Operation Devin’s Writing Routine Exercise Dare… Why? I need to FINISH the book…

“Writers do not merely reflect and interpret life, they inform and shape life.” — EB White

I am trying to figure out what my plan of attack will be for writing. I need to finish this novel this year. I finished the second book, but I need to finish this first one. Then I can clean up the second book. The only things standing in my way are online. I tell myself I need to go on facebook and such since I am in Australia and my family are in the States, but maybe I should only set up certain times that I will be on facebook/internet. I was reading this one author’s blog and read what his writing routine consists of. And to me it consisted of a lot of coffee. But, that made me wonder – what does my writing routine consist of?

You know what? I will find out. This week I will give myself an opportunity to become a better writer. I am going to give myself an obstacle course of sorts if you want to call it that. On wednesday, I worked at Ilona’s Counselling Practice and I had to wake up at 5am in order to catch the bus to catch the train to catch the bus to her place in time. So, that makes me think… maybe I should be treating writing more like a job.

Top distractions:

1. Facebook
2. WordPress
3. Twitter
4. Texting
5. People

And all of these distractions are not in a bad way… I love these distractions. But that is what makes it so hard to sit down and write. Of course there are the other distractions that are less fun – like cleaning, washing dishes, laundry and such things. But you know what? I am going to dare myself to get up earlier and get my writing done even before the day starts… then I will be able to hang out with my boyfriend and do other things throughout the day that I need to do.

So, I will start this dare tomorrow. Is anyone else with me?

My Dare

• 5am – wake up and make some tea, sit down at computer and check emails and social media for 20 minutes.
• 5:20am – read a book for 20 minutes to get inspired with words.
• 5:40am – start writing
• plan to write 2,000 words or if I write more (all the merrier)

I will start this Dare tomorrow, so friday morning Brisbane Australia time. You are probably wondering why I am going to be crazy and get up at 5am? Well, I get distracted easily even from the city noises and the sunshine outside. Night suits me best, as I am a night owl – but, maybe if I set this up then I will get a lot of writing done. I have given myself Saturday and Sunday off so that I can sleep in, but other than that… all of next week I will get up at 5am to write. While I write this I sigh and pout because I dislike the idea of waking up so early. But one must give up things for the things they love. And I think, hey 2 or 3 hours sleep = a finished novel. Sounds awesome. I will keep you up to date on my ‘Writing Routine Exercise Dare’. Are you up for the dare too? 

I put a quote up at the top of this blog entry by E.B. White about how writer’s don’t reflect and interpret life, but rather that we inform and shape life – so, I am not going to let my distractions blind me from informing and shaping life.

6 Pre-conceived Ideas to help with Devin’s Writing Routine Exercise Dare 

1. Clean up your writing area the night before and clean up anything else that may catch your attention, so that you don’t end up cleaning just to have a reason not to write.
2. Get out of bed to write, it is WAY too easy to fall asleep in bed, when you are writing
3. Free write in a note book (aim to write 3 pages)
4. Turn the internet off after you have checked your emails and social networking sites
5. Turn off your phone
6. Get your words down on the paper

My first blog entry on how my first day of the dare went will be written tomorrow. Keep your eyes open for it. But, better yet, are you with me on this? What do you do in your writing routine? Any pre-writing rituals? I know… I need to get some candles… (they always inspire me!)

 

How to stay inspired in a less than colourful world…

As a writer I know there are times when we come to a screeching dead halt in our writing, where we can’t find any inspiration. At those moments when we are running low on inspiration and feel empty we look out into the world around us for inspiration and find a world falling apart. At dry times we see soldiers fighting in wars across the seas, homeless people on the streets, and starving children in Africa and ask ourselves how we can get inspired.

I have found myself in this position many times and have wondered, how can I make a difference with my writing anyways? How do I get myself out of this situation? I know that when these questions start to circle around in my mind I have a bad habit of setting my pen down or getting up to leave my computer. Which isn’t what I should do. Instead I should pull inspiration out of the un-colorful world. At this moment I can imagine that many questions are forming in your minds, like:  “Devin, how do I stay inspired in a less than colorful world? How can I get inspiration when everything around me is so uninspiring?” or something like, “How can I make color when I have none?”

These are some tough questions, but I do have answers for them. When I find myself in a funk and can’t get inspired I look deeper into the issue and that gives me inspiration and story ideas. With the soldiers who are fighting in wars across the sea, I find myself thinking about a few things. Who are they? What are their stories? Were they married? What are their struggles and emotions? Or with the homeless people on the streets, how did they become homeless? What are their stories and who are they? Why do they continue to stay on the streets? What do they go through in a day?

As soon as I ask myself these questions my mind starts reeling with ideas, thoughts, characters, and plots. I want to make a difference in my reader’s lives and I know you do too. We need to remember that our less than colorful world needs our color, since we add color to the world with our words. Here are some other ideas to help draw inspiration when you don’t feel inspired.

1. Go for a walk in the wilderness 

-Nature has a way of bringing out the light, when you see all the issues that our world has, you get brought back to how our world should be.

“We can never have enough of nature. We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor, vast and titanic features, the sea-coast with its wrecks, the  wilderness with its living and its decaying trees, the thunder-cloud, and the rain.” -Henry David Thoreau -My mom always told me that fresh air clears the mind and she was definitely right when she said that, besides you can get heaps of color, just by stepping out into the woods. Listen to the sounds. What do you hear? What do you see? Look at all of the details.

2. Delve deeply into something else that will open your mind creatively 

-Do you enjoy drawing, painting?

-Play an instrument

-Get up and move- exercise!

3. Get away from your normal setting

-A few weeks ago I went on a weekend trip with a friend and I got filled up with ideas to write. I went to the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am from a rural Minnesotan town so going into the metropolis changed my atmosphere. I saw different people and settings. By getting away from your normal setting you will find new ideas for stories, settings, and characters.

4. Get enough sleep

-You have all probably heard this before, but they say if you sleep enough hours in a day, that you will have a better chance of remembering your dreams. Dreams can inspire!

5. Get out and volunteer

-Seeing good in tough situations can work wonders, it may even give you a new story idea, a new character or setting! Use the emotions you see in people as well. Such as the pain in the homeless man’s eyes. Or the tears that come to his eyes when you ask how he is doing.

6. Emotion

-Use the emotion you experience (When you feel depressed, write about how you feel and how it affects you. You never know when that will help you with a character you are writing later.

7. Silence

-Go someplace and seek silence. Light some candles and meditate. Listen to relaxing music.

8. Take an online journey of inspiring blogs and websites. 

-Check out inspiring pictures or my newest addiction = pinterest. You can find interesting ideas for characters and settings.

9. Read a good book (check out Goodreads.com) 

10. Change your outlook…

-When things are dark, dreary, or uninspiring change your point of view, change your outlook…

11. Ask yourself the hard questions

-Best Selling Author Steven James once said, “You don’t have a story until you have conflict.” Since we live in a world where conflicting things happen, we must pull inspiration out of the darkness around us by asking ourselves the hard questions.

12. If you still don’t feel inspired… 

-And you have searched for it. Don’t quit writing, continue to show up and write every day! When I am low on inspiration I make a goal of writing 2,000 words a day. At least I am showing up and when I read back over it, sometimes I am surprised with what I’ve written!

P.S. The picture at the top inspired me while writing a scene in the last chapter that I just wrote for my book “The Created Ones”, so I thought I would share this awesome picture with you guys! :)

Who? Me. What? Driving on the opposite side of the car and opposite side of the road…throw a stick shift into the picture and what do you get? Lol…. = it was a success… Haha… I am proud of myself!

I just got done writing a thousand words. I am so happy that I know what is going to happen next in my story. I once interviewed an author and they told me that they love to stop writing each night when they know what they will proceed with the next day. It’s a nice idea to try out next time when you write!! :)

I am going to start working on a surprise for all of you this week. It will be an awesome blogging experience momentum for all of ya! I am excited to offer it to ya all! :)

Today my boyfriend taught me to drive on the left side of the road, right side of the car, and with a stick shift. Let’s just say that, that is a lot to think about coming from driving on the right side of the road, on the left side of a car, and with an automatic. You no longer only have to deal with 2 pedals, but with three pedals and a five geared stick shift and the whole thing with the other side of the car and road thing. I was nervous at first but towards the actually driving without stalling it, it got exciting for me, but I think that Johan enjoyed it even more to give me a driving lesson! And let’s say I only stalled it twice…. And it was on flat ground. So I was proud of myself. It was funny because I drove his mum’s car and it’s a little golden car and one timesee said I could borrow it if I wanted to when in Brisbane and inside I was thinking… Um… No, because I don’t know how to drive a stick shift. But then I said to her one time, ” No, I can’t drive that, Thing. I can drive a bicycle instead!” and from that day and on the little golden nugget of a car has been called and known as the “Thing” by his whole family! Lol… Oh boy…

This week I will start doing a part time job working as an admin for a psychologist. I can’t wait to start! It will be exciting, besides the brain and psychology has always interested me!  That will be fun! :) Then tomorrow I will update you about searching for magazines to send writing into and sending proposals to businesses in the Brisbane area offering my writing and design services. I will also add a tab up above with my services and how you can hire me. My portfolio tab will be edited tomorrow as well! So there are many things to keep your eyes open for! Exciting!

Today was a great day with m boyfriend, Johan! I am so blessed to call him mine! :)

Love ya all,

Devin

A new post for you! :)

Hello all, I am currently on the sunny coast with Johan and his family! Today was a lovely day even if it rained pretty much all day!! I enjoyed every part of it with my boyfriend.

I was extremely sore today though! At the beginning of the day I was wondering why… But I think it’s because of all the walking I did yesterday! I walked to the grocery store and carried bags back! It felt really lovely to walk and be outside! I even got some interesting views and got to experience some interrrrrrresting… People. Like the kinds you would read about in my books… Lol. then later tonight I did some reading over my blog and I realized about how much I have grown and the different things that I have gone through in my life!

This July will be my blogs one and a half year anniversary! So to celebrate, I will be planning something exciting! I can’t tell you yet, but I will let you know soon!! Get ready! :)

So as you all know I have been writing a lot lately. But I need to gt into the sit down and write for an hour every day. It’s my job. I must also find places to submit it to so that I can start getting paid for my words! :)

1,059 words….

It feels so nice to finally have written a nice chunk of words again. It took a little bit of brainstorming and outlining to get this far. I am not really an outliner though. It’s crazy how some people are huge outliners and others just write, write, write and don’t need outlines. While growing up, my dad would edit for farming magazines and for other things. One of the other things would be my school papers. School being high-school and also college papers. He loved it. Sometimes it drove me and my siblings crazy because my dad loved editing and outlining so much that he would help us set up outlining mode in Word and  practically helped us rewrite the paper in outline. :P Now, I look up to him for that… because my outlines are nothing compared to how his were. But I am thankful that he took the time to sit down and explain it all to us. :) So, my outlines were not extremely amazing or anything… then more so end up being a list of points – like a road map… sorta of where I am going and where I will go next. So, then how do you write? Are you an outliner? or a freewriter? (I have heard some people call it pantsing… but I don’t like that saying much! lol!) 

I have pretty much one whole novel written. It’s the Created Ones, which is at about 70,000 words… the goal had been 80,000. I felt like I was pushing too many of my characters into the can and limiting their stories to the point where I felt like I was bored with them. That isn’t a good thing… by the way! lol…
Soon after thinking about one character at a time… I started seeing their past and their issues. I am totally excited about this Fantasy/Paranormal Fictional Novel. It has been trying my patience, and strength in writing as well. But maybe this first story will be easier to write… because I have basically written one novel already.

How have you all been?

I will be putting the WINNER of my Flash Fiction Zombie Contest up soon! Keep your eyes peeled, it’s a good one! :)

Devin Berglund

The light is at the end of the tunnel and… I believe I am seeing it!!! :) YAY!!! 16,649 words left… :)

I just was thinking that I would leave a new post saying that I am currently at 16,649 words left of “The Created Ones” full manuscript. I am currently writing my last chapter to the book and I have decided that when I go back through the first draft that I will get a good feel on rewriting parts and adding or taking certain things out of it. It has been interesting as I have been writing some dark things, that i have found myself going through some of the same issues as my characters. As a writer, do you ever find yourself battling with what your characters are dealing with?

6 days till I see, my Johan! :) YAYYYY!!!!!!

 

20,937 words to go…. wrote 3,768

Yesterday, I helped my parents decorate the tree. The tradition at our house is that almost every year we would be given an ornament. You can imagine how many ornaments we have, we have a lot! So, we always listen to Christmas music and decorate the tree. The tree’s branches have been drooping a bit more every year! I think it would be cool to have a real evergreen tree for Christmas some year. So, I hope someday to have that kind of a tree at least once. :P Another kind of tradition that we have before Christmas is that we watch the Muppet’s Christmas Carol. Two reasons: I loooove the Muppets and I loooove The Christmas Carol.

What are some of your Christmas Traditions? :)

Today, I have 15 days till I see my boyfriend again! I am so excited and nervous! haha… It’s been such a long time since I last saw him. Miss him, muchly!! Can’t wait to see him again!

WRITING
The past two days I have done a lot! Yesterday, I felt like I had fallen a bit behind. It can be quite depressing to feeling like you are behind, but today I made up for it and wrote 3,768 words.

The amount of words written from Monday-Thursday = 8,300
Words written from Friday to Saturday= 3,768
Weeks total? Did I meet my weeks goal? Drum Roll!!!
This weeks total equals= 12,068
YAY!!!! I am jumping up an down excitedly! Yay! So, tomorrow I start back at the beginning, I need to shoot for 2,000 words. :)

UP AND COMING HAPPENINGS
1. This week I will be having a guest writer’s story published on my blog, she is one of the winners of the “Nightmare” Writing Contest I held in October.
2. I need to meet my 12,000 words writing goal with 2,000 words each day. I will have an update to encourage myself!
3. Watch for the 28th of December, as I will be a guest blogger on another writer’s blog. :) I am totally excited!!! :)

After this next week I will only have 8,937 words left till I have met my goal! :)
So help me celebrate meeting my goal and enjoy your night. Treat yourself to your favorite drink or snack! :) Possibly treat yourself to a delicious cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and candy-canes! :) YUM! :)

Devin

A little behind today! -98

So, I edited a chapter that was going horrendously, so I ended up getting rid of a bunch of unneeded words and different things that were unneeded like notes that were written in with some of the chapters. I have to write 24,607 more words. I ended up getting rid of 258 words exactly, so that put’s me behind a day. So I am aiming at 4,098 words tomorrow.

I really want to work on Chapter 30 and 31 tomorrow. I have to figure out where a few of the chapters fit in.

So, I shall leave ya all and I hope you all reached your word goal today! :)

Devin

24,705 words to go…

2,057 words written before 3pm! That is an awesome feeling… I need to figure out if it’s a possibility to finish my end parts of the story. I just wanted to do a quick update that I got my 2,000 done for today! It almost feels like 2,000 words isn’t enough, I should really be trying for 2,000 some more today! I will let you know how that goes!

I am just writing down on my blog my plan of attack to document how the process goes in finishing the novel when we keep word count goal! Something, I found last night was that I have so many pieces of the story that I am trying to bridge the gaps. How do you write?
1. Write all the way through?
2. Start at the end and work the way to the beginning?
3. or write what parts come to you and then fly by the seat of your pants with what parts come to you?

Let me know, would be great to find out! I find that I am a #3
This next week I plan on hosting one of the winner’s from my October “Nightmare” Writing Contest on this blog, so keep your eyes open for that!

26,762 words left… outlined the end of “The Created Ones” Tonight!

 

I am super pumped about how much I got finished today, I almost didn’t think I would get as much done as I did. Half way through I got really stuck and didn’t really know what to write. I got a sense that I need to show the readers more what the Devil and evil spirits in the story want for my protagonists and other characters. My boyfriend told me  “Make sure the reader can see how desperate the characters are in need to be saved from themselves and that the characters know it as well.” I have a smart boyfriend! :) So, that is something I realized when writing about Sybil and Star. In a way Sybil is Star’s shadow… her fear… what she doesn’t like, but could turn out like if turned to the dark-side.

Word Count Goals up to Wednesday:
Monday -2,056
Tuesday-2,131
Wednesday-2,056
3 days of writing about 2,000 words equals 6, 243 words! YAY! Half way done on the goal of 12,000 words for this week!