Not Just a Whimsical Whirl

There's a quote out there about just a little extra effort turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. I believe it's really true. When we have goals and strive for them, just a bit above and beyond what we're required to do, then we can succeed at almost anything that we want to do. Within reason, of course!

So, yesterday was a bit frustrating. While I'd felt pretty good about my progress so far on the book, it seemed a bit inconceivable that yet another word count mandate existed...after that Herculean effort to get caught up. Then, when perfectly ordinary and even desirable family stuff happened (and I do want to be and enjoy being mommy and wife), I felt terribly guilty about my resentment at those ordinary happenings.

Left feeling at a loss for what to write next and critical of my own inability to balance family and writing, I knew with a certainty that without the word count mandates, the book would yet be another unfinished project, gathering dust with everything else.

Michael generously suggested that I work after the kids were in bed, and I, like the rule-follower that I am, settled down to obey my word mandate and try to plunk out the next bit of the story, a section I had not yet really envisioned. It was hard, but it happened. I won't attest to the quality of the writing, and I wonder about my constant swapping of perspectives, but there is a definite satisfaction to meeting difficult goals and making progress. I honestly keep a printed calendar where I tally the word counts and give myself a sticker--different colors for different numbers of words, with the highest being gold for 'merely' achieving the goal. Thus, any writing at all gets rewarded. No sticker if I don't write, so even a little effort has a certain reward and it's not all requirements for perfection.

Actually, this writing program was one I purchased in a kit from Barnes & Noble for $20. It's called The No Plot? No problem! Novel-Writing Kit by Chris Baty. I think I mentioned it last spring when I wrote Silk. There's a great progress bar that you fill in on the left of the calendar, and it is very exciting to see how rapidly it fills when you stick to your writing schedule. Motivational cards are included, which I find of varying value. The program also includes penalties for not writing, but I leave all that out. I don't see how fulfilling penalties will ever get me closer to catching up, if I do fall behind.

So, what am I doing here instead of writing on my book? Procrastinating...and processing. Reminding myself to stick to it and turn the ordinary unfinished projects and wishful thinking into the extraordinary completed novel and fulfilled dream. Yesterday was a little bump in the road, and, being a bit spoiled and used to things coming to me easily, I felt disheartened. But that experience validated the value of a stringent program, one that keeps your goals in mind and makes you suck it up. And, while I know there are some awfully hard-working and self-motivated folks out there, I think that at heart I'm a pretty ordinary, somewhat self-indulgent girl--but an ordinary girl who has discovered the power of the little extra effort. No, you may not want to write a novel, but if you have a dream that you can conceive of fulfilling, then give it not just a whimsical whirl, but outline a plan for success and stick to it through a few bumps in the road before letting it go.