Small Victories

Earlier this week I voiced some fears about my novel, but I wouldn't want you to get the impression that it's all doom and gloom around here. I am in fact still feeling quite optimistic about the quality of my story and pleased with my recent progress.

Nothing major has changed since my general update of a couple weeks ago, but today I'm celebrating small victories:

→ I was displeased with the chapter I'm working on and concerned that it would mess up my whole structure, and then I thought of a crucial addition that fixed all my problems.

→ Several people have asked me for writing advice lately. Like I'm some kind of mentor or something!

→ Also people keep acting as though I'm an example of discipline and focus because I've been working on this novel forever. I try not to laugh in their faces, because I've been working on this novel forever. Most of the time I think if I were truly disciplined, I'd be much further along in the process. Many days, I lose the focus game. And yet...

→ The past month has been full of fun distractions, and I managed to stay focused and get a good amount of work done while also taking time to play. So that's something.

→ This month is shaping up to be at least as hectic, but I've figured out a (hopefully) realistic plan to schedule writing time in the midst of everything else that's going on.

→ Since the start of the year, I've been imagining some deadlines for myself, and while I've had to make adjustments due to the aforementioned hecticness, the deadline thing has been working better than it usually does when I know the target is only in my head.

→ Lastly, and which I guess might even qualify as something major: I wrote a short story! Of course it was right after complaining about my inability to write short stories. I'm not ready to share it yet, but I expect I will be eventually. Just as soon as life isn't so distracting.

Good Stuff Out There:

→ Kristina L. Martin at the Amwriting blog repaints her dining room as well as her manuscript: "I found myself seeing my novel in much the same light as my dining room's paint job. The novel worked. But it could work better. There were areas with too much and others with too little."