Weekly Log #1
Part of the “New Year” thing. Kinda, anyway. This is partly in solidarity with @thebibliofeels, but it’s something I need to do, as well.
It’s so easy to tell oneself that, “oh, I didn’t have the time today to write,” when the simple truth is, “There was a movie I wanted to watch, and then I had lunch with my friends, and then I was watching Youtube videos, and lost track of time…” When you start a writing log, and you look back at what actually got in your way, you start realizing that, well…the only thing that was in your way, was you.
I’m no different, but that’s something I’m working on, and this is step one of that: pinpointing the problem. What are the greatest distractions, and how can I cut back on them.
Feel free to chime in when/if you notice something you’re guilty of as well. We can all learn from each other.
Wednesday / 1
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” no friggen kidding. I had planned on getting up early and starting the new year off with lots and lots of writing. I wanted to finish a chapter, and start plotting the next. Instead, I woke up at a quarter til noon. My new layout hadn’t gone live the way it was supposed to. Batman and Robin were home much earlier than expected and were being as loud as they could. And – perhaps worst of all – there was no coffee. I did manage to squeeze out a couple pages though, and got some story organizing done.
Word Count: 811
Thursday / 2
I’m starting this at 11am, but so far, I’m thinking today is gonna be a wash. I got maybe an hour of sleep last night, so my brain is singing the “I don’t wanna do the work today” song. I’m going to try and force it anyway, but I’m not counting on getting much done. / (Yeah, I couldn’t focus. But I have an unexpected day off tomorrow, so I’m hoping to make up for lost time.)
Word count: 41
Friday / 3
So, I had the day off, but I did have to watch the munchkins for roomie’s date night. I still managed to get some writing done, and a lot of route planning. I need to do some rearranging of my writing folder so I can find certain information quicker, but that will have to be some other time.
Word count: 807 + route planning
Saturday / 4
Ugh. Unexpected day off, followed by an unexpected work day. No writing while working, but I’ll be using this time to do the organizing I mentioned yesterday. After work, I’ll see if I can get my word count going a bit better. / Oop. Eating out tonight! Will write later. I’M GETTING PANCAKES. / Okay, I got my pancakes, but my roommates also decided to stop at an outlet mall on the way home. Trying not to call it a waste of time, considering they bought me a Doctor Who hat, and I picked up some cute pins. Also, Bath & Body Works had stuff on clearance that smelled like heaven. (So much for not spending anymore money…) Will have to try and catch up tomorrow.
Word Count: 0 (but the writing folder is organized, and I have smelly good stuff.)
Sunday / 5
It’s a new day, let’s see what we can get done! Quite a bit, as it turns out. Only a page or two away from finishing Chapter 10 of “Don’t Feed the Trolls.” That should give me plenty of time to hand it over to my beta, and still get it posted by this time next week.
Word Count: 852
Monday / 6
I’m not expecting to get much done today. I’ll be in and out of the dentist’s office all day, but here’s hoping. I was either traveling or sitting in the dentist’s office til almost noon. Grabbed some lunch at the pizza place across the street from the office (side note: I hate crossing six lanes of traffic…with or without the median). Now, it’s almost one in the afternoon, I’ve got my Instagram post scheduled, but that’s it, and I only have about an hour before I have to head back for my next visit with the doc. / Chapter 10, DONE! Part one of chapter 11 plotted. Not bad for an hour’s work. / Tomorrow, I start writing chapter 11. If all goes well, it will be done by this weekend. Wanted to start on it tonight, but my phone went on the fritz and I spent almost two hours trying to get it fixed. It’s a complete no-go though, so I have to go get a new one on Wednesday or Thursday.
Word Count: 169 + Part 1 of Chapter 11 plotted.
Tuesday / 7
Kept getting sidetracked today. There was music, a new book to read, a roommate who needed to vent, and then I had to work. Still, I managed to get work done on chapter 11, so I’m counting it as a win.
Word Count: 710
End of week review:
I think I actually did pretty well. My biggest issues this week involved getting sidetracked and my roommates. I need to learn to stay more focused, but my brain likes to go “SQUIRREL!” That being said, even with all the sidetracks, all day dentist visits, and unexpected work days, I think I did fairly well. I also think my word count doesn’t accurately shows just how much work I got done. It takes quite a bit of time to plot out what route my travelers are going to take, research the weather for that area on that date. With all the route planning that went on, I’m quite happy with the word count for the week. I’m even more happy that I don’t have any doctor visits and whatnot this coming week. I should be able to hit 500 words a day, if I can keep the distractions to a minimum.
So. That’s the goal for this coming week. Cut back on distractions. This should be interesting…I am terrible at resisting temptation, and I know it. Wish me luck?
Word Count: 3,390
Tiffany Crystal's Forecast for the day: 