Thursday, January 31, 2008

Don't forget the map!

T minus 1 and counting! FEBO begins in less than 12 hours. I am giddy with excitement, because I am expecting big changes in my life.

If you missed the previous posts, you may be thinking, That sounds great, but. . . . . . . .

What the heck IS FEBO?

(If you already know about FEBO, you can skip this section!)

Good question. FEBO is a chance for prodigal writers to come back home and start writing again. It's a chance to turn a new page--literally and figuratively--to make a new beginning by applying some discipline to your writing life. Would you like to write 10 minutes a day like NancyE? Do you want to tackle a children's book like Marmot Mom? Do you want to finish the novel you started for NaNoWriMo, like Peaches? Do you want to do something instead of nothing in February? Then this is the place for you.

It's so simple. You set your own goals--small and manageable or big and grandiose. To write five minutes a day. To write and mail one query letter each week. Or to write a complete novel by February 29th. Or you can set a new goal every week or every day. It's up to you. What FEBO provides is a small community of writers who are doing the same thing--setting goals and reaching them, one page, one sentence, one day at a time.

Plan to Succeed

I am reading a great book about writing a book. It's called Chapter after Chapter, and it's written by Heather Sellers. She says that a good technique to use to keep yourself on track is to PLAN each night for the next day's writing. "Writing a book is exactly like traveling in a country you don't know well. What do you do in a bed in a new country before you fall asleep? Look at maps. Orient yourself. Memorize the landscape, the roads, the route you will take. . . ."

So what is my plan for tomorrow? I intend to read every word of my SMO (Sprawling Magnum Opus) of a children's book (about 30,000 words), editing as I go. Then I'm going to think about how to best introduce the characters and setting to the readers. If I don't lure them in with a good opening, they won't read the rest. Right now I think the beginning is what's killing it. I've made a new copy of the manuscript, so that if I mess anything up, I won't destroy what I've already done. I've got a plan and, Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I'm ready to go on the first day of FEBO.

What's YOUR plan for tomorrow's writing?

4 comments:

Lara said...

I plan to hack up a draft of an article query and (hopefully) get it emailed out.

In terms of planning, I read somewhere recently (sorry I can't remember where) that one way to get off and running in your writing is to end in the middle the day before. The middle of a sentence, a paragraph, a thought. That way you have a definite starting place and you don't have to do a lot of wondering how to start. Start by "finishing" and then carry on from there. Haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like an interesting trick.

Donna Alice said...

My plan for tomorrow (if we aren't housebound due to snow) is to send out my short story. This requires buying more brown envelopes and getting to the store. Snow will cancel that plan.

I also plan to tackle two very iffy chapters in my WIP and cut them down and change things around. I have my characters eating four meals in two days to get info across. NOt good.

Anonymous said...

I am determined to make some writing time every day and am a bit worried about tying myself to a target of pages. So, as long as I write for a mininum of half an hour a day, I'll leave it at that for now.

I like amusing mom's idea of leaving my work in mid-sentence to resume next day. I might try that!

Good luck on day 1 everybody.

The Word Place said...

I have on my to-do list to write for one hour. Anything over that is frosting on the cake. Since I have the small person tomorrow, I will need to make hay when the sun shines--or rather when the little sunshine snoozes!

Let's go, Ladies!!