Once Upon A Meter...

"When there are no words speak from the heart and you shall surprise yourself."
~ Unknown

Because of NaNoWriMo, I have written approximately 11,000 words on my WIP (Work in Progress) bringing my total amount over 33,000 words! It took me 5 months to get to roughly 28,000 words. (About 5,600 words a month?) So in terms of what I've written in a month that is amazing! I've doubled what I have normally writen in a month. Maybe some of the big writers put in more than that, I'm still learning and I've got little kids to contend with. I'm just excited about my strides!

And let me tell you it has taken a ton out of me to get that far. I feel like I've been obsessed with words. It's always on my mind every day to try and plug further. But it has really done great things in terms of my word count. I will definitely come back and do this next year if I'm not insanely obsessed with something else. And even if I am, I'm still going to try and do it. (Yes, I am a nut. Hey, I'm a writer! I refuse to be normal!)

Hopefully by then I'll be done with this story and on to the next one after that, which I believe I'm really going to have to do at this point. (I'm starting to come up with the plot of the next novel already. Er... I'm seeing it start to take form.) It's all good.

I've really enjoyed having a little word meter to track my progress while writing. Because of this, and the fact that Nanowrimo will be ending soon, I am going to place a word meter on my blog. I don't know if the Nanowrimo meter works the rest of the year? Keeping a meter though, it's just because I want to make myself keep to goals and sharing those goals. When you write them down and tell others about them, you have to keep yourself up to the standard. Everyone will be watching and waiting and hoping you do what you set out to do then.

I will be keeping a word meter on my blog, so everyone knows I'm working even if it is slowly. You can come back and check my progress, make sure I'm still working! My goal is to have this story finished by June 2010, the same month I started it in 2009. Then I'll start the next one. Then there is the whole editing thing... oh the possibilities!

Here are the word meters I found if you'd like to add one to your blog:
NaNoWriMo Word Meter (I'm assuming this was before they had their own.)
6 Word Meters and Trackers from Spontaneous Derivation
Writertopia Writing Meter
Leigh's Word Meter
Wordmeter by Svenja

Requiring a log in/account sign up to track:
The Life Literary - Writing Counters
Word Count Widgets - National Novel Writing Month
StoryToolz
Luminary Writer's Database
Margaret Fisk's Word Advance Progress Meter

Now I just have to decide which one I'm gonna use!

Writing Excuses Podcast is where it's at!

"A real friend helps us think our best thoughts, do our noblest deeds, be our finest selves."
~ Anonymous

As I have mentioned before, I recently discovered the wonderful world of podcasts. I said if I found one that focuses on writing I'd say something about it if I LOVED it? Well, I found one. I've listened to SEVERAL months worth already in the last few days and I simply just LOVE this cast!!!! It has just spoken to me, quite literally, on so many levels after just discovering it I'm ready to blast off exactly what I feel about it.

"WRITING EXCUSES" PODCAST! It ROCKS!

I can't say it any better than that. If you know how to listen to it, DO IT NOW! If you don't, LEARN HOW! It's hosted by three artists, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, and Dan Wells. Their catch line is "Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart." It's catchy, humorous, and frankly these guys are entertaining. Audible is their sponsor. And they end with a writing prompt! How great is that?! I'm gonna let these guys speak for themselves though so...

bask in the wonderfulness:
http://www.writingexcuses.com/

This podcast is definitely become my new BFF!

Take that linear writing!

"The woman who work with her hands only is a Laborer. The woman who works with her hands and her head is a Craftswoman. The woman who works with her hands, her head, and her heart is an Artist."
~St. Francis of Assisi

So for the last two weeks I've struggled to write the way that I have been for the last six months. Nothing has been coming as easily as it has been. And then I discovered two things:

1. I'm not listening to the voice within that says "Write from this point today." Which means that yes I'm jumping around in the novel but the more I try to make myself write from Chapter 1 to 2 to 3 and so forth, the less able I feel to write at all. I just end up writing and laboring on the piece maybe even doing a job of craftswoman a bit, but it isn't fun, it feels like a job. And I have a hard time making myself sit down and do it. Not what I want to be doing right now.

2. I'm trying TOO hard to make it perfect. (Especially first go around.) Again, another issue I've had in the past that has made me stop writing altogether.

Okay so number 1 is easily fixed. I just stop trying to be linear here and I start jumping around again. No problem. I know exactly where I need to be writing then today. I got to listen to that. But number 2? Pulling a blank? Maybe if I go with number 1 it will remedy itself because I'll be writing from the heart and that's a pretty big pull for me. This whole learning your writing process thing can be both fun and perplexing. But you gotta love it right? And telling yourself to not be a perfectionist, yeah, I've been saying that to myself for years and has it ever helped?

*laughs and looks around with shifty eyes*

A Come Back?

So I've pooped out on my blog lately. But I'm making the rounds and getting at least a post up to get back on the wagon today. Just a goal and goals are good because they keep us going. Especially wonderful when you feel like you just don't wanna. And this week writing in my free time... I just don't wanna. Bleh.

(See I knew I shouldn't have signed up for NanoWriMo!)

But alas! The week isn't over yet.

So I had to do a shout out here about podcasts. In the last 3 months I've become a fan of podcasts. I've found some fun entertaining casts, not about writing, that have hooked me into the fun that podcasts are.

Today I started browsing around for podcasts for writers and writing topics. I found a few. And once I've found a few that I like I will definitely add them here. If I don't find what I want, who knows maybe I'll start my OWN!

For those who aren't very familiar with what a podcast is... basically it is like a radio show but on the internet. (It's so easy to produce your own podcast that those who do them usually aren't paid or trained professionals who have had a long career in media production.) You don't have to have a iPod or other similar device to listen to it. Some can be listened to right on your computer/laptop or via iTunes. Or you can download the file and burn it to a disc and listen to it in your car. So don't worry just because you don't have an iPod you won't enjoy the same show that I may talk about here. You most likely will if you have a computer with audio capability.