Focus, Writer
For the past two years I have been the proud mother of a talkative and rambunctious daughter. Some people ask me how I can take care of her all day and still manage to get so much writing done. For the past two weeks I have also been the mother of a precious and hungry newborn. Some people ask me how I can get back to writing again so quickly. I don’t know if I have an answer to these questions that will work for everyone but I do have an answer that works for me. Being a mom to two...
Read MoreCultivating Your Writing Energy
I can usually tell within the first hour of waking up how the rest of my day will go. If I start off the day in a great mood, it fuels my productive energy and I carry that feeling with me throughout the day, helping me plow through my to-do list and prepare my mind to write. Unfortunately, a sluggish mood will also hang around and can be harder to derail. Everything will move at a snail’s pace and even if I do finish my work in time to write, I usually don’t have the focus. I...
Read MoreSetting Weekly Writing Goals
The ladies have asked me to contribute to Routines for Writers by posting a monthly blog about productivity, something I’m always working to improve on, being the mother of a toddler and the mother-to-be of another daughter at the end of the month. No matter how busy I am, my writing is always important to me. It’s the thing I do for myself, which means that making time to write is even more important–for busy moms, people with demanding jobs and family and friends, and the...
Read MoreThe Day I Decided to Quit Writing
Earlier this week, I decided to quit writing. Things in my personal life had come to a breaking point and trying to find time to write only seemed to be making it worse. A couple of my writing friends blogged about how negative people can be to one another, bringing up those old fears of publishing. And, worst of all, my story was falling apart. Have you ever gotten to that point when everything you thought you knew about your novel seemed completely wrong? I’m sure everyone who has...
Read MoreThe Writing/Life Balance
In the writing world, we talk a lot about how to make time for writing. We assure ourselves and others that even with a career, a spouse, a child and friends, we can still write, edit, polish and publish a novel. We have goal sheets, and word trackers, and schedules, and all the best intentions. And we do it. Somehow, with only twenty-four hours in a day, we even squeeze in a little time for sleep. Last weekend, my father-in-law went into the hospital. It was for a routine surgery and he...
Read MoreSeeing Your Name in Print
A couple of weeks ago I finished writing my fictional blog. My critique partner sent it back to me and to go over her notes, I printed it out. It had been a long time since I’d printed one of my stories. I finished my novel over a month ago but I haven’t done the honors yet, so that makes it…my first novel in September 2009. As I watched the pages curl out of the printer, I was amazed at how much I’d written. 70 pages, exactly. I felt a huge sense of pride as I held...
Read MoreHow You Know It’s Time For a Break
I have really curly hair–like stick-your-finger-in-the-light-socket curly (okay, more like Amy Brenneman curly). Most people want the opposite type of hair they’re born with but I don’t. I love my hair. That is, until I need a haircut. My usual full and bouncy ‘do becomes messy, weighed down and lifeless. No amount of product will save it. Yesterday I got a haircut about a month overdue and I can’t believe the change in my entire demeanor–bouncy and full...
Read MoreThe Magic of the 1st Draft
Yesterday on Better Writing Habits, Suzannah Windsor Freeman posted Forget These 7 Things for First Draft Freedom. Among other things, the list included grammar, spelling, transitions and word choice. The task was: When you start writing the first draft of your next work-in-progress, challenge yourself to just write, and leave these details for future drafts. I have a love/hate relationship with the first draft, which I am on the front lines of with my current novel. On one hand, being...
Read MoreKeeping Track of Your Writing Goals with goalforit!
Now that you’ve created your writing goals, it’s time to start tracking them. Keeping your goals in the forefront of your mind is the trick to succeeding. Of course you can keep track of them in a notebook or an excel spreadsheet (I do that too), but you know I live for a good website or program to do the hard work for me. And so I present to you Goalforit.com. Just the name gets me excited. And the website doesn’t disappoint. With features to set and track goals, create...
Read MoreThe Art of Creating Writing Goals
The new year is coming up quickly and that has everyone thinking about their writing goals: Did I accomplish what I set out to do this year? What do I want to accomplish in the coming year? Looking back at my 2010 goals, I realize I’ve accomplished nothing I set out to do yet I feel like I’ve had one of my most productive years ever. So far, I’ve logged 152,000 words in my word count spreadsheet, which is hardly something to scoff at! Do you feel like you’ve had a...
Read MoreJamie Raintree
Jamie writes what she likes to call everyday fairytale love stories, featuring the little moments in life that are truly magical. She lives in Northern Arizona with her husband and daughter and is currently editing her second novel.
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