TECH: Oh, the weather outside is tempting...

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting 27 Dec 2009

On another list, someone asked about keeping on track. Apparently the snow outside was distracting them, and they were having trouble keeping themselves focused on writing. My response...

Some notions that might help

1. I've found that most of the time I need to write down -- key words, snippets, bits -- of those ideas that are nudging at me. Once I do that, I can let go of them and they quit insisting on attention, because they are in my notes for later.
2. Howard Tayler talks about dividing up his work into tasks for Smart Howard and Dumb Howard -- and being honest with himself about times when he needed to just do dumb stuff. I have to admit this helped me, to relax and let myself do dumb stuff with a clear conscience when sinus trouble, headaches, and other stuff makes it difficult to focus on smart work.
3. Fairly often, when I'm having to push myself to do something, there's something wrong. There's a simpler way, I've skipped something, there's a problem that I haven't yet consciously noticed -- and I need to step back, take a second look, and find the loose edge that needs to be tacked down. Take care of that, and then things will move.

Deadlines, quotas, regular work habits, counting words -- sometimes those can help too. I think of them as ways to make progress visible.

How do you keep yourself on-track?

Back to work, Mike.

TECH: Quickie Worksheet For Short Stories?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting 30 Dec 2009

Go right over here http://madgeniusclub.blogspot.com/2009/11/plot-is-king-to-catch-spirit-of-thing.html
and you can read the original Sarah Hoyt posting. Or...

Here's the headings:

Title:
Character:
Problem:
Goal:
Action:
Mirror Moment:
Resolution:

In the text around this, Sarah suggests that the three key elements are character, problem, and resolution. You might also want to think about setting and the plot -- what your character tries to do to get to the resolution.

That mirror moment thing? Basically that's a point where the character realizes that the goal he's been aiming at isn't what he really wants. It's the sudden realization that what we say we want and what we actually want aren't quite the same.

Anyway, I thought some of you might enjoy trying out yet another worksheet. It's a way to help organize your thinking. And no, you don't have to do it this way.