Monday Motivation: Birthday Week Celebrations, Priorities, and my 200th Post!
Hello and welcome to my 200th post.
It's Monday - let's get motivated, people!
We here in Minnesota are still buried in snow, with more on the way, even though the calendar says that Spring starts this week. Whatevs. Not in my front yard. In fact, this morning we are enjoying a relaxingtwo-hour delayed start snow day. Again.
In other, more pleasant news, Birthday Week has officially begun! It's a week of celebration, of cake, of gifts!
We started with a delightful little party for Birdy, inspired by one of my favorite books as a child, The Best-Loved Doll by Rebecca Caudill.
The girls were invited to bring along a favorite doll, I read the book aloud, and we ate pink cupcakes and drank pink lemonade, just like in the book. Each guest received some trinkets for their dolls, a copy of The Best-Loved Doll, and a kit to make a no-sew fleece blanket for their dolls (thanks to my crafty sister, Julie).
Our schedule for the rest of the week is jam-packed: tonight I am bringing home dinner from one of my favorite restaurants, Guadalajara, since we won't be able to eat there on my birthday. Thursday (Birdy's actual birthday) we'll eat at Subway, her restaurant of choice. Friday (my birthday) we are driving to Wisconsin after work for even more family birthday celebrations (my father-in-law and my brother-in-law). This in addition to a very busy work week, some extracurricular activities, and Hammer Guy being out of town for part of the week!
Which brings me to today's question:
How do you stay motivated to get your butt in the chair and write when you have a million other things going on?
Lately I've been pretty consistent and dedicated to hanging out with the laptop and my WIP after the kids go to bed every night, and it seems like my mind is constantly in the world of my manuscript. Even if I only get a half-hour to actually write or revise, I'm doing the work of writing throughout the day, every day. I spend time reading the work of my CPs and (even though it's been a rough 2013 so far), I find motivation in reading, especially books that are similar in style or subject matter to mine.
Above all, my writing time - whether it's thinking, reading, or actual writing -- is a PRIORITY. No matter how busy life gets, I need to remember that.
So tell me, how do you stay motivated during crazybusy weeks?
It's Monday - let's get motivated, people!
We here in Minnesota are still buried in snow, with more on the way, even though the calendar says that Spring starts this week. Whatevs. Not in my front yard. In fact, this morning we are enjoying a relaxing
In other, more pleasant news, Birthday Week has officially begun! It's a week of celebration, of cake, of gifts!
We started with a delightful little party for Birdy, inspired by one of my favorite books as a child, The Best-Loved Doll by Rebecca Caudill.
The girls were invited to bring along a favorite doll, I read the book aloud, and we ate pink cupcakes and drank pink lemonade, just like in the book. Each guest received some trinkets for their dolls, a copy of The Best-Loved Doll, and a kit to make a no-sew fleece blanket for their dolls (thanks to my crafty sister, Julie).
Our schedule for the rest of the week is jam-packed: tonight I am bringing home dinner from one of my favorite restaurants, Guadalajara, since we won't be able to eat there on my birthday. Thursday (Birdy's actual birthday) we'll eat at Subway, her restaurant of choice. Friday (my birthday) we are driving to Wisconsin after work for even more family birthday celebrations (my father-in-law and my brother-in-law). This in addition to a very busy work week, some extracurricular activities, and Hammer Guy being out of town for part of the week!
Which brings me to today's question:
How do you stay motivated to get your butt in the chair and write when you have a million other things going on?
Lately I've been pretty consistent and dedicated to hanging out with the laptop and my WIP after the kids go to bed every night, and it seems like my mind is constantly in the world of my manuscript. Even if I only get a half-hour to actually write or revise, I'm doing the work of writing throughout the day, every day. I spend time reading the work of my CPs and (even though it's been a rough 2013 so far), I find motivation in reading, especially books that are similar in style or subject matter to mine.
Above all, my writing time - whether it's thinking, reading, or actual writing -- is a PRIORITY. No matter how busy life gets, I need to remember that.
So tell me, how do you stay motivated during crazybusy weeks?
Okay, I'm not gonna complain about the few inches of snow I got overnight, after seeing your pic :) I'll take a little over a mountain!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday week! Your house always seems so fun with themed food and bookish activities.
I try to wait until the end of the day to write so I can convince my brain it's my treat after a hard day's work - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
No more snow this week - just brutally cold sub-zero wind chill and stuff like that...
DeleteI sort of feel like writing after the kids are in bed is a reward, too.
Thanks for the birthday wishes!
Happy Birthday! As for me, I'm happy to report that I just finished writing a novel that has taken me more than a year. And it's pretty darn great!
ReplyDeleteThank you and congratulations on finishing the novel! What a great feeling! :)
DeleteEnjoy Birthday week!
ReplyDeleteI give myself permission to break from writing (and need those breaks, quite frankly) when life gets busy. Living life needs to stay ahead of anything...even writing.
Thank you!
DeleteYou have a great attitude.... I have stopped feeling guilty when those busy weeks do prevent me from writing, so that's a step in the right direction!
CP Jaime and I have just started a new writing regimen (inspired by Bruce Coville and Paula Dnaziger) where we owe each other 300 new words a day, six days a week. I really like the 300-word number; 300 first-drafty words usually take me between 15-20 minutes, which I can carve out of nearly any day (even in five minute chunks). It doesn't seem like much but I was on a pretty long streak of writing zero words a day, so it's much, much better than that. And of course sometimes I have a little extra time or energy, so in the five days I've written under this new plan, I've actually gotten just over 2000 words written. Again, not a huge number (less than what I wrote in a day during NaNo) but if I commit to it, it's still a draft in six or seven months rather than an abandoned Google Doc that looms over me in my dreams, rattling its chains and shaking its head.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course--Happy birthday!!!
Ooh, that sounds like a great plan! I can't wait to hear how it all turns out.
DeleteThanks for the birthday wishes, dear! :)
Happy birthday!
ReplyDeleteWe are getting more snow today into tomorrow. I'm so done with it.
I stay motivated by sticking to a set schedule. At certain times, I'm writing. No buts about it.
Thanks, Kelly!
DeleteYou are so great about your schedule - I wish I could figure out that kind of routine! If only my day job would cooperate... :)
Happy Birthday. I find knowing what I'm going to work on helps keep my motivated. I grab the index card for the next scene, do a little visualization and start cranking out words.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sarah! Sounds like you have a good routine down as well.
DeleteSpring's not headed our way any time soon either. Boo. But it sounds like you guys have a pretty fun (albeit busy) week ahead of you. Maybe by the time the week is over Spring will be inching closer. Before I forget: Happy Birthday on Friday!! :D
ReplyDeleteAs Jess mentioned, we've been exchanging 300 new words every day (just rough draft stuff), and that's been both challenging and motivating for me. Some days it's really difficult to make that happen, but most of the time it kicks me into gear to write more than that. I do think that sticking to a schedule helps with the overly busy times, so I've been trying to do that lately too. ;)
Thanks for the birthday wishes! And please stop sending your winter weather our way. Just kidding! :)
DeleteI'm excited for you and Jess - sounds like you've got a good thing going. Great idea!
When I have a crazy busy week... I try to get up a little earlier to squeeze in some writing before life gets in the way. It doesn't always work, but I'm much more likely to squeeze in twenty minutes first thing in the morning than to drop what I'm doing later in the day and write.
ReplyDeleteEven though I do most of my writing at night, I prefer to write in the morning as well, but I'm already getting up between 4:30 and 5, so any earlier than that I might be just a touch crabby. :) It's easier in the non-winter months (so, like 3 months of the year. At least that's what it feels like this year).
DeleteYay for birthday week! I absolutely LOVE the theme of your sweet girl's party. I might be copying for my girl come August. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhen I have a crazy-busy week, I sometimes just give myself a pass on the writing stuff. I hate that it's something that occasionally has to be passed over, but sometimes there's just not enough time in the day with family and activities and the unexpected and all. Not feeling the pressure to write helps.
I hope you have a wonderful week, Sara!
Thank you, Katy! Feel free to copy away! :)
DeleteFunny story - I was so motivated to stick with my routine this week and I'm two days in and have had to skip the writing both nights for various reasons. That's life, I guess!
Happy birthday week!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ghenet! :)
Delete