Set reasonable writing goals

Always remember to set reasonable goals for yourself. The keyword in that sentence is,
you guessed it: Reasonable!
Writing a two hundred and fifty to a three hundred page novel is going to take you more
than a week to write.

It is good to have goals, but make sure they are suitable for your life. If after looking at
your calendar you feel that you will be able to dedicate three hours a week to writing, set
your goals accordingly.

For some, writing every day is a reasonable goal. If this is a possibility for you, decide if
you are able to dedicate 30 minutes a day to writing your book or 3 hours a day. Always
remember that something is better than nothing. So, 20 minutes a day or every couple of
days is better than going 2 weeks without writing at all.

For others, every other day or twice a week may be attainable.
Sit down and take a few minutes to write out your daily schedule. Then, decide when you
can fit in time to write.

It is really that simple.
After you set your writing goals, strive to attain them. But, do not beat yourself up if
sometimes you do not reach the goals you have set for yourself. Just decide to start back
up tomorrow and try again.

To print off a free daily calendar that you can design yourself, click here
http://www.worksheetworks.com/miscellanea/calendars/hour.html

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Flannery O'Conner: How she impacted my life...

 

I have this quote on my work desk!

The writer is only free when he can tell the reader to go jump in the lake. You want, of course, to get what you want to show across to him, but whether he likes it or not is no concern of the writer.

~ Flannery O’Connor

It has been years since I first laid my eyes on this life-changing quote. Flannery O’Connor was a writer and a darn good one in her time.

I was browsing online one-day several years ago, and read this gem. It jumped out at me, resonated within me and changed my life for the better immediately after I read it.

As writers, this is exactly our job. She nailed it. We are to write the story we have in our hearts…do what we are called to do. We are to write it the best we can. After that, it is not our concern. Of course, we want to write a best seller and in order for that to happen, people have to like what we wrote. But, this quote goes even deeper. We will always have people who do NOT like our stories, writing style, genre, etc. It is those people that this quote is referring to, (At least in my opinion it is.)

•     Write your story
•     Write the best you can
•     Have it published
•     Do not worry about the naysayers
•     Create your own success and keep writing 

 More from Author Deanna Martinez:

 To the lady who handed me her dirty tissue

 Easy book writing tips

 How to stay accountable to writing


 

Coming up with new story ideas...

How do you come up with twists and turns and new story ideas?
Use your own life!
Use problems you have overcome or some that you haven’t and use them in your book. The best part about using your own obstacles in your book is that you can have the outcome turn out however you would like.

If you are happy with the way you have overcome obstacles in your life, then use it exactly how it played out for you. If you are not happy with the outcome of certain events, change them and write them to end the way you would have liked them to. This can also be therapeutic for you, the writer.

You can also take a slight twist or turn in your life and enhance it to become something major! For example, you changed your major in college…something fairly minor, right? Now, enhance it. You started with a major in computers, your Grandmother came down with cancer and you love her so much you will do whatever you can to help her get and stay well. You change your major to chemistry so that you can work on strains of cancer treatments. Sounds much more involved and interesting, right?
Basically, take lemons and make lemonade!

Another great way to find ideas for your novel would be to take a trip to Barnes and Noble. Go to the section of the store where they sell the same genre books that you are writing. Read the backs of the books in search of an idea that can spur you to a story idea or plot twist of your own.

More from Author Deanna Martinez:

Preparing your writing environment

Resolutions Vs. Goals

Self publishing: yes or no?

Preparing your writing environment

Something I do each night before I head to bed is clean my kitchen! My mom always used to say, “If the kitchen is clean, the whole house looks clean”. Depending on the layout of your house, this can ring true. I have an open concept in my house, meaning the kitchen is open to the dining room and the living room. So, if my kitchen is clean, it really does make the rest of my downstairs look clean too!

Why have I gone on this clean kitchen tangent you may ask; it is also true when it comes to our writing environment. If we have a special routine we create when it comes to writing it will help us look forward to it and feel comfortable and at ease when we do it.
Just as waking up to a clean house can make you feel good, creating a special place to write can make you feel good too!

A few things to try:

• Create a clean work space
• Make it comfortable by using a comfortable chair
• Decorate with pictures and items that bring you joy
• Keep it clutter free
• Make a space separate from other spaces in your home