*sighs the longest sigh while shaking head* Geez you guys. I feel like this week was ThE wORsT for #WIPmo.
I was kind of sick, then pretty sick, then really sick. Anyone else have issues with self-care? I’m going to make this one of my biggest goals for 2015 but I’m going to start now. Anyway, I really hope you guys got more done than I did and I hope you’re taking care of yourselves in the process.
Writing is a passion, but the process now and definitely the publishing industry itself can entail stress and so much hard work.
Growing up, writing was an outlet for me. It was a way to relieve stress, a way to get my feelings and emotions out. So for me, sometimes I feel like since I’m doing this writing thing, THAT IS MY VICE. And my reward. Because I’m passionate about it. And yes, it is all of those things, but now I need to realize that it’s not solely my chill time, my rest time, my venting time, my emoting time. Because sometimes (lots of times) I’m putting off other things because I feel “Oh who cares about making that doctor appointment, healthy stuff, social stuff, or enough sleep because like well, at least I’m writing!” So taking better care of myself now, in 2015, and beyond is going to be something I take a LOT more seriously. So. Writing and then Yoga date anyone?
XOXOami
Check-in by answering the following questions in the comments section! Anyone writing whatever can check-in whether this is your fourth or first #WIPmo week!
1. Name/Twitter @ Handle if applicable
2. How did this past week go for you? Meet, exceed or “Wait, what goals?”
3. This week’s goals! (Don’t be scared of the holiday but don’t overextend yourself either.)
4. Other than writing, how do you relax/take the edge off/relieve stress/take care of yourself? What else are you doing for YOU? Anything you want to start doing more of?
Ami with an I 
1. Ami @amilouiseallen
2. How did this past week go for you?I did get 1K words in and then I crashed. Then I burned. (Since I was sick, no goals were met, my friends.)
3. This week’s goals! I’m still not even at 60% well level so I’m going light this week. Also Thanksgiving–which will hopefully happen if I’m up to it to make a little road trip tmrw night. SO my goal is to do the two assignments given to me by my editor and revise the first three chapters of new WIP. (Nope not just gonna keep drafting this one because this book is one that I probably won’t write unless I get the go-ahead from agent/editor.)
4. Other than writing, how do you relax/take the edge off/relieve stress/take care of yourself? What else are you doing for YOU? Anything you want to start doing more of? I exercise but have been inconsistent. I also have been eating like crap and not drinking enough water. My gym doesn’t have the yoga classes that I’d really like to be doing so I want to research a yoga place around here and need to drink LOTS MORE WATER. Also plan more dates with my husband.
1. Name/Twitter @ Handle if applicable
RENA @originallyrena
2. How did this past week go for you? Meet, exceed or “Wait, what goals?”
I actually exceeded my goal for the week! I got my revisions sent a couple days later than planned, but then I got roped into attending a couple regional NaNoWriMo write-ins, including a Write All Night event where I got 10K in just under six hours. My goal was to make it to 40K, but I passed the 50K mark at another write-in yesterday! Apparently those are good for me 🙂
3. This week’s goals! (Don’t be scared of the holiday but don’t overextend yourself either.)
I don’t have any concrete goals this week, actually. I want to keep pushing forward. I’m probably halfway through my WIP at this point, and there’s no way I’ll finish it this month, but maybe 5K more? Lots of holiday prep and entertaining company in my near future.
4. Other than writing, how do you relax/take the edge off/relieve stress/take care of yourself? What else are you doing for YOU? Anything you want to start doing more of?
About once a month, I wake up on a Saturday morning and read an entire book before getting out of bed. This weekend I read two. I turn my phone off, turn the clock away from me, and just read without worrying about time or responsibilities. It’s the best way for me to recharge, if a bit disorienting when it’s suddenly 8pm… (That was for a two book Saturday. Normally it’s early afternoon ;))
That write in sounds pretty cool. I’d love something like that. Also would love that Saturday book plan. You’ve done awesome on those revisions AND Nanoing. You are a machine!
The write-ins are great! One sprint after another, and you report your numbers after, so you’re motivated by that and by the other people. I’m a fast writer, but those made me even faster. We have a fantastic ML in our region, so I’m lucky 🙂
1. Allison Mulder, @silent_pages
2. My week was somewhere in between meeting goals and “Wait, what goals?” College has continued to pile on a bunch of larger projects all around the same time, so I’ve been busy and rather sleep-deprived. However, I did start some of the research I’d planned to do, some of my classwork involved writing a short story which went better than expected, so it was a fun one, and I leave for Thanksgiving Break tomorrow so I should hopefully be able to make up for lost time.
3. This week, I will at least START my next read-through and begin tweaking things to get my draft read for beta readers. I don’t know if I’ll have it finished to my satisfaction before the end of the month, but hopefully break will help with that.
4. Other than writing, I tend to lounge mainly by reading manga and watching anime. I also read or just plain jam to music… One thing I need to get more of is sleep, because it’s one of the easiest important things to slip away from me when I’m on a tight schedule.
Sounds like you didn’t end the week too terribly. 🙂
And yes to more sleep!
1. Geni, @agenip
2. How did this past week go for you? Meet, exceed or “Wait, what goals?”
This was a great week, in that for once, I’m not embarrassed by how little I got done. I’m only now breaking 10k on this MS, but I wrote steadily this week (many thanks to Sonia for the sprints!!!) and I feel like it’s coming together. I’ve been buried under a real-job deadline that’s been killing me and it’s finally past so there’s hope on the horizon.
3. This week’s goals! (Don’t be scared of the holiday but don’t overextend yourself either.)
Except this week is eaten by Thanksgiving. We are traveling to the in-laws which makes writing time almost non-existent. I’m taking a notebook and plan to at least sketch out the next few scenes, but I know I won’t get true writing time until we return next weekend.
4. Other than writing, how do you relax/take the edge off/relieve stress/take care of yourself? What else are you doing for YOU? Anything you want to start doing more of?
Can I take you up on that yoga date, Ami? Pre-baby (baby who is about to turn 4), I did a lot of yoga. If I didn’t make a class at least 5 days a week, I felt like I could barely breathe. This year, I’ve been running (some) and I made my goal of 1 yoga class this month (I know, I set the bar low), but I could use a lot more. I would love more days with kiddo in daycare, work on hold, and exercise & writing on the agenda, but I’m not sure where I’ll find them. Still, some semblance of balance (and the related decrease in chocolate consumption) is a definite goal.
Feel better Ami. And thank you again WIPmo’ers for keeping me going during a really tough month.
I’d love to hv a writing yoga friend over here. *cries*
Congrats on what you did & bigger congrats for not beating yourself up about what you did. Celebrate with all the fixings and pie please!
1. Name/Twitter @ Handle if applicable
Sonia @SoniaHartl1
2. How did this past week go for you? Meet, exceed or “Wait, what goals?”
Exceed goal! Wrote 12k this week and finished WIP. Was going to write more, then realized I actually finished it because I’m nixing my other planned end and going with something I already wrote as the end. So it was kind of an anti-climatic finish because I didn’t even realize I was continuing the story where it should’ve ended. The revisions on this are going to be gnarly. This story is in such a sad state of hot mess right now.
3. This week’s goals! (Don’t be scared of the holiday but don’t overextend yourself either.)
This week’s goals are to outline a revision plan for this WIP, to change the order of some of the events, and come up with a plan to fix my broken ending.
4. Other than writing, how do you relax/take the edge off/relieve stress/take care of yourself? What else are you doing for YOU? Anything you want to start doing more of?
I’m going to read five books this weekend. My husband’s family is coming for Thanksgiving, so there will be beer, but I’m on vacation and need some down time. Since reading is how I relax, I’m going to do as much of it as I can this week.
I don’t care how it happened or whatever because you finished. Yay!! Congrats. 🙂 I’m excited for your five books read a thon. Enjoy!
Guilty! It’s so easy to ignore everything else when I have writing to focus on because, well, I *should* be writing a lot. But it’s all to easy to neglect my friends, my exercise, my family, my laundry, my showers — everything! Being better about balancing it is a great goal for 2015.
So true. I’ve got to get better too otherwise I’ll be sick every other month!