What are one (or two) writing projects you want to
accomplish this year? What will be any obstacles you might encounter? I laughed
when I saw this Round Robin topic for January, because this year I have
committed to writing two books, one for release in May and the second in
October. Will there be obstacles? You betcha!
I have to say right up front that I’m something of a
hedonist, so my first and biggest obstacle is always myself. Yep, given a
choice between writing or sharing a glass of wine over lunch with a friend, the
lunch is likely to win out and writing will be put on the back burner – again.
I often have to put in catch-up time with my writing and
then will go through periods of ‘how-could-I-write-this-drivel’ and then panic
as I equate word count with my time frame. Not the smartest course. The smart
course would be to get the writing done first but I never professed to be
smart.
Another obstacle for me is that whatever my story sounds
like in my head, by the time it reaches the page it’s never the same. Being a
Virgo and therefore something of a perfectionist, I might then write and
re-write the same scene a dozen times before I’m happy enough with it to move
on. I’ve tried just letting it go, I really have but, like sand in a shoe, it
keeps irritating me until I go back and fix whatever it is I think needs
fixing.
Usually the parts that have given me sleepless nights are
the parts that my critique partners have no trouble with, and parts I think are
fine my beta readers will question. I try to get out of my own way in order for
the writing to flow, which I wish it did as easily as the ideas I get. Not
content with working on my two books for this year, I have also committed to a
Christmas themed novella.
That should be easy right? I mean, I have 10 months to
write it in between working on the other two. But winter doesn’t last forever
and then there will months when sunshine will tempt me out of doors, whether it
be for gardening, hiking or just sitting on the deck. There might be a camping
trip or two, and always the movies and my writing group. Ah well. That’s just
me. I always get there in the end.
Visit these fine authors to see what obstacles they come
up with.
Margaret Fieland http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Connie Vines http://connievines.blogspot.com/
Bob Rich http://wp.me/p3Xihq-Bm
Rachael Kosinski http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Kay Sisk http://kaysisk.blogspot.com
Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
Hollie Glover http://www.hollieglover.co.uk
Helena Fairfax http://helenafairfax.com/
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com/
