So I really didn’t know what I was going to do for my early-week post until last night. I didn’t have a particular song to show you guys, I...

Writing Update #1: My Ten-Minute Rule

18 Comments
So I really didn’t know what I was going to do for my early-week post until last night. I didn’t have a particular song to show you guys, I didn’t have much for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, I did have a tag (which I will do eventually), but it was kinda long and would probably require pics, and I was too lazy to complete it in time for it to go live this morning.

Then I remembered how I wanted to start doing writing updates since I am, in fact, a writer, but I haven’t posted too much recently about my writing projects. And then I realized why:

I’m really not working on any.

I mean, sure I have my blog as well as some stories I post online, but as far as original manuscripts, I’m not doing much. My co-writer and I have sent Becoming Braveout to beta readers and some days, if we have time, we look into agents and organize our query letter, but we’re not really doing much work on the project itself. I had tried to work on Low Expectations everyday, but in all honesty, my commitment to that project fluctuates, and as of late, it has fallen.

I make excuses, of course. Mostly, that I just don’t have time. Which is kind of crazy because you wouldn’t think I’d be that busy—I’m not in college but I’m only like, half in high school, lol, some sort of in-between, college-searching, scholarship-essay-writing preparatory stage—but somewhere in between school, my, well, quarter-time job, family, blogging, online stories, reading, and general procrastination, I let my actual writing fall through the cracks.

But that’s not something I’m allowing anymore.

Like Heather said in her Just 100 Words post, sometimes you can’t manage as much writing as you’d like to (there actually is some truth to me not having enough time to work on all my projects), and I’m not going to magically have less responsibilities or more time. To be perfectly honest, I’m probably not going to magically stop procrastinating or wasting time on less important things either, at least not immediately. But what I am going to do is commit to working on one of my original projects for at least 10 minutes everyday before I go to bed.

It’s not the number I wish I could go for, but in a week, that 10 minutes will build into 70 (which will be 70 more than I did last week). And who knows? Maybe working on the projects everyday will rekindle the fire, and I’ll find the motivation to carve out even more time to work on them.

Regardless, the something I will be doing is better than the nothing I have been doing. And I kind of can’t wait to get started. :D

So how’s your writing been going lately? Life eating up the minutes or do you write like you’re running out of time? ;) Tell me about your latest projects in the comments! I can’t wait to hear from you. :)



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18 comments:

  1. Gosh. I haven't been writing at all lately.

    I'll 'write' a little once in a while.... But I usually end up just tweaking something here and there.

    I write best on the computer. But my laptop is a hand-me-down from my older sister... and it's totally breaking. (plus it's what I use to watch movies.)

    And I TRY to write on paper, but it just doesn't flow the same.

    And my parents are about to get divorced. So that's been eating up a lot of time.

    Sorry. That whole thing probably sounded whiny. I just needed to vent to someone. :(

    -The Girl with the Gold Pen

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    1. Oh no, you're fine! Sounds like you do have a lot going on. :( I'll definitely be praying for you and your family.

      And you know, sometimes you're in a position where even 10 minutes or 100 words seems pretty impossible, and that's okay, too. I just knew that, for me, I really had no excuse. And it was high time that I stopped procrastinating. But you have to go with whatever works best for you. :)

      Again, praying for you, and God bless you, girl. <3

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    2. Gosh, thank you! That means a lot. :)
      -The Girl with the Gold Pen

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  2. A lot has flooded my life and it hasn't been writing. But I'm hoping to carve out some time this week to do some final edits and send out a manuscript. Fingers crossed. Wish me luck. I'm wishing you tons!

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    1. Ah, I know that feeling. Sending TONS OF LUCK your way, and thank you! :D

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  3. I have no time to write either, and no inspiration or motivation. This sounds like a great idea though, I think I will try to do that too.

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    1. Thanks, glad I could inspire you. :) Hope it works out and you get some great writing done! :D

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  4. Oh my goodness, I love this post so much. <3 And I love how you're going to start writing 10 minutes every day; that is a small goal, but ultimately, it will bring a large amount of progress. :D So, what original project will you start working on first? :D

    Love this, Sweet Alexa! I hope all is going well! :D

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    1. Thank you so much, Koko! <3 And so far, it's been going really well. I haven't missed a day yet! :)

      For now, I'm working on Low Expectations, but I hope to return to What's Real and maybe my NaNo project too, if the time opens up. :)

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  5. I hope that you'll be productive in your writing. I love this idea, and I want to write more, but I'm busy as I am with 4APs and life in general (although I don't have a job) so I guess I'm going to wait for the summer holidays. What is each project about?

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    1. Thank you! And so far, so good. :)

      Wow, that does sound busy! Hope you still manage to find some time to write, though, and if not, that summer comes quickly for you. :)

      Low Expectations is the story of Elliot, a 14-year-old foster kid who has to learn that even the lowest of expectations can't protect him from reality. And Becoming Brave is the story of two brothers Cecil and Viliam Pembroke, who live in a society where all disabled people are arrested, "upgraded," and forced into military service. Cecil has a bad hand, which they've been hiding all their lives, but when it's discovered, the boys get separated, and Vil infiltrates the system to protect his brother from the inside.

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  6. Yes! WRITE JUST A LITTLE BIT. Because I have found that for me it is working out pretty good when I remember. And I should be fair to myself because last week was midterms and there was family drama this weekend... I fell off the boat, but I AM GETTING BACK ON. BECAUSE WE ARE STRONG, DETERMINED WRITERS. RAWR.

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    1. Yeah me, too! I feel like I'm actually doing things again! :D

      Wow, that does sound busy! But just because you fall off doesn't mean you can't hop right back on. :)

      YES *fist bumps*

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  7. I haven't been writing any stories lately, but I've been working on a prompt book. :) Keep on writing!


    Zielle

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