Comments on: Taking Stock: What Have You Learned in 2010?

By: J. T. Glover

J. T. Glover — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:28:15 +0000

I had plans of having the first draft of my work-in-progress finished by March 1, revised twice and completed by year's end. Well… The draft is steaming along, and I can honestly say that I'm proud of it and that I think it's got a shot at being a good novel, but the writing is happening at its own pace. I could unquestionably have a "completed" first draft by now, but twice I've stopped when it wasn't going well and I was confused. Letting it rest for a few days or a couple weeks helped me see a major flaw in each case, the addressing of which took days, but which resulted in a stronger story. So, I'm learning/re-learning that (1) setting arbitrary deadlines may not be the best plan when one is not yet an experienced novelist, and (2) my pace is my pace, however much I might wish to write more quickly.

By: Natania

Natania — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:16:13 +0000

I started out 2010 with the goal of doing what I did last year: writing every day, but writing even better. It started off well enough but came to an abrupt halt due to carpal tunnel. I'm used to writing every day, and I've not been able to manage more than a few paragraphs for the last few weeks. Everything's come to a screeching stop, and I've been given a rather stern reminder to take better care of my hands and myself. Slowly things are getting better, but it's not been pretty. The non-writing writer is a sad sack indeed… but I'm trying to use the time to think, plot, and plan, so that when I'm good to go again I have a clear design in mind. Ah, well. Live and learn, I suppose.

By: Rachel Swirsky

Rachel Swirsky — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:46:20 +0000

Yay Nisi and Cynthia!

I learned last year that I need to see, in person, humans other than my husband at least once every three weeks.