October 18, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

How are all you Challengers doing?

I’ve been on target, until yesterday, so today I have to make up 5 pages. Bummer. But I have to keep to the schedule or the book won’t be turned in on time. So there you go.

We’re also doggy sitting Jessie’s sister, so that’s always entertaining. Especially because neither of them is small, and everyone likes to sleep on the bed plastered to Mom. Yeah. Good times.

Did anyone else see the Oprah show with Dr. Chirstiane Northrup? She subscribed romance novels (which she called Cliterature!) to all the women out there! It was awesome!

Okay, it’s almost 8:00 and I have to work. Go Me!

October 16, 2007 | Blogging, 70 Days of Sweat

Yesterday’s word count: 3098

I’m at Romancing The Blog. Go. Read. Smile.

October 15, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

Okay, kids! Start your engines!

We’re off once more to test our mettle with the new 70 Days of Sweat Challenge.
It’s all about goal setting, showing up, putting the writing at the top of the list, and learning about how we work.

Here are my goals:

Finish my current WIP - 40,000
Finish my next book - 65,000
Total words = 110,000

I’m tired already. :)

During that time, I’m going to plot group, plotting the next book, plus a general outline of a new 3 book series, going to a conference in St. Louis, having a mostly stay-at-home holiday season, and doing my damndest to take some breaks where I get completely away from the work. I’m okay with working 7 days a week, but not for several months at a time. Truthfully, I end up taking days off anyway, but usually as a result of burnout, when it’s the least practical. Making myself sick doesn’t support my goals.

I’m also doing some other goal setting tasks. I used to believe that I shouldn’t try to do everything at once. That one new habit at a time was the way to go. But current research is suggesting that tackling several new habits at once is more likely to work. So, I’m incorporating:

walking 3 times per week, 1/2 hour each time
writing down my daily meals, word pages and exercise in my journal
quitting smoking (again)

Strangely, I’m completely optimistic about all of it. Mostly because of something I learned in the last challenge - for me, everything depends on how I begin the day. If I start out on task, I tend to complete my goals. If I give myself an inch, I blow it all off.

It’s up to me, then, to start off each day with determination and commitment. To not sleep in too late. (8 am is the goal) To make my coffee, take my pills, read my email, then write 5 pages. After that, I can have breakfast and do online things, like blog posting, surfing, etc.

The rest of the day is planned out pretty well, with another 5 pages in the mix.

So what about you? Have you set your word count goals? Are they unique to you, not just what other people are doing? Are you committed to your success? A recommendation here - make your goal achievable. Committing to selling a book isn’t productive because that’s not in your control. Committing to finish your book is achievable and measurable, something only you can do. Are you going to journal your progress? Writing it down seems to be one of the keys to establishing new habits.

Also, for those of you who participated in the last challenge, you’ll notice we have a number of new sponsors this time. Take advantage of that by checking out their blogs, in addition to checking into the Sven site. And use your fellow Challengers. By supporting them you’re supporting your own goals.

Let’s make this a challenge like no other. Look forward to the day you can say you committed, you kept your word, you kicked ass!

Be sure and visit the rest of the Sven sponsors blogs! Alison Kent, HelenKay Dimon, Larissa Ione, Stephanie Tyler, Shiloh Walker, Lauren Dane, Diana Peterfreund, Jaci Burton, and Portia Da Costa.

October 7, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

Have you signed up for the new Sweat Challenge? We’re starting soon, so go here and declare your intentions!

It’s something to note how many published authors did the last Sweat, and how so many of them surpassed their goals. If you’re planning to do NaNo, this is also a great time to sign up for the Sweat. Challenge yourself and establish great work habits that will last through your whole career! Seriously, even (especially) if this is scary - do it.

September 20, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

Yeehaw! It’s the last day of Sweating with Sven! How’d you do? What did you learn?

Go here and let us all know about your experience, and what you’ve taken from the challenge.

Me? I learned a lot about myself, and made some changes to my writing life. It’s all good.

Thanks to all who went through this, and I hope to see you next round!

August 26, 2007 | Blogging, 70 Days of Sweat

If you’re Sweating, don’t forget to check in and post your word counts or whatever. Just let us know how you’re doing.
Read an inspirational post from Larissa to get your butt in gear.
Check out Alison Kent’s blog, and join in on the Comment for the Cure

Update:

And come back Friday for the grand re-opening of my web site, complete with prizes!

August 19, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

Here’s my Challenge Within a Challenge for Sunday…

Do something you don’t do. Something you think is slightly ridiculous. Too artsy-fartsy to be of any real use. Do something to Mix It Up.

Here’s my why:

I’ve been writing a certain way now for umpty-ump years, and having myself a hell of a time because of my written-in-stone belief that I’m a panic writer, and therefore panic must be part of my writing mojo. I’d even argued that if it wasn’t a biological fact that I needed panic to write, it was a self-fulfilling prophecy that now was so ingrained that I certainly was unable to change.

Here’s the truth: HA!

We writers are a flexible bunch. We are quite like pipe cleaners, I think. Fresh out of the package we seem to be perfect in our stand-up straightness. But when we really need to get into the nooks and crannies, we’re quite bendy. :)

All we need is the willingness to bend.

In recent months, I, who don’t believe in writing alters, or crystal magic, or anything that has anything to do with the woo, have taken to

• lighting essential oils when I begin my writing day.
• listening to a Brainsync focus CD that’s supposed to do something neato to my brain
• lighting assorted candles
• writing around 6 pages per day instead of 15
• starting my day with morning pages (well, not every day)
• amazing myself because I’m not only bendy, but I’m actually more relaxed!

Yes, it’s true. This old dog has been learning new tricks, and guess what. You can, too.

I’m not saying you have to keep doing this thing you don’t do. But I think trying something new, something daring, something foolish, actually opens up a creativity door deep inside us.

We’re past the midpoint in the 70 Days of Sweat, and it seems a really great time to start throwing things into the fire. See how it burns. See what it does to your brain. See how you can jump start the blahs.

Report back, but give it a week, okay? An honest effort. Although we are bendy, we are also stubborn and we must give ourselves an adjustment period. Or you may find yourself transformed after five minutes.

Here are some suggestions:

• Morning pages from The Artists Way by Julia Cameron
• Meditation before writing
• Artist’s Dates, also from The Artists Way
• Long private walks
• Bring scents to the writing with candles, incense, oils
• Buy and use a magic pen
• Start or change an alter in your writing space
• Tape yourself saying wonderfully encouraging and delicious things, then play that tape before you begin your day
• Tape applause, the kind with whistles and Bravos and everything, then play that when you finish your day’s work
• Listen to music if you don’t now
• Don’t listen to music if you do

I hope you all will share if you have some tip, trick or crazy thing that’s changed your writing for the better.

Here’s to 70! Don’t forget to check in at the official site so you can be in the running for a fabulous gift basket!!!

August 12, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

Have you all checked in at the 70 Days of Sweat blog?

For inspiration and a chance to win (great!) stuff, go visit Stephanie Tyler!

I’m zooming toward the finish line, having learned a little during the writing of this book. Most of the better habits I’m nurturing are due to Sweating. :) Remember, it’s only about the numbers if you need it to be. It can also be about changing the way you work, changing the way you feel about your work and yourself. It can be about finding out what doesn’t fit. It can even be about discovering you don’t want to publish. It’s all possible during this wonderful communal effort.

Okay! Off to work!

August 5, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

If you haven’t heard by now, 70 Days of Sweat has it’s own website now! Great job, Alison! So make sure you go over there, leave a comment that tells us where you are with your writing, and if you’ve got a URL, make sure and list that so you can become part of the blogroll.

Also, go to Alison’s blog and read her post today. It’s wonderful, and you’ll feel good after you read it, I promise.

As for me, I’m past the midpoint of the book, I’ve finally finished the mid-book “Oh my God this plot doesn’t work at all now I have to go back and fix everything before I can continue so why didn’t I see this problem when I plotted the damn book” part so today shouldn’t be so bad. Except that I have to write 15 pages, when I’ve been writing 12. I have been doing 6 and 6 with a break in between, but today begins 3 sets of 5. It’s okay though because I’m far enough into the book that I really know my characters and so it becomes easier to write.

This book has paparazzi as a major subplot so I’ve been doing a lot of reading about paps and checking out the gossip blogs as well as buying tabloids. What gets me is how blatant the lies are. I know this, because when I was in the movie biz, I saw firsthand that the tabloids would out and out lie. Just pull things out of their ass, I swear, and it was nothing like it is today. Back then, there were no TMZs or Perez Hilton. It must be extremely difficult to be a celeb these days, not that it hasn’t always been difficult.

I think I preferred the days of the studio system where movie stars were managed and the PR people fed us all a bunch of bullshit. I know for me that there are a number of stars I wish I’d never met, because their real personalities so disillusioned me.

No wonder I prefer fiction.

Posted by Jo Leigh @ 9:34 am | 6 Comments  

August 1, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

How’s everyone doing on their 70 Days of Sweat?

I ended up writing a whole bunch in the last couple of days without actually increasing my pages. I had a big hairy story problem that when I finally got what it was, I had to go back and fix the issue before I could move on. Which meant replacing a number of scenes. However, it was well worth the effort as now I can move on with some confidence.

Don’t forget to check in on Alison’s blog so you connect with the community and are eligible to win fabulous books by our latest sponsor Victoria Blisse!