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Wednesday, January 03, 2018

IWSG: What steps have I taken to put a schedule in place for my writing and publishing?


Hosted by: Insecure Writer's Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. 
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month. 
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG

This month's question: What steps have you taken or plan to take to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing? 


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When I first read the question, I felt like I'd been doused with a bucket of ice water. It was a wake-up call. A refreshing, nay sobering, reminder that the dream of being published can actually become real for me ... if I create a viable schedule and stick with it. 

Like New Year resolutions, which I generally set but also, generally, fail to achieve (or not all of them), that's been the story of my writing, as well. I work pretty hard at it, but definitely not hard enough and definitely not consistently enough to determine the race, start strong, stay on track, reach the goal line, bust through it and win the prize. 

Confession: I get hung up at not one, but several, of the later junctures. 

Why does this happen? Apparently, it's because I do not stay in control of my thoughts. 

Apparently, we all have negative self talk. We might say such things as, "I'm not ready." "I don't feel like it." "I'm sick today." "My mind's too foggy today." "It's beyond me." "It's too hard." Etc. 

According to Eric Maisel, (Coaching the Artist Within), whenever we hear negative self-talk, we need to replace it with an affirmation: "I'm off to create." "I can handle this." "I trust my resources." "I'm ready." "One step at a time." 

The steps I am taking to put a schedule in place for my writing and publishing are as follows

  1. Map out when I want to finish my revision. That means I need to figure out how many pages need to be revised each day to finish according to plan. 
  2. Become more aware of my negative self-talk and replace it with an affirmation. 

My affirmation will be: "I will not allow distractions to keep me from reaching my daily writing goals." 

Put positively: "I will reach my daily writing goals no matter what." 

When I learn to be consistent, I will see different results. What about you? What keeps you from reaching your goals?

36 comments:

  1. I like your plan! I think you will make it!

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    1. It all seems so simple, but it's not. It's more like the saying, "It's simple, but not easy."

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  2. Distractions. Can we really eradicate them? Can we send our families on vacation without us? Hee hee. Good luck this year in meeting all your goals.

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    1. Good luck to you too. I don't have 5 kids in the home but only a 22-month old grandson. Your job is at least 5 times tougher. Probably exponentially more.

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  3. I like your goals. I'm also doing a lot of positive affirmations to motivate me and trying to actually stick to my writing goals so that I've a completed manuscript ready.

    Rachna Chhabria
    Co-host IWSG
    Rachna's Scriptorium

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! Thanks for being a co-host this month. It's fun to read all of the inspiring comments, isn't it?

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    2. I meant to say inspiring posts (as well as inspiring comments).

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  4. You can do this! Negative self-talk really gets in the way. I find forging ahead and just doing it anyway really helps. Good luck!

    IWSG post: Taking Chances

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    1. "Feel the fear and do it anyway," as was the title of a self-help book awhile back. I need to stick to that advice.

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  5. Everyone is correct, Cathy. You can do this. Replacing negative thoughts/words/people with positive counterparts is the best way to move ahead. Keep writing. Never stop. And like we said: You can do this. All best in 2018.

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    1. We can do it together. I love that IWSG is here to cheer each other on. You can do it too. Go forth and write.

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  6. Negative self-talk can really bring us down. A lot of that happened to me last year. I hope we can both bring a stop to those thoughts this year. :)

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    1. I'll keep encouraging you, Chrys! You've already shown you can do it. And if you've done it before, you can continue to.

      Sometimes it's the continuing aspect that stops me in my tracks. But I need to think, "Can I do it today?" Rather than, "Can I keep it up for months, years?"

      One day at a time.

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  7. One of my favorite people used to always tell me "It's all about the affirmation." For me, I'm not sure it's so much negative self-talk (as I'm fairly certain I'm a narcissist), but I do struggle with Mommy-guilt. If I'm home and I'm writing, I feel like I'm neglecting my family. Unless no one else is there, but that rarely happens. Still, I think it's important that we give ourselves encouragement instead of dragging ourselves down.

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    1. I always had mommy-guilt as the kids were growing up. Unless you want to end up like me and be a woman of a certain age, and still not published, you need to figure out how to get around that. I never did. Here's hoping you will.

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  8. Good luck with 'reaching your daily writing goals no matter what" , Catherine. But don't beat yourself up about it. There will be times when you just can't reach your goals and you will just have to let them go that day.

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    1. Oh, yes. But too many of those days, and you find yourself not having made much progress at all. Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. Cathy, this sounds like it could be your year to turn your writing from secret to public! I hope those affirmations are helpful for you. Happy New Year!

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    1. Thanks. I like that: secret writer to revealed writer. !

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  10. What a wonderful affirmation. Love it. Wishing you much success and joy in 2018.
    Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

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  11. Those are some great positive thoughts you have there. We all need those vibes sometimes.

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    1. Oh, yeah. Positivity is better than negativity.

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  12. Thanks for visiting over at my blog. Consistency does really help. There's this build of momentum, and it's easier to pick back up a task that you haven't set aside too long. Kind of like muscle memory. Best of luck in sticking to your new schedule!

    @mirymom1 from
    Balancing Act

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  13. Love the affirmations! And I totally agree - we all have the down-talk. It's time we replace it with positivity! Good luck to you and happy 2018!

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    1. Problem with the down-talk is that I don't even hear it. But it becomes obvious in actions that take me away from my writing goals.

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  14. My way of getting past that negative self talk (which, by the way is inevitable and often and I have to accept it's going to happen so no point grumbling when it does happen) is just taking it one step at a time. Life is crazy at the moment so that's all I can do. And it works.

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  15. We are all in the same boat, I think. Experience helps, but even old timers lose sight of their goals. It sounds like you're on the right track, Cathy, Kick that self-doubt right in the butt!

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  16. Your affirmation is exactly mine. . . and your blog today is spot on with the struggle I feel just about every day.

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  17. This is absolutely key and something I need to do a better job of --> "Become more aware of my negative self-talk and replace it with an affirmation."

    All the best for the coming year - Ellen

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  18. Negative self-talk is a clingy monster. I keep general goals pretty well and don't even try for a tighter schedule, since life will surely get in the way. Good luck this year!

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  19. You seem pretty determined and, if your plan is well thought out, then I'm sure you'll succeed. Good luck to you!

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  20. I can completely relate to this! I am not consistent with my writing and I allow negativity to take control. I think I should utilize your plan. Also, thanks for the follow :)

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  21. Boy oh boy. That negative self talk is hazardous to our writer health, but you know the path around. 2018 is your year! You can do this!

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  22. I think you've got the right plan in place for you - good luck with it! I have trouble with consistency too and have often let negativity push me off track so I can relate to your post! Here's to all of us moving forward for a productive 2018!

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