Streaking and TED Talk Tuesday: Angela Lee Duckworth's Key to Success: GRIT

So I've decided to take up streaking this January.

Nope, not that kind of streaking. :)

Streaking, as in, trying to do things for as many days as I can in a row. In order to join the US Running Streak Association, one needs to run at least a mile for 365 days.

I think there is a lot of wisdom in that.

First of all, it's totally doable. On any given day, I can run a mile. But, have I ever run every single day of the year? Nope. Totally doable and yet totally a terrific challenge.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

How does this translate to writing? Simply. I'm going to set the goal of writing every day for 30 minutes. Most days I'll write more than that. And I'm the first to admit that some days I need not to write--some days I need to think about a project. And on those days, I'll write something different. And think about the project that needs some air.

I don't think that this will burn me out like NaNo. (Don't get me wrong I LOVE NaNo!)

And, if I skip a day, I'll start the streak over. (But I'm not planning on skipping.) So, who's with me? Let's start a writing streaking club.

Let's call it the Writers' Loft Streaking Club--but anyone can join.

I'm not big about new year's resolutions, but I am big about beginnings. Let's streak.

To spur you on, here's some inspiration from Angela Lee Duckworth, who shares that it isn't smarts but GRIT that creates success.

You know, like the grit that you need to write (or run) every single day.


Can't see this TED talk via blogger? Click here.

Will you streak with me? :)

Pay Yourself First

I have officially gone the longest time without writing forward on my writing projects--I think it's been a full month.

I came across this post by Anna Staniszewski, who quotes another rockstar author, Jo Knowles:

"Always make writing the top priority in your life even if that means other things have to slide."

Quite honestly, I thought that quote was pretty harsh. Maybe it was just my mindset at the time, but I thought to myself, "I can't put writing first." I'm a mom. A wife. I compete in races so I stay in shape (because deadlines and accountability work for me). I volunteer for a local educational non-proft, help organize a writing conference, help teach at our church Sunday school, and last March, I created a non-profit writing community.

My days start out with me trying to figure out what is the BIGGEST fire to extinguish. And I'm pretty sure that you are all just as busy as I am. I mean, there are only so many hours in a day, right?

So my writing slides to the back of the to-do list.

But the universe started whispering to me. With Anna's post, and then with this post by another of my favorite authors/mentors, Erica Orloff--and what a beautiful post it is!

We writers lament about time management. But maybe we should take a page out of the financial management world.

When talking about finances, experts tell us to Pay Yourself First.

In order to get a future as an author, we need to start prioritizing and paying into it. Paying into our future. And if you are a writer, but you are not paying into your future--into your dream--then that dream will never happen.

So, that's my goal. I'm going to start getting my writing done first--just a little, before I do anything else. Because if I put aside a couple hundred words here and there, pretty soon, it'll grow to be a whole book.

And that's my future.

(Also, I get really crabby when I don't write.)

How do you envision your time/project management? How do you protect your writing future?

#AmWriting and Kitten Mittons

While I am busy writing, not blogging, I thought I'd direct you to a clip for your viewing pleasure. (Warning--it may not be suitable for children.) Sometimes It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia goes beyond my comfort zone, but this Kitten Mitton clip always makes me laugh (just click on the 'video clip' and the video pops up below, once you are at the page).

I'm sure that shortly, I'll be back to my regular blogging programming. :)

In the meantime, why don't you let me know what you're blogging about, and link to it in the comments? Do you watch It's Always Sunny? What's your TV guilty pleasure?

As far as #ROW80 goals, I've had two weeks which were hijacked by school vacation, and then a sick child. While no writing was accomplished, I did have many adventures. I'm sure I'll talk about them on the blog when I'm back to writing for your entertainment!

But this week, I'm off to a great start, hitting my two hours of writing a day, and exercising as well. So, hopefully the momentum will continue!

How do you get that momentum rolling? How has your writing life been?

Monday Meeting

This Monday, I'm reminiscing.

When I was a child, my parents got divorced. And split the holidays. So, every other Christmas we would drive from Pennsylvania to the heat of the Florida Keys to celebrate Christmas with my mom's parents, on their house boat. Did I mention my grandparents are Jewish? It was as if we were trying to make Christmas as un-traditionally Christmasy as we could. Those Christmases are etched in sharp contrast to all the Christmases that had come and gone before, when we would drive to New England to spend the holiday with my dad's parents.

But, a strange evolution of Christmas occurred. It became normal to expect Santa to visit on golf cart, driving down the beach. To enjoy the bizarre pastel Key's interpretation of Christmas decorations. To see our gifts under the Hanukkah bush, and play shuffle board and go for a swim Christmas Eve. To sing 'Margaritaville' in Key West and see Hemingway's cats. To wear bathing suits instead of snowsuits. These things became Christmasy to me--even the Hanukkah bush. To this day, I use blue lights on my Christmas tree.

I loved those Christmases.

My point? That a vacation to the Keys would be perfect this time of year? No--well, yes.

But my real point? That Christmas, and any holiday, is about spirit, not about scene, or even traditions. And, that it is more about spending time with those you love than about anything else.

But on to the task at hand:

The Monday meeting.

This week I am going to write. That's my goal. As the pressure of Nano dissolves and the holiday cyclone sucks me in, I just want to get some writing done. I'd love to finish some things up, and have a solid deadline, but my goal is just to find my rhythm and write.

My other goal is to remember my bigger goal--to get this stuff published, and sooner rather than later. This always fires me up, as I think of all the possibilities.

Plus--another big treat (it is the holiday season, after all!)--this week's Friday interview will feature Casey McCormick from Literary Rambles. She is a fantastic person and writer. Stop by to check it out!

So, are you thinking about the holidays? What are you working on this week?

Monday Meeting

Ah, the beginning of a new week. I had a wonderful meeting with my critique partner, and I am still trying things out for my first chapter. It's worth it to get this one right. Once I do, the rest of the revisions will be, for a while, smooth sailing. I'm trying to tell myself that this will just take as long as it takes.

I just have to give one more big shout-out to my writing partner, R. Even when the critique is a tough one, I always leave our meetings fired up about my novel. He is a magician.

So, let me know what your goals are. I would love to live vicariously through someone who is actually hitting big word counts, or making tons of progress, while I sit and figure this first chapter out.

Monday Meeting

This week, I am rewriting my first chapter (again). The beginning scene is symbolic and will parallel the ending (and has a nice set-up for introducing my 'Star' MC), but doesn't give you the feel of the MC like chapter two's first scene. So, I am trying to both pump the MC voice into the first scene as it is, and I am writing an alternate draft, which opens the book with the scene from the second chapter. Hopefully when I am done, I will be able to get rid of my doubts, and decide once and for all what is best for the opening of the book. Otherwise, revisions are going well-- I am working on piecing together the third chapter.

Any thoughts? What goals does everyone have this week?