For my new wrimo followers on tumblr...

Hello!  I hope that the upcoming fourth day of camp has you being productive and having fun. 

If you would like to do a word sprint, please feel free to message me.  If I'm sitting in front of my computer, then I'm probably up for a word sprint or word war.  :)

Procrastination

I just wrote this long response to a forum post and I'd like to share it with you guys.  With camp coming upon us (it starts in a week!), procrastination is going to be a really big problem for a lot of us.  I choose to combat it in a "positive reinforcement" sort of way:

I'm horrible at procrastinating. Everyone knows when I've got a big project or deadline coming up because my room is spotless and the fridge is cleaned out. I'm hoping that camp next month will really whip me back into shape. My daily word count has been a roller-coaster of totals. I'll go days without writing, even when I have a dedicated two hour block in the middle of my day. Most of the time, that time is spend doing things like...not writing. Tumblr is a big distraction. So is Facebook. Next month, I think I'll go on a reward system like I did last summer. For every 1k words, I get something small and at the end of the day, if I hit a certain amount, I get a certain reward. Like:

For every:
1k - 5 minutes on Tumblr (Yes, I actually use a timer...otherwise, I will cheat)

If I reach:
2k - A cookie
3k - A movie...
4k - ...with popcorn
5k - ...and a box of candy from the general store across the street
6k - An extra Sugar Free Red Bull tomorrow
10k - (yeah, right...) An hour on Tumblr! Uninterrupted! Unlimited Scrolling! Oh my!

Or something like that. On different days, I have different rewards. And I have one for the end of the week as well and it's usually something meaningful like going on a date night with my boyfriend. Oh, and If I make the word count goal for the day, I put 5 dollars in a jar. Then, at the end of the month, I get to spend it on something geeky and writery...just for myself. Writing (especially since I haven't gotten any novels published yet) can seem so unrewarding at times. The satisfaction of completing a story is great and I love that feeling. It's the best feeling in the world - like a hot shower after a camping trip or being able to breath after you get over a bad cold/allergies - but sometimes it doesn't feel like it's enough. Sometimes it's just the little things that keep me going. Especially on those days where the plot doesn't seem to be going anywhere, or when it feels like a really boring scene (throw in some ninjas!).

I'd like to wish everyone a productive and prolific session of camp in April!  You don't have to be alone.  Wrimos are always helpful and are willing to do word wars.  :)  Including myself.

“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it.
Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.”

~ William Faulkner

YoCW has begun!!!

I'm sad that I didn't get to spend "Read Across America/Dr. Seuss" Day (yesterday) reading to kids at the library or some other social function.  Instead, I did sneak away for a moment and read from my current book, Only the Innocent by Rachel Abbott.  It's a fantastic book that has a touch of intrigue mixed with mystery and suspense. It has been a fun read thus far but I haven't been able to get too into the book with the things that have been going on.

I have started another exciting year at the YoCW (Year of Continuous Writing) Project.  This time, I intend on trying my best and keeping writing at the forefront of my priority list.  A small (but growing -- apparently it has grown leaps and bounds since it's inaugural year, last year) group of writers band together to support each other in the same goal: Make this year the most prolific, fruitful year of writing ever!

Yesterday, I wrote a measly 2k.  I am hoping to surpass that today but my schedule is full.  I have decided that waking up an extra half an hour or hour should provide me with even more quiet writing time.  After 9 PM, when Jake's granddad goes to bed, I can also get a couple of hours in front of Microsoft Word or Scrivener.  

As of late, writing has been my hobby.  But this year, I'm hoping to make writing my career.  With that in mind, I have dedicated this year at YoCW to improving and honing my craft and pumping out some great short stories and a novel or two...,or four, if I really knuckle down!  Wish me luck!

Today's prompt:

You haven't fed the goldfish in days.  The goldfish are revolting!

Can you see the malice in his eyes?!!!