Progress

Wrote 950 words yesterday.

Wrote 1,100 words so far today.

Still behind, but I'll get there.

I can do this.

I'm using this for inspiration.

Doubt

I have one more week left of my 30 days.

I am really far behind on my word count.

I'm starting to doubt if I can actually do this.

Granted, I've written more words in the past month than I ever have before towards my goal of writing a book.

But I just don't know if I can finish.

I've started worrying about what people will think when they read it. If they'll like it or not, or if they'll think it's believable or not.

And it's a very personal thing to put all of this out there, on the page, waiting to be critiqued by the world.

I don't know if I can do it.

Brian says he's just proud that I'm writing, and it's OK if I don't finish.

But I made a goal. I like to achieve my goals.

Can I really do this?

Plan B

“Plan A is always my first choice. You know, the one where everything works out to be

‘happily ever after.’

But more often than not, I find myself dealing with the upside-down, inside-out version where nothing goes as it should.

It’s at this point the real test of my character comes in…
Do I sink or do I swim?
Do I wallow in self-pity and play the victim or simply shift gears and make the best of the situation?

The choice is mine.

After all…

life is all about how you handle Plan B.”

New Years Revelations

So we're a week into the New Year. And I've already had some revelations when it comes to my goals.

1. I cannot write each day for my novel AND do my blog every day. I'll just have to do my best.
2. I have a hard time writing right when I get home from work. I'm too stressed out by the day and can't seem to get any momentum going.
3. Brian is a distraction. :) But a good one. Maybe once school starts again it will be a little easier.
4. But I CAN write when I put my mind to it. My novel might not be wonderful, or the next thing to rock the world, but I can do it. I can sit down and get out 50,000 words by the end of the month.

And I WILL!

January - Aim Higher & Pursue a Passion

This month I'm going to Aim Higher & Pursue a Passion.

My Resolutions:

• Write a novel
• In preparation for this I checked out the book No Plot? No Problem!, by Chris Baty, from the library. It's already been so inspiring.
• Goal: 50,000 words in 30 days. 1,667 words per day.
• Make Time
• Assign 1 hour per day to writing
• Right after dinner? 8:00? Find a time that works best.
• Don't feel guilty about working on projects
• I have other things I like to do besides write. But I often find myself feeling guilty for doing them when I think I should be doing other things. I need to remember that sometimes it's OK to take time for me.
• Forget about results
• "If you enjoy it, do it"
• Enjoy the fun of failure
• Revamp blog
• Post more regularly
• Enjoy now
• Work Smart
• Are there pockets of time unused/wasted?

Month 3 Review

Let's Review:

Laugh out Loud: Pretty good. 

The holidays always make me happy so it was easier to laugh more. I still could work on this though.

 

Use Good Manners: Pretty good.

I was a lot more aware of when I was doing certain things, which helped me try to stop the bad habit. I'm proud to say I very rarely burp out loud anymore, and I'm trying harder to let things people say go, and resist the urge to try and "top" them.

Examine True Rules: No idea.

I guess I wasn't really prepared for this one. I don't know what rules govern what I do, I just am who I am. Maybe I'll keep this in mind for a later date.

Stimulate the Mind in New Ways: OK, I guess.

I did work on a different kind of craft than I usually do, so I guess that's something new. I still need to work on this one.

Overall: OK

I think there's always room for improvement, so I'll just keep trying.

Previous goals review

Bed by 10, up at 6:30: Still struggling.

With the holidays and break from school and work, it was difficult to make it to bed on time. And getting up was even worse.

 

Exercise: Starting over.

After Thanksgiving and then Christmas, we really got out of the habit of push ups. We're starting over next month though.

 

Eat Breakfast: Nope, still bad.

This past vacation I've done well at eating breakfast, mostly because we don't end up eating until 11 or 12, so it's not really breakfast, but lunch instead. I just can't eat so early in the morning.

 

Pray: OK.

We're still working on it.

 

Read Scriptures: Good.

I finished the challenge today, which was great. Now we're recommitting to read the scripture together, every day, 6 pages a day. This is a challenge we're doing with my family to finish before my little brother leaves on his mission.

Caught Up

So I fell a little behind in my scripture reading because of the holiday, but today I'm finally caught back up.

I have only read the Book of Mormon this quickly twice.

Usually I do the regular, read one chapter a day, thing.

But it amazes me how great the actual "story" of the Book of Mormon is too.

Of course it's about so much more than that, but the story is great as well.

I am still finding little things that pop out to me each day when I read.

And some days it's just the act of reading that makes it all worth it, because of how I feel after I'm done.

I love this book!