Write or Die

I’m a writing fiend this week. Or, rather, Penny is. Her new (and in fact first) ER “short” is motoring along. I’ve found it a little challenging focusing on the, ahem, subject matter with my adult/teenage kids and their S.O.’s in the house, but I’ve managed. I can now see the ending in sight. Yippee!

Now, I’m not the type to impose word limits (by that I mean expectations) on myself, because I usually wind up disappointed, because of the affliction that causes me to revise and edit as I write. Whenever I join a goals group or some such, I get bogged down in the requirement to produce new writing. To me, if you’re revising it, that makes it new. However, usually in goal groups, “revising” didna = “new.”

For those who like the crack of the whip, check out Write or Die. Let me know if it works for you.

By Cindy

I'm irritated because my posts won't publish.

6 comments

  1. I belong to one of Amy Atwell’s GIAM groups, where we post our progress every week. It’s a way of accountability. Part of the group also has one week a month in which we post our progress. I’m plotting this week, so I didn’t join in. But last month I was revising. I’d post how many pages I revised and how many new ones I wrote in the course of the revisions. It’s all progress!

    Good luck on your story!

  2. Edie, you’re right, it IS all progress. The only goal groups I’ve belonged to want you to produce more revised pages than new ones. My problem is I spend way more time revising than I do drafting, because I barf-draft.

    Have you tried the Write or Die software?

  3. I belong to Club100writers. It’s a group on yahoo. You contract to write a minimum of 100 words for 100 days. You can contract(at the beginning)to take certain days off. You can count new writing, edits. non-fiction, articles or whatever. You write then report in with your word count daily. If you miss a day(unless you contracted to miss it ahead of time)you start over at day 1. This has been the best thing for my writing yet. I’m on my third 100 set.

    LindaC

  4. Hi Linda, glad to see you here.

    I belong to a YA writers listserv that was doing 100 in 100 at one time. It sounds like a great idea.

  5. Cindy, I battle that concept all the time. When I quit my day job I set up a small group with some local at-home friends so we could hold each other accountable, and all of us tend to lament if we have no new words. We’re good about counting revisions, but the preliminary stuff–plotting, mulling, researching–they tend to dismiss (for themselves, not each other!).

    I say anything you do related to your book is writing. Period!

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