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01/04/2006: "More on the challenge"

The Uber-Challenge has over 100 members now, and boy, did I not expect that. It's interesting, because I've done this challenge on my own over several years, and I never really thought about doing it as a group until this year. I'm not even sure what my expectations were, except that it's worked for me, and it would have been fun to have some friends do it along with me.

There's everyone from multi-published authors to folks who have just decided to write, which is also something I didn't expect. A lot of people want to work on discipline (which is my number one goal) and many want to work on plotting and scenes and grammar. So far, folks have been great about how-to book recommendations in the database, and I've certainly earmarked a few for myself.

One of the things I've noticed when reading about those who share my need for more discipline, is that the heart of the matter seems to be getting rid of procrastination. That's probably a more accurate goal for me than discipline, because once I'm writing, I'm usually good to go. It's getting to the writing that trips me up. So - how do I get rid of the procrastination? Setting up work hours? Using a timer? Doing morning pages? I believe I'm going to try all three things. What I'm primarily hoping to get from the group dynamic is accountability. I also want to hear what works for other people, and I'm hoping that will become more and more what the posts are about, once the initial intros are done. (Note- people can join any time, so don't be afraid to jump in)

And even though I'm focusing on discipline/procrastination, I'm also looking forward to learning about craft issues. That's something I'm always in the market for. So by sharing the forum, we can all reap the benefits of all the learning and discoveries.

My biggest fear is that with so many people participating, the comments will devolve into chatting that is not about the work, or flame wars. I've already decided that the group is self-governing. I have neither the time nor desire to be a list-mom. So I'll just trust that those of us who want a viable, interesting, educational forum will take the initiative to post about the craft and the methodology.

Replies: 4 Comments

on Wednesday, January 4th, Jordan said

I'm on the list, but I am more than a little intimidated by the volume so far.

on Wednesday, January 4th, dotes said

I'd like to work on procrastination. I'll start tomorrow.

on Thursday, January 5th, Diana said

Morning pages proved a waste of time for me. If I had time to spare, I wasn't going to spend it journaling! The timer works, or timer-like methods. The most tried and true thing has been "making the choice." Very actively sitting down and saying to myself "Write. Now." Sometimes that takes the form of setting a timer, or going someplace else to write (once you are in teh car ont eh way to the coffee shop it's tough to say, well, just one more TV show, etc.) or whatever else. Make an active choice to do it.

If only I could manage that for exercising.

I was a bit worried yesterday about the flame thing. I posted a differing opinion, which I thought was really nice, and I got a snappy, snarky response back questioning my (and Alison's) reading comprehension. I think that scared me off the loop for a while.

But I'm still all about the discipline. Up til 4:30 last night to finish latest project.

on Thursday, January 5th, Jo said

Jordan, hang in there. I value your input. A lot.

Dotes, you're so adorable.

Diana, I love the whole notion of making a choice. Everything begins with a decision, and you state it all so perfectly. Thanks.

As for the flaming thing - I just figure there are going to be a lot of diverse personalities in a big group like that, and I just ignore those that don't click with me.

I figure it'll work or it won't. I just know I'll stay on task, whether it's alone or in a group.