing-tool/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:03:33 +0000 jess http://papergraffiti.com/?p=719 Index cardsFinding what tools work for you as a writer is kind of like trying to find the perfect bag–it’s going to take a lot of searching, a lot of trial and error, and you may have to settle for something functional rather than flashy.  I’m always on the search for the perfect bag (fine leather goods are one of my vices!), but I have been lucky enough to find one thing that really works for me as a writer.

I am always exploring new software that does everything but write the novel for you; I really like being able to do quick searches of my notes, keep a detailed database of facts and plotlines, and have many digital copies squirreled away in case of file management apocalypse.  But, like many other writers I know, I also have a love affair with the analog tools.  I’ve written about my secret passion for paper before, but I have to say that I love index cards even more than I love my fancy notebooks or my favorite, beat up Dr. Gel pen.

Index cards have been a big hit on the Internet in the past couple years.  The “Hipster PDA” (a stack of cards bound by a binder clip) and its many incarnations are super popular among the organizational crowds, but I’ve never really gotten into using them in that way.  When I’m writing, I use index cards for a number of different things:

1. Quick character reference - When you’re working with a lot of characters, it can be easy to forget exactly who is who.  I try to keep an electronic database that holds all the details, but I also use index cards to capture quick sketches of each character.  I include name, a brief physical description, and any integral plot points they’re involved in.  When I’m writing, it can be distracting to have to stop, switch over to where I’m keeping all my character information, look it up, and then get back to where I was before.  Flipping through index cards is a lot easier and quicker.

2. Plot points - I tend to write in “chunks” that center around a particular plot point.  A lot of the time, I’m not a linear writer…I will get inspired to write a certain bit of the story and I just can’t resist.  I use index cards to help organize my thoughts and get the plot points to flow together.  As with my character cards, I will create a plot card for each plot point that I’m working with.  I keep it brief, make any notes I need to that refer back to my draft (page numbers, characters, questions, etc.) and then I can rearrange them to my heart’s content.  I’m a very visual person so this helps me a lot when I get stuck.

3. Snippets - I have a habit of thinking of almost fully formed “snippets” when I’m doing mindless tasks like driving, cooking, showering, or cleaning.  Lots of the snippets are dialogue, expository “filler” for a scene I’m working on, or even just an idea about the plot or for a future story.  I try to capture them as quickly as possible, so here come the handy index cards again.  If it’s something related to a project I’m working on, I can file it where it needs to go in the story, and if it’s something that I can use for inspiration later, I can tuck it away until it’s needed.  I also use Evernote for this purpose and intend to transfer many of my snippets into the software when I get the chance.  Maybe I’ll even scan them!

Index cards are cheap, easy to use, and they are a universal tool that can be whatever you make of them!  I have taken to punching mine with the 3×5 card setting on my Levenger punch, and then I thread them onto a couple of Levenger Circa discs to keep them all together.  It works like a charm–I even cut out some plastic covers from an old filled up spiral notebook I had in my office.  My notes are protected while they’re rattling around in the bottom of my bag, and they’re easy to take out and reorganize thanks to the Circa discs.

What’s your favorite writing tool?

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Word Counts - Today: 7,725 | July: 8,341 | 2008: 12,814

]]> http://papergraffiti.com/my-favorite-writing-tool/feed/ linkbait and spammers and thieves, oh my! (a rant) http://papergraffiti.com/linkbait-and-spammers-and-thieves-oh-my-a-rant/ http://papergraffiti.com/linkbait-and-spammers-and-thieves-oh-my-a-rant/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:19:34 +0000 jess http://papergraffiti.com/?p=717 Money on keyboardI think it’s great that people can make money from their blogs.  I applaud anyone who is able to take their love of writing and transform it into something lucrative.  It’s not an easy task, nor is it always a fun one, but making a living as a writer–of anything!–is very rewarding.

What I don’t applaud is the “get rich quick”-esque message that seems to be more and more prevalent in the blogosphere, and lately even my specific little corner of it.  I am so sick of hearing about “monetizing blogs” and “affiliate links” and other such things that I could scream, mostly because lately I’m not hearing them out of the mouths of people that I actually consider to be real bloggers.  Making money blogging is great, but I sometimes have a problem with blogging to make money.

Many of the blogs that I have seen lately that are specifically created for the purpose of making money are nothing more than linkbait.  There is no actual content, the content is merely a vehicle for as many links as possible that will gain hits.  In my mind, these so-called “bloggers” are no better than spammers.  Thankfully, they are easy to avoid and easy to spot, but even so they really bother me.

Creating content from scratch is hard.  REALLY HARD.  Being a writer is hard, even when you’re good at it and when you love it.  I almost feel like the linkbait bloggers are spitting in the faces of those of us who write merely for the joy of writing.  I’ve caught more than one of these spammy linkbaiters scraping my blog, which really gets my dander up.  If you can’t be bothered to create real content of your own, keep your grubby thieving hands off of mine!

Like I said, more power to ANYONE who can make even a little bit of money off of their LEGITIMATE blog, thanks to a partnership, ad revenue from high readership, or whatever situation works best for them.  Some of my favorite blogs and bloggers have done very well for themselves in these aspects and I am proud to call myself a reader and a fan.  I would personally love to be a full-time blogger, it sounds like so much fun!  But these other “bloggers” are in another category entirely, and I wish they’d just go away.

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Word Counts - Today: 0 | July: 616 | 2008: 5,089

]]> http://papergraffiti.com/linkbait-and-spammers-and-thieves-oh-my-a-rant/feed/ Welcome, Blog-to Show Visitors! http://papergraffiti.com/welcome-blog-to-show-visitors/ http://papergraffiti.com/welcome-blog-to-show-visitors/#comments Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:13:29 +0000 jess http://papergraffiti.com/?p=714 This weekend blogging master Liz Strauss hosted a “Blog-to Show” where participants could send in links and descriptions to their blogs and Liz would post them on her site all Saturday afternoon, encouraging people to explore the list and discover great new blogs! I was lucky enough to be a participant, so if you are here from the Blog-to Show, welcome!

This site is about my life, specifically my life as a writer. I hope you enjoy sharing my journey with me. Don’t forget to subscribe to the feed–you can’t miss my giant RSS icon! Happy reading!

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Word Counts - Today: 0 | July: 616 | 2008: 5,089

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