I am such a fan of targets. For a long time I used this style, focusing on weekly targets for completed stories and poems, and submission:
completed words completed poems stories subbed poems subbed
Week 1 5K 1 5 2
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Monthly totals
A few months ago I switched to hourly targets, counting the number of hours I spend writing each day and not bothering with word count. I thought that by abandoning this soulless production would improve quality. And I'd rather write one wonderful story than four mediocre ones.
The first month went deceptively well. But here I am, four months down the line. My production has halved. I have written no new poems for months and I can see no improvement in quality. So I'm switching back.
How frustrating.
A writing friend has just tweeted me asking what went wrong. I'm not quite sure. I guess that an hourly target allowed me to indulge my preference of starting new stories without completing the old ones. I guess I didn't write any poems because there's always so many new stories I want to write.
I was hoping for an improvement story quality, though. I guess I'm not the best judge, but the stories look pretty much the same to me.
I was going to post moaning about how I can never seem to improve my ways of working. But no! It's good that I know what works for me.
Do you use targets? What works for you? Have you ever tried to improve your production and failed?
I'm not sure I've ever had a target that I've made. So I tend not to set them anymore. Sometimes it's just the change that makes us think it's better at first, it's only after the newness wears off that we realize things were better before we changed.
ReplyDeleteI'm all about getting better though, sometimes I think it comes from reading someone that inspires you more than it is anything else. I just finished a book last night around 1 a.m. and through the whole thing I kept thinking, "I'll never be that good, ever. No matter what I do, I just can't."
But I'm itching to try. I spent half the night in bed reworking (mentally) the scenes I've been working on in my WIP and thinking of how I can make them more than what they are. It figures I had to get up 4 hours later to begin a road trip, no writing opportunity for me for at least another 12 hours.
Well, I could be doing it now, but, I only had like, 5 minutes, not enough time for me to really tear something apart and rework t.
When I read something transcendent it fills me with jealousy, Rusty. Will I ever write like that?
DeleteI tend to be very pragmatic. Taking joy in the fact that I'm writing just as good as I can. That's enough for me.
One question for you Deborah - what percentage of you is human, and what is machine?
ReplyDeleteI tried not to be a machine. It didn't work. Machine is good. Write like an artist, sub like an automaton.
DeleteI think time targets aren't as solid as word count targets. In that hour for example how much is spent writing and how much being distracted? Esp for writers like me who write a bit, wander off and make a cuppa, write a bit more., wander off and do something else ad infinitum. I'm forever adjusting and resetting my schedule, I'll crack it one of these days.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that you think word counts are useful, Katy. As a poet it might take me five hours to cut 50 words!
DeleteIt's frustrating to think you've wasted time and energy, but I don't think you've wasted production at all, you've found what works for you, and I think many writers are still trying to discover that, so cheers!
ReplyDeleteLast year, I kept track of my daily word count total, and as rigorous as that was, I think it was a good thing. So far this year, I have only kept track of submissions and hours, but I can already tell, word count keeps me in line, so I might begin that again soon, though I must admit, I've kind of liked this lazy routine.
Word counts are good for churning it out. But sometimes we need some time to dream.
DeleteI think of hourly targets as 'butt in chair' time for when I just don't want to write for whatever reason (I'm a pretty lazy writer). The thinking is if I have to be in front of the computer for x amount of time, no distractions, then I might as well try to write something as it beats picking my nose.
ReplyDeleteWord count quotas are for when a project is pretty well underway and I don't want to get derailed.
I think BIC, or the British version AIC (Arse in Chair) is a great technique. If you're there already, you might as well crack on.
DeleteI've taken part in NaNo several times (with varying results) and I'm currently doing the 100k in 100 days challenge. These things help a bit.
ReplyDeleteThe trick with targets is to set them right - they need to push us a little but not so much we give up entirely.
Exactly right, Patsy. And not get stuck in rut.
DeleteI probably saw some of the best quality in my writing come out of W1S1 2011 when I was writing a story a week. Last year was a bit meh, but I was happy with a few of the stories. This year, I'm trying to get into the rhythm of writing 1K a day regardless of quality -- I can always clean it up later, as long as there's something for me to work with in the first place.
ReplyDeleteKeep on keepin' on, Deborah. Your stuff seriously rocks.
Thanks, Milo. That's an interesting comment that quality can improve because of the W1S1 demands.
DeleteI hear ya. I am endlessly fascinated with process and analysis, and also with trying to find ways of making the words come better and faster. Production goals work best for me, especially ones like W1S1 that are about *completed* stories. Unfortunately, it seems that the only way to get to the one quality story is by writing the four mediocre ones on the way :)
ReplyDeleteI've been experimenting recently with setting a wordcount goal that can be a mix of story or notes, so if I'm struggling, I can ramble *about* the story and still feel productive--and usually learn something useful about it in the process. So far, it seems to be working.
I never thought about including story notes -- an interesting insight, Michelle. Thanks!
DeleteI think it's good to try different methods, to see what works. Clearly your old method worked better for you!
ReplyDeleteI've been doing weekly and monthly goals that seem to work for me. But I'm also sort of experimenting, and right now it seems easier to work on one goal at a time. So instead of doing a bit of everything each week, I'll focus on one or two things on my list, get them done ahead of time (i.e. get to 52's weekly goal way earlier than week 52), and the move onto something else.
You've got to shake things up every now and again, Tisha.
DeleteI tend to aim for word count targets. Though I've been slacking on those lately . . .
ReplyDeleteYou'll find your groove soon enough, Eagle.
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