Today is July's contribution to Alex Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group.
Why am I an Insecure Writer this month?
Because the year is officially half over and I’m nowhere near the goals I set for myself back in January.
It’s not that I didn’t see this coming. I knew I was behind schedule back in March, but I always convinced myself I would make up for my lack of progress in the next month. The next chapter will go faster, I’d tell myself, but it never did. So now I’m doubling down, doing everything I can to speed up the writing.
Not all the news is bad. I’m finding more and more ways to sneak in extra writing time, and even though I’m loathe to admit it at times, I am making steady progress, even if the light at the end of the tunnel still seems far, far away. The response from my crit partners has been encouraging and I find myself cringing less often these days when I look back over earlier chapters. Baby steps, perhaps, but maybe I’m figuring out this whole writing thing after all.
Still, it’s hard to fathom how I can give myself an entire year to complete a project and still be in trouble only six months in. It’s scary how time flies, especially when you see your children growing up and realize they’ll be leaving for college one of these days. I really need one of those Time Turners from Harry Potter to go back and savor these days over and over again.
How's the calendar treating you this year?
ChemistKen
I haven't met my goals, either. Some of them are outside of my control, but others are frustratingly bogged down. A proposal for an option book is taking WAY longer than expected, thanks to me having to write a first draft before I can outline it. I could not figure out how to make things connect until I let them develop on the page. I'm approaching the climax now and still not sure how it's all going to work out. Luckily (?) the deadline for this proposal keeps moving farther and farther into the future, thanks to delays at my publisher. But this doesn't help me feel better about the goals I didn't reach. :P
ReplyDeleteI hear you. Outlining only takes me so far. It's only after I start putting things down on the page that all my best ideas come to me. Good luck with the proposal.
DeleteI don't think I've made any progress on the goals I made at the beginning of the year. Time just goes by way too fast.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the truth. One of the hardest parts about writing is that it takes so long and so much work to get anything accomplished. No one cares about half a book, so you don't get any credit for any of your hard work until it's finished.
DeleteThe good thing is that you can always reset your goals.
ReplyDeleteJust keep writing!
I've reset them way too many times already! This time I'm not giving up.
DeleteI'm having the same struggle as you. I think I need a vacation just to write. Maybe I should invest in one of those writing retreats.
ReplyDeleteI worry more about doing it right than how fast I produce. I know a woman who can write 100k in two months and be ready to submit weeks later. I'm not her and never will be.
ReplyDeleteOh and she's been published several times--gawk!
Anna from Elements of Writing
I've had lots of setbacks this year in my writing. Wishing us both some good writing mojo for the rest of the year!
ReplyDeleteI hear you. I should have been done with this manuscript about six months ago. But that's not the case. *shrugs* Well, we can't go back in time, so we'd better make the most of this moment, eh?
ReplyDeleteI am in exactly the same boat and can't believe it. I guess I just have to get my butt in gear so that when December comes around I haven't wasted the whole year.
ReplyDeleteI just don't know where the year has gone! I haven't made the progress I hoped for either but I keep pushing onwards. As you say baby steps, will help us along. Good luck, Ken, keep going.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you. For the longest time I kept telling myself the chapters would get easier. Never happened. I finally had to GIVE UP TV!! And I had to give up half my social media activities and not promo my books so often. I just couldn't do it all. But at least I'm on schedule with my novel now! Good luck to you on yours! :)
ReplyDeleteI can relate. I have yet to finish a book in less than a year, and this one is half the size of the other three. *shakes head*
ReplyDeleteDon't give up.
IWSG #123 until Alex culls the list again.
It is scary how time flies. I wanted to finishing my WIP this year too. I'm about halfway now but struggling.
ReplyDeleteIt is scary how time flies. I wanted to finishing my WIP this year too. I'm about halfway now but struggling.
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting for my time turner. I never accomplish how much I hope to accomplish, but steady progress is a very good thing.
ReplyDeleteYou are spot on, Ken. You'd think we as writers would resist the urge to quantify such an innately creative subjective process such as writing. If our rational selves were asked, they'd say it was impossible to do. When my first book hit five years in progress with still no end in sight. I gave up. There has to be something more predictable to worry about!
ReplyDeleteI think making progress is the most important thing. As long as you're moving forward, you're heading in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteHalf over. I'm in shock. I haven't set goals yet, so I'm way behind and now panicked.
ReplyDeleteHalf over. I'm in shock. I haven't set goals yet, so I'm way behind and now panicked.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to believe the year is half over. Boy do the days fly by too quickly. As long as you are making progress on your WIP, you're good. =)
ReplyDeleteThe year is a blur, it's rushing by so fast. I can thoroughly relate.
ReplyDeleteI think you know my answer. I hate calendars Clocks too. I want to read your chapter, but everything from trying to eat to caring for chickens takes too much time for me to get to the fun stuff! At least I have high hopes on the eating front.
ReplyDeleteI set pretty easy goals for myself this year, so I'm still on target for accomplishing mine. Although, I haven't been writing as often as I should be, lately. I DO have to pick up the pace of that or I will soon be behind on my goal projections. Good luck to you, Ken, with catching up! You have 6 whole months, so I think you can do it. ;)
ReplyDeleteTo be frank, the calendar and I are not on speaking terms. I realized that june has passed, and while major things happened, all of june felt like an extension of may. So June is down in a heaping pile of smoke and debris and it's on to July. *sigh* admittedly, I have a bunch of really big projects going on, so I totally feel for you and not getting them done. On the plus side, there's still six months to catch up! Go team, go!
ReplyDeleteFinding more writing time is a good thing. Well done! For me this year seems to be zooming by.Maybe once the house (new in December) is completely decorated life won't feel like a rush.
ReplyDelete