Doing the Math

A 1,000 words completed today! Yes!

I did some calculations recently to figure how long it would take me to finish my book and these are my results:

If I write at a minimum of 500 words a day = 3,500 words a week

3,5oo words a week = 17,500 words a month

17,500 words a month = 105,000 words in just six months

So after figuring all this out..I came to learn that words are a lot like saving money. The more words I put down and save, the more valuable my work will become. And after collecting enough words..I will have a complete novel.

It is actually quite nice to see this math be done this way and have it be shown like this. To me, it takes a tremendous amount of weight off my shoulders as a writer. All I have to do is put a little bit down every day to make this work and I've been doing that. And if I lose a day...I make up for it like I did today by writing 1,000. Once I'm in my head and writing, those 500 words spill out onto the page easily.

Thank you Mathematics! For once you are useful.

Outline Progress

Making really good progress on my second draft for my outline. At the moment, I'm half way through on getting it completed. I hope to finish the outline off sometime by the end of next week so I can start writing the first draft of the novel.

I have been putting in three to four hours a day...sometimes five hours a day if I'm lucky toward writing. I try not to let an entire day go without accomplishing some form of writing, especially writing for this blog. I usually kick myself in the pants if I do miss a day to write. It just feels wrong when that does occur. But I do what I can to make sure that never happens.

Right now, like I said, I'm about half way through on getting my second outline all typed up and ready to go. I am actually debating though if I should make a third draft for my outline or not...

The first draft is sloppy and is like a skeletal structure for the novel.

The second draft I'm currently slapping on some meat to lengthen it and to give it some more details and descriptions on areas that are too vague.

I'm just unsure if I need to do a third draft outline. I'm tempted to finish this second one and begin writing the novel where I left off.

What do you think? Any suggestions or ideas would be most helpful.

Sprouting Ideas

I love when new ideas sprout out of my mind for new stories just waiting to be written. I already have one major piece I am working on, and then I have another that is still in the works of being put together. But to have a 3rd project...

Lions, Tigers, and Writers...Oh My!!!

Although..I do like the images and thoughts this 3rd piece is forming together in this little brain of mine. It touches a lot in the genre of Science Fiction like outer space, planets, rockets, robots, and all that other amazing Jazz. It is a type of area that I thought I would never be apart of mostly because it did not feel like it was for me. I wanted to take on the world around me, not to look towards the stars above and imagine greater.

I am proud to say though that I am starting to look up at the stars. And that my imagination is taking on new realms of endless possibilities.

First Draft of My Outline

I recently completed the first draft of my outline a few days ago! I'm so relieved to get the whole outline of my novel down on paper. So so relieved!!! My first outline of course is a total mess and needs some serious attention. I plan to do two more drafts of the outline to get all thirty chapters completely organized. And only then I can continue writing out the first draft to my Fantasy novel. Yes!!

And for the record...I used to hate outlines with a passion, but now I'm starting to appreciate them for what they can do. This is obviously a really good way to help boost my career as a writer. I just need to remember to keep on having an open mind..never stay closed.

Eleven Questions Answered

1. Do you like being tagged in question games?

Yeah, I have nothing against it :)

2. If you could stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?

Twenty-seven years old. I'm only 25, but for some reason that age always seemed to stick out the most for me.

3. Do men like chocolate as much as women?

Absolutely! Especially chocolate cake or brownies depending on the individual and how the recipe is made.

4. What would you name the autobiography of your life?

Scooting Down The Line

5. How do you balance social media and writing time?

I don't balance the two by setting schedules or anything like that. Usually one turns up a little higher than the other. But lately I've been cutting my time of going out and having fun to strictly doing nothing but writing or at least reading books I have recently bought.

6. Describe yourself in one word.

Evolving

7. What is your favorite writing related website?

Poets & Writers

8. If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

Nothing. Everything that has happened has purposefully shaped me into who I am today.

9. What fictional character do you most resemble?

Dexter: Born with something that most people will never experience and is continuously evolving by life's obstacles. The only difference between this fictional character and me is that I don't have a growing urge to go out and kill people. Sometimes I want to though just like anybody else lol.

10. Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Wars! May the force be with you.

11. What's the first word to come to your mind right... now?

Compress

Platform-Building Campaign

I recently joined the Fourth Writers' Campaign on Rachael's blog. You can visit the blog and read all about it. It looks like an amazing place to connect and meet new people that have interests in all sorts of genres for writing. I cannot wait to see where this may go!

If you want to make some good connections for your writing or make new friends, I would definitely suggest on signing up and soon. The time to sign up ends in March. It does not hurt to try it out.

And thank you Misha for your post about this blog!

Has anyone else joined the campaign? If you did, what groups are you in?

A Writer's Age Group

Went to my writers club meeting yesterday. We had a guest speaker come in to talk about her new book and what it is like writing and publishing for teens; preferably for people aged around 12 to 18 years old.

I always thought it would be fun to write for that age group, writing stories that deal with experiences taking place during those dreadful high school years. The drama, the parties, the choices, the adventure, the constant struggle with life. But to me, writing out those kinds of stories seem to be somewhat limited..The writer does not have much freedom as would a writer that goes for an audience who are considered to be in the age group of young adult to adult. And right now I am that kind freedom writer. I am a writer that writes out the intensity, the shocking, the horror, the suspense, and the thrill that life sometimes puts us all through.

I imagine I will one day write a high school piece but for now I'm sticking to writing adult literature. Sorry kids!

In other news:

I am happy to report that my outline for my novel is nearly complete. It is coming along better than I expected it to since I placed the storyline in another direction. Hopefully within the next few weeks I will have a solid plan laid out and I can continue writing my first draft!

Small Steps

After my last post I was able to get over 500 words down for my novel late last night. It is a small dent but it's something at least. I had to go out today to get some more black ink for my printer. It's funny to me that I'm always running out of black ink but when it comes to color..I seem to change it out every couple years. But since I'm a writer, black ink is all I really need.

Anyways, I'm going to go get some more words down on paper tonight before passing out. Hope you are all achieving your writing goals! Never give up!

P.S. I just want to thank those of you who have decided to follow my blog recently. It means a great deal to me and gives me strength to continue with this blog and my writing.

And to those of you who have not yet joined this particular blog, Writer Steps, I ask for your support by following me. Thank you!

NOW is the time to Write

Today, I am ashamed. I have wasted my day doing small chores and running errands. A typical writer's excuse...I know. I feel like I'm back in high school where I made up useless reasons why I did not do my homework or study for an exam. But not anymore! NOW is the time to make up for it! NOW is the time to get back in control. NOW is the time to plug in my inner writer and release his creativity onto the blank page! Now is the time. You only live once in your life. Do not waste yours like I have done today because you will never get it back.

So whatever writing you love to do...whether it's poetry, novels, short stories, letters, or even essays..I give you this simple message from one writer to another: Write! Write! Write!

Motivation

I felt like getting some serious writing done today on my novel. I think I achieved that today but I'm going to do a little more work before going to bed tonight. How did I stay motivated you say?

Well, For me there are a number of ways. For example, today I listened to some instrumental music by Clint Mansell and that got my creative mind flowing. And I was able to stay that way for atleast two to three hours. Another motivator today was reading some poetry of mine and also others that were posted online.

I've been also looking for other ways to help with writing my novel and I think I found one. To put it down on a storyboard. I got most of it in an outline and in my head, but I think it will be helpful to lay it out on flashcards. That way I can visually organize it and move things around if need be. We'll see how it turns out but I'm staying positive through and through.

Just a few days ago I officially became a member of the California Writers Club I have been attending to for a few months now in my hometown. As a writer, it has been a positive experience for me. It has given me a chance to meet other local writers and to gain knowledge on how to publish my work and how to get myself noticed in the outside world.

I have also recently bought a program that has helped me with my writing. It is a program called Dragon Dictate 2.0. It is a voice recognition software that types my words as I speak them into a headset. It has been very, very helpful in my work. With me, I tend to think a lot faster than typing on the keyboard, so my hands were not always able to keep up with what I wanted to put down. With this device I am able to speak my thoughts out loud and my computer hears and types it out for me with great accuracy. The program is a little pricey online and at local stores, but in the end it is well worth the money. I would recommend it to anyone who has the same kind of issues I was once having or who suffers from a disability. Make sure you do extensive research first to see if it is the right product for you.

As of right now, I would say that I am growing as a writer and do not intend to stop.