Tag: Writing Productivity

Writing Journal 10 July 2024: Not the best start to July

After the great news last week, I should have expected a bit of a downturn the following week. Whelp, it turned out to be the case.

Writing statistics for the week ending 6 July 2024:
3,520 words written.
Days writing: 5 of 7.
Days revising/planning: 2 of 7 for 180 total minutes.
Daily Writing Goals Met (500+ words or 30 minutes of planning/revisions): 7 of 7 days.

For me, the mystery of why I had a drop in production was not much of a mystery. I got to a point in what I call my “priority” project (The Yank Striker 2) where I had to decide where I wanted to start next, and yet I wasn’t quite sure where to start. I got into circular thinking where I wanted to get going on the project, and yet I didn’t decide to get started on one of my alternate projects… because I wanted to get started on the priority project.

What I got when I searched for “head spinning.” Photo by Kelly on Pexels.com

So, after a four-day not writing streak (this includes days during this week in addition to the previous week), I’ve decided on a new strategy to try and break the writing block (not necessarily a writing block, because I know what I want to write but not in what order). I have set up blank chapters on my first draft for where I think I want to insert scenes. I have this outlined in my planning notebooks, but I don’t have it on the first draft. Each section will have a quick summary of the scene or scenes I want to include in each chapter. Once I’m done with the chapter, I’ll delete the summaries. It will be a faster way for me to know where I want everything, and as I’ve done before, I can pick and choose what scenes I want to work on or which ones I want to hold off on or maybe even cut before they get to the first draft.

Also, I need to just get started writing. Even if it’s not a priority project lol. This week might be low, but at least it won’t be as unproductive as last week.

I think.

While I do appreciate you following this blog, I really would like you to subscribe to my Substack page. By subscribing to that page, you’ll not only be receiving my Substack newsletter, The Writing Life With Jason Liegois (the companion blog to this one), but you’ll also be signing up for my email list. Just click the button below.

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Writing Journal, 19 June 2024: Record-setting week

Photo by SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS on Pexels.com

It’s been so long since I had a really great writing week I wasn’t sure I was seeing what I was seeing across the screen from me. However, last week was one for the ages.

For the first time ever, I believe, since I started keeping records on my writing, I wrote more than 10,000 words in a single week.

The raw numbers:

Writing statistics for the week ending 15 June 2024:
10,882 words written.
Days writing: 7 of 7.
Days revising/planning: 3 of 7 for 150 total minutes.
Daily Writing Goals Met (500+ words or 30 minutes of planning/revisions): 7 of 7 days.

Get in, indeed.

To put this in perspective, I have been averaging somewhere around 15,000 to 16,000 words per month for the past three months or so. And to be honest, I was under-performing during those past three months because of all the traveling and commuting I’ve had to do during then. I’ve talked about it more than once recently, so that’s all I’ll go into it here.

What changed? First, of course I’ve been off on summer vacation for a couple weeks now. Also, it was the first time in I don’t know how many weeks I didn’t have some activity or trip that took me either to Des Moines or Chicago or one thing or another. To be fair, I enjoyed those trips, but I’ve learned writing while traveling can be a hit or miss experience. As I’ve mentioned before, having a regular dedicated writing space where you can get work done in peace, undisturbed, is so underrated at times.

And being on vacation in my own home, not someplace in a hotel or whatever, has been a big positive for me and my mental outlook. I never could understand writers or other creative types who claimed to need to be in a bad or depressive mood to be productive. On those days, if I can get showered and shaved and clean up the dishes, I’m ahead of the game.

Finally, I was determined to tray and get myself out of a long writing slump this week. I had plenty to write about online and made at least an extra blog post or two. I’ve also got a lot of work done on my next work in progress, the second book in The Yank Striker series, and I would even get some work done on another work in progress, a pro wrestling-based family drama.

Again, I am looking to complete at least 200,000 words written by the end of this calendar year and meeting my minimum daily goals at least 75 percent of the time. I was pretty far behind that pace for the past few months. However, if I manage to get some more weeks where I write even 6,000-7,000 words per week, I have a feeling I could get back on track pretty rapidly.

It’s easier said than done – the past couple of day of this week weren’t as productive as some – but I’m feeling more confident I can take the next several weeks and make it the most productive summer of my writing career so far.

Wish me luck.

While I do appreciate you following this blog, I really would like you to subscribe to my Substack page. By subscribing to that page, you’ll not only be receiving my Substack newsletter, The Writing Life With Jason Liegois (the companion blog to this one), but you’ll also be signing up for my email list. Just click the button below.

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A Week in the Writing Life, 21 October 2023: Slow writing… but still progress?A Week in the Writing Life, 21 October 2023:

We’re deep into October, or as I like to call it, one of only two months out of the year Iowa has near perfect weather. How about we talk writing and other stuff?

What I’ve Been Writing

I’m very deep into putting together The Yank Striker 2 (working title), and that’s been pretty much all I’ve been writing this week other than this site. I feel like I’ve been making good progress on the big section I’ve been on and I’m in the process of finalizing what the bare bones structure of the book should be.

I’ve probably mentioned it before in this space, but my way of planning out the plot of my books is to string together what I call essential scenes. These are the scenes I absolutely have to have in the book to tell the story I want. Usually, I take a look at these scenes or notes on these scenes throughout the writing process and ask myself “are all of these scenes absolutely necessary?” As I am often writing these scenes not in chronological order, but in order of importance, this doesn’t result necessarily in me cutting scenes after I write them1.

It also helps streamline the revision process, for sure. I still remember having to cut down my first 150,000-word rough draft of The Holy Fool down to under 100,000, and it was a tough lift. When I used this process for The Yank Striker, it really cut down on the extraneous scenes and material in my work.

One of the paradoxes I’m running into, however, is this: the more I concentrate on the project, the slower the writing is coming for me. I continue to write on a daily basis, but my word count is not as high as it has been in previous days when I was writing more than just a couple projects.

In discussing the situation with my Des Moines writing group (the Iowa Writers’ Corner), they brought up the idea I have to spend time putting greater thought into how the story is going to go and proceed. Just because the words are not filling the paper or electronic page doesn’t mean I’m not participating in the writing process.

I would have to agree with this, now I’ve had a chance to consider this idea. It’s like I know all of the battles that are to come in a military campaign, but I haven’t exactly worked out how those battles are going to be fought. I’ve always worked on improving my word count to ensure I remain a productive writer and not just sitting around and claiming to be a writer. However, I need to keep in mind word count is not the only measure of productivity.

What I’ve Been Doing Having to do With Writing

I’m in the middle of reading projects for at least three people currently. Two of these I’m planning on doing book reviews for, and the other will be beta reader feedback.

Even being a fast reader like myself, this can be a long process even not taking the time of writing the reviews into account. However, I don’t want to let these projects sit on the back burners for too long.

As for the book reviews, I’m planning on posting those on Goodreads. My profile page is here for those curious, but I will also post those reviews here for you to read as well. I’m looking forward to you hearing about those projects, so stay tuned in a week or so.

Writing Advice for the Week

This week, it’s time to talk about the fifth of George Orwell’s six rules of writing. Orwell, the author of 1984 and Animal Farm, is a longtime idol for me. During the past several weeks, I’ve been reviewing this well-known set of rules he laid down in an essay called “Politics and the English Language.” The entire essay is worth a read.

So, number five on the list is:

Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

Orwell did title his essay “Politics and the English Language,” but this can obviously be applied to whatever language you happen to be writing in2. Since you have to assume in most circumstances you are writing for a general audience, why use words you have to take time to explain to them? Especially if using such a term isn’t necessary for the task at hand, whether fiction or nonfiction.

As always, there are exceptions to this rule. One example I recently faced in a short story I posted to the site was when I used the term “kayfabe.” Unless you happen to be a professional wrestling fan, you are likely not familiar with this term. However, I used it in the story because I wanted to take time to explain the concept to the audience through a conversation my main character had. I wanted to do this so the audience understood the term and had an appreciation for how important the concept was in pro wrestling. As with Orwell’s and all writing rules, there are always exceptions.

Writing Quote(s) of the Week

Unlike George R.R. Martin, I’d have to say I’m more of an architect. In my opinion, the best writing techniques are whatever ones get results.

I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they’re going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there’s going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don’t know how many branches it’s going to have, they find out as it grows. And I’m much more a gardener than an architect.

George R.R. Martin

Where I’ll Be and Where You Can Find my Books

Currently, I have one book event on my calendar. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, I will be at the Elwell Building at the Iowa State Fairgrounds as part of the 8th Annual Indie Author Book Expo. If something else comes up, I’ll let you know.

I’ve got links to my books in paperback and ebook format in the sidebar here, but you can get them in person at these fine Iowa bookstores:

  • Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave # S1, Des Moines
  • Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella
  • The Book Vault, 105 S Market St, Oskaloosa.

All three are great independent bookstores who deserve your support.

Final Thoughts

Well, I’m spending the rest of the day with my wife watching the Iowa Hawkeyes play football. Hope the week to come goes well for you all.

– 30 –

While I do appreciate you following this blog, I really would like you to subscribe to my Substack page. By subscribing to that page, you’ll not only be receiving my Substack newsletter, The Writing Life With Jason Liegois (the companion blog to this one), but you’ll also be signing up for my email list. Just click the button below.

Subscribe to my Substack here.
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Assessing Summer 2022, or Did I Waste My Vacation This Year?

The question – or usually a statement – I’ve heard people make regarding teaching is “it must be wonderful to have that free time during the summers.”

I have to admit that it is good to have that vacation time. Even during the best of times, a school year for teachers is the mental equivalent of running a marathon. After it’s over, you need recovery time mentally and to some extent physically.

However, I also feel (at least, I have felt this way for the past several years teaching) that I have all this time to myself, and there is this internal pressure that I “make good use of it,” so to speak. There were times these past few months where I felt that I was not doing that effectively. For example, May-June of 2021 was a blank time for me, to be honest. But that made sense in retrospect because I was contemplating not even returning to teaching, so I was a bit unsure of my IRL status for a while.

However, when I look back on what happened this summer, there were a bit more positives than negatives when it came down to it. Let’s review.

Negatives

I think that there were a lot of times when I found myself just sitting and either watching television or staring at my phone. As I have chronicled in this space before, entropy and sitting still is my natural level. It takes me a lot longer to get bored with hanging out at home than many other people. Could I have spent more time writing instead of watching soccer, Formula 1, and Australian Rules Football, watching YouTube to catch people’s movie reviews (especially bad movies), and what Jim Cornette thinks about the current world of wrestling, or using Minecraft to build a digital castle? Well, probably I could have.

I also am a little disappointed in myself that I am not farther along on my route to self-publishing than I wanted to be at this point. (That will be its own post a bit later.) I am further than I was, and I am starting to get a handle on what things I need to take care of before I jump into this. It might take time, but I also want to make sure than I am getting things right.

Positives

My overall writing productivity has not been bad during the summer months. So far, I am definitely ahead of where I was at the same time last year, which was definitely a down time for me.

I believe that I have make at least a little more effort to take care of myself than I have in years past. Even though my weight is not where I would like it to be, I have made the effort to walk nearly every day for the past couple months. That’s something that I didn’t really do on a consistent basis before, but now I am. I was never comfortable with the gym or other stuff, but I have been comfortable going on a walk along some relatively level sidewalks and I feel good after getting them done, especially in the hot summer sun. I definitely will keep up with it during the school year.

I’ve been able to get out and do things that I have not had the chance to do for a long time. I managed to get away with my wife to Duluth, Minnesota, for a few days and it was a fantastic experience. I got to go down to Kansas City for the day and watch the US men’s soccer team for the first time in my life after more than 20 years of fandom.

Also, I’ve gotten more active on this site and trying to write more blogs and content here than in the past. I didn’t actually write a new post every weekend, but I did do it on plenty of them – including this one. And after some brainstorming, I have quite a few other ideas for blog posts to come.

It’s not been a bad summer. Shame it has to come to a close.