Even Siri Doesn't Know

As we're looking ahead to 2012 and a clean slate--a brand new set of goals, the question du jour posed to my Accountability group is:  Where are you now? Where is that, in comparison to where you were six months ago? A year? Five years, ten? How have your goals changed? What would you do differently?

I asked Siri (on my new iPhone) where I was, and she didn't know either.  Of course, it might have been during one of her periods of unavailability.

Or it could be that I don't know either.

2011 has been a rough and emotionally devastating year for me, one that began with a newborn little baby fighting for her life. My heart and mind were far, far away from Regency England, and getting words down on paper didn't seem all that important to me.  

And just as this little one faces her challenges each and every day, I am struggling to get back to where I was, writing-wise.  Writer's inertia (I won't call it block) is difficult to overcome, lost momentum, equally hard to gain back. 

So, to answer the question of where I am, the answer is not where I would like to be.  I've made only modest gains on my manuscript this year.  But it is nearly complete and I am hoping to cross that finish line early in 2012.

When activated, the iPhone's Siri asks, "What can I help you with?"    My question is "How can I help myself?"

For that answer, I'll take inspiration from that strong little girl and her loving parents by:
       1.  Focusing on what I can do, rather than on what I can't or didn't do.  
                                              and
       2.  Celebrating every achievement and hard-fought milestone, no matter how small  or seemingly insignificant.
   
To find out where my Accountability Group members are in their individual journeys, check out these links:

Alexia Reed Angeleque Ford  Kristen Koster  Kimberly Farris

No Means No...Except When It Means Maybe?

...or, in other words, do you know where your Crazymaker is? 

The Artist's Way's author, Julia Cameron identifies Crazymakers as  "those personalities that create storm centers. They are often charismatic, frequently charming, highly inventive, and powerfully persuasive. And for the creative person in their vicinity, they are enormously destructive. You know the type: charismatic but out of control, long on problems and short on solutions."

And--I speak from  personal experience--every family has at least one Crazymaker.  (Or rather only one, if you're lucky.)  Some of you must have misplaced yours because I seem to have more than my share! Please retrieve them!

My DD is my Crazymaker.  She has grown into a wonderful woman, but her organizational skills (or lack thereof) and tendency to overcommit lends itself to chaos.  Chaos that spills over into my life, and all too often, my writing time.  

Because I allow it to.  Julia Cameron is right.  And oh-so-smart.

Why do I allow it?  Why does no turn into maybe, and eventually--inevitably, yes?  

Ms. Cameron's theory is that we use our Crazymaker as an excuse not to create. To be honest, this is not something I do every time, at least not consciously, but, looking back, there are instances I've done just that.   

So now I've identified the enemy--myself (for the most part) and diagnosed the problem, what can I do about it? 

• Learn when to say yes, and when (and how) to say no.  Repeat the mantra above.  (A tincture of tough love may be needed here.)
• Examine my reason for saying yes.  Is it something I really want or need to do, or am I avoiding the blank page?
• Find someone to help me be accountable to myself. 
• Respect myself and honor my writing time.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Right up there with the first day of school, and, oh,...yeah, Christmas.

NaNoWriMo is upon us.  That very special time when masochistic writers everywhere embrace 30 days of literary abandon in the pursuit of 50,000 words.  To the exclusion of all else, including friends, family, and, all too often, personal hygiene.

I am not among the faithful flock this year due to various factors.  The kidlets need fed, the Thanksgiving fare prepared (whose idea was it anyway to schedule Turkey Day during NaNoWriMo month?), and, last but not least, the Federal jury system has concluded that I have nothing better to do with my time.

But I plan to unofficially join my ACers and other crazy,...um, committed writers and write more this month than I ever deemed possible.

How do I like to reach for my daily word count?  After hubby leaves for work, I like to have my morning cup of coffee, check my email, then open Scrivener and get settled in.  I prefer to work in quiet solitude,  Or while listening to High Focus through my noise-cancelling headphones.

These ideal conditions rarely happen.  My days are often fragmented by interruptions and family obligations, otherwise known as Real Life.

So I've learned to (cliche alert) roll with the punches.  I'm fortunate to have several options.  I may write on my laptop in the evenings while hubby is watching television.  Or I may grab my Alphasmart Neo (as I'm doing now) and make use of snippets of time.  Flexibility is the key.

Most importantly, you have to find out what works for you.

Take a moment and check out how my Accountability Group likes to work.  Here are the links:

Alexia Reed Angeleque Ford  Kristen Koster  Kimberly Farris