July 22, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

Has everyone posted their word counts on Alison’s blog?

Have you gone to Larissa’s blog to talk about rejection?

Are you still sweating with the same enthusiasm? If not, now’s the time to get a big old hairy hit of sharing and caring with your fellow Sweaters. My recommendation? Find a post where the writer is having trouble, then brainstorm with them how to get past it. Giving in that way is an excellent motivator and a great way to get yourself back in gear.

For those of you who are still waiting for the call – this is an extraordinary way to learn what it’s like to be under a deadline. If you are looking to be a professional writer, then you can do no bigger favor for yourself than keeping up with your word commitments. Deadlines are so much a part of this gig that you simply can’t afford to take six months to polish your first three chapters. Writing is a passion, that’s true, but it’s also a business. The real trick is to learn great habits now, while there’s not an angry editor breathing down your neck.

So GO SWEATERS!

July 15, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

UPDATE: The winner of the writing basket is: Susan B! Congratulations, Susan!

Hello fellow travelers! I hope your writing is going swimmingly well, and that you’re finding new habits, new commitment and a new sense of yourself as a writer.

I’ll talk a bit about what it’s like to have written 40+ books. Each stage of writing presents its own challenges and triumphs. I remember incredibly well when I sold my first book. Then my second. Thrilling. Everything was new. I had to learn how to work with an editor. A lot of my expectations had to be shifted – writing category romance, while wonderful, wasn’t going to make me wealthy. But if I wrote a lot of them, I could make a pretty decent living. So that’s what I did, learned to write a lot of them.

First, it was tremendously helpful to have connections with people who had been through what I was going through in addition to the connections I’d made with people who were experiencing these challenges at the same time I was.

I had to learn to wait. And wait. Because I was very new, my manuscripts weren’t jumped on by my then editor. In fact, at the beginning even though I was ready to write a bunch of books a year, they weren’t willing to buy. Which meant that I had to learn to write even when I didn’t know the outcome. I’m not good with waiting, but hey, I was trying to become a full time writer! Send one out, take off a couple of days, start the next. An incredible discipline to learn.

All the while, I was in a critique group, taking writing classes, taking psychology classes, reading every how-to book, going to RWA meetings and networking. I had to learn to write novels, not screenplays, so that meant learning description from scratch. (I’m still not great at it). And of course, do my day job.

The learning has never stopped. Should never stop.

But here’s what happened as I kept doing this. As I kept putting one word in front of another. I became a writer. Not just because I got paid for my work (which is great) but because the writing became a part of me.

I lost all perspective on my current work years ago. Seriously, I truly, honestly have no objectivity. In fact, when I’m writing it, I’m convinced it’s crap. Horrible. I’m convinced my editor is going to throw the book back at me. (Which, by the way, has happened. It was about 8 years ago, and I wrote a real stinker. My editor, lovely wonderful woman that she is didn’t tell me to get a day job. She kindly said we might not want that particular book to come out, but would I like to transfer my contract to writing for this new line called Blaze?) Anyway, the point is, I have no idea as I’m writing if I’m writing well or if I’ve missed the mark. .

But, and here’s the incredible, wonderful part – the writer part of me has taken over. The writer part knows about pacing, about dialog, about plot, about all of it. I’m not saying it can’t use some editorial help, but the bones are there. Every time. Even when I’m trying something new.
All that writing, studying, doing it every, every day has paid off. The subconscious writer can write!

That’s why, as a professional writer, I must write. I must read. I must continue my education, because what I’m really doing is feeding the writer inside. The one who’s going to save my ass yet again.

This challenge isn’t just about getting words on a page. It’s about feeding that part of you who, if you treat it well, will pay you back in spades.

There’s no shortcut to this process, and you don’t even really get to see this part until you’ve written a lot. Not just written, but developed a discipline.

Now, there’s no right or wrong way to develop your own discipline. The only constant is consistency. Diligence.

I would like to suggest that you take a look at your goal in taking this challenge. Expand the goal to include not just finishing the book, but feeding the inner writer.

If you’re new to this writing thing, you probably won’t start to reap the benefits of feeding the inner writer for awhile, but trust me – it will happen.

If you’re like me, and have written oodles of books, this challenge is a chance to create a new relationship with the inner writer. Let her (or him) have some fun! Make this an all dessert buffet. 70 days of treats for that consistent life-saver. The one who lets you know you’ve made a wrong turn by crossing its arms and refusing to budge until you fix things. The one who makes the words coherent when you have the flu.

70 days is enough time to gain a brand new habit. And it’s enough time to nourish a stalwart (inner) friend. I can’t think of a better reason to keep putting those words on the page.

Comment below, and let us all know how you’re doing! The good, the bad, the wonderful – remember those connections I talked about? We can make them right here!

Then make sure and comment on Alison Kent’s blog with your current numbers! Everyone who comments will be part of the very first prize – a gift basket that not only has books (oh, yeah) but a wonderful little tea cup/tea brewer combo, a notebook, a fountain pen, and more! The winner will be chosen at random by Tuesday at 10 PM Central Time. Yay!