The Sunday Circle is the weekly check-in where I ask the creative-types who follow this blog to weigh in about their goals, inspirations, and challenges for the coming week. The logic behind it can be found here. Want to be involved? It’s easy – just answer three questions in the comments or on your own blog (with a link in the comments here, so that everyone can find them).
After that, throw some thoughts around about other people’s projects, ask questions if you’re so inclined. Be supportive above all.
Then show up again next Sunday when the circle updates next, letting us know how you did on your weekly project and what you’ve got coming down the pipe in the coming week (if you’d like to part of the circle, without subscribing to the rest of the blog, you can sign-up for reminders via email here).
MY CHECK-IN
What am I working on this week?
I’m a little bit hit and miss on last week’s goals, at this point. Working my way through the planning questionnaire for Float went great and I have about thirty handwritten pages of notes on the first act. Revising the crocodile story didn’t really happen at all, so I’m still struggling to find the balance between planning, actual writing, and rewriting in my practice.
I’m going to try being really specific, this week, because of that: write 500 new words a day, on average; map out three scenes in the first act of Float using all the details I worked out over the last few weeks; and spend at least 20 minutes a day working on story rewrites.
What’s inspiring me this week?
I picked up Dan Charnas Work Clean: The Life-Changing Power of Mise-en-Place to Organise Your Life, Work, and Mind earlier this week and immediately fell for it. It’s an incredible piece of productivity-porn, in that you feel more virtuous and productive simply be reading the book, but it also hits all my sweet spots in terms of looking at a set of behaviours/techniques in one context and extrapolating outwards. Given my habit of drawing writing advice from wrestling, guitar tutors, and any number of non-writer locations, I totally adore that.
I suspect there is a lot of useful stuff in the system Charnas is advocating – I’ve already got the book flagged for a re-read with an eye towards some serious note-taking, but this time through I’m mostly just enjoying Charnas’ ability to draw me in with framing stories that demonstrate the system and its value. He’s got a great eye for story, with the ability to make you feel as though you’re getting a glimpse into the secret world of how chefs work, and it’s hard to explain how seductive that combination is.
There’s a great interview with Charnas on Forbes that originally sold me on the book’s concept, and it’s worth checking out.
What part of my project an I avoiding?
Apart from the writing/rewriting/planning split mentioned above, the major thing I’ve been dragging me heels on is addressing this bit of the Sunday Circle. A few weeks back I read Todd Henry’s latest book about finding your voice, and there was a moment when he revisited the three questions to ask at any creative circle. Except this third question was phrased differently than the way it appeared in The Accidental Creative, and it struck me as potentially more useful.
Except, naturally, I was reading the book while on a plane and now I can’t remember what the question actually was or where it is in the book, so I’ve been using that as an excuse to keep from searching out the new questions and figuring out whether it is useful enough to warrant disrupting the Sunday Circle routine.
I also got 90% of the way through re-arranging my flat to make it more writing- and visitor-friendly, but haven’t yet pulled it together to finish taking out all the trash and finding places to store the last 50 or so books that no longer have a permanent shelf.
I’ve ended up taking a short, unscheduled break from writing newsletters over the last fourteen days. Regular GenrePunk Ninja transmissions will resume
Like many of you, I have good weeks and bad weeks on the writing front. This week has been rocky, and if
Welcome to GenrePunk Ninja supplemental, where I occasionally post foundational essays written before I launched the GenrePunk Ninja newsletter, especially if they’re
19 Responses
I feel you on that difficulty with balancing planning writing and re-writes at the moment. I’ve been the same way and it is exhauuusting. I’m finding it’s helped to have certain days of the week devoted to certain projects and not just having dedicated writing time (i.e. Mondays and Wednesdays one project, Tuesdays and Thursdays another, Fridays for short stories). Not sure if that’s much of a help for you, but hope it is!
My Sunday Circle is here.
I’ll put it on the list to try. I’ve been toying with the idea of using the three days I’m working as a kind of long weekend away from new writing, focusing on the editing/planning stuff, but I’m not quite there yet. I like staying in contact with a project a little too much.
The goal for this week is splitting the work stations a little more than I usually do. The standing desk is proving to be a poor set-up for editing/rewriting, where I need to be focused on the screen, so it creates a neat-and-effective division between the place where I write and the place where I edit.
I’m so excited about the prospect of hearing more about the screenplay when it’s more public information.
Hope this week lends you a little more time for your stuff, too!
When you were talking about the origins of mise-en-place I was going to say something lighthearted about picking any career and deriving advice from it, but the first thing that occurred to me (sheep) of course turned out to have a broad potential for application.
What am I working on this week?
– A presentation on my creative research project
– Outlining a novel
– Editing a picture book manuscript
– Stacks of art with deadlines attached
What’s inspiring me this week?
– Being home. Or I hope it will. I’ve only been here for about two hours. My music. My books. My bed. Part of me considers them a bit less necessary (and very dusty) but also I just want to hide out in them for a while.
– The Dressmaker again (the movie) and what it does with the surfaces of things.
– Practical work. I spent this evening mending my suitcase, backpack and other things, and it was satisfying and immediately applicable. I’m meaning to get around to doing some necessary machine sewing soon but maybe I’ll just do it by hand – it’s not efficient but it’s very restorative. And I can do it in front of some shows I’d like to catch up on.
What part of my project am I avoiding?
– Reading for a purpose.
Are you finding that you’re reading at the moment for passion/restoration, and following interest, or is reading taking a backseat to everything else at the moment?
I’m primarily reading for illustration or specific research or interviews, and ducking and weaving.
Sometimes that tactile activity of mending and sewing is just the thing one needs to breathe a little space back into life. ^_^ And small, practical task are *so* satisfying! Have fun settling back in!
Aren’t they! I had to do some sculpting this week too, and it was really nice.
Hey guys
I’ve been lurking rather than contributing of late. Missing out on a number of Cons was kinda tough and I had one of “those” rejections which cut me off at the knees for a couple of weeks. Plus, endless school holidays.
What am I working on this week?
Like yourselves, I bit the bullet on editing/rewriting my second opus. I’ve a couple of agents nominally interested in the outcome of this and I do love the story, but rewriting isn’t floating my boat half as much as usual.
Your discussion, Sophie and Pete, on spending some days rewriting and others planning new stuff is one I feel I should try. Typically I like to dig deep on one work at a time – too much of a break and it’s a job to get back into the mindset – but maybe if I was only “planning” it’d be different…
What’s inspiring me this week?
Books with heart as well as heat. I’ve just finished reading a couple of category romances that really work hard on the ‘heart’. By this, I mean you fall for the characters very quickly and get emotionally invested in their story. On the one hand, I’m dismayed at how much the nominal plot was purely window-dressing (two books with twin brother magicians and, I think, I card trick and one magic trick described between them). But on the other, I can see how it demonstrates more clearly how conflict between the characters are resolved by their mutual personal growth.
Of these, I’d recommend Kelly Hunter’s “The Courage of Eli Jackson” (formerly titled The Honeymoon Trap simply for how good the characterisation is, especially of the heroine. (Kelly has it on Wattpad as “Gamer Girl” if you want to check it out there. It’s a novella so very quick to read.)
Speaking of characterisation, we’ve been getting through ‘The Wire’ and finally hit a point where most of the characters now matter to us. Then my favourite got taken down, along with another I sympathised heavily with, and I had actual nightmares that night as a result.
What part of my project an I avoiding?
Proper short-term goal setting. I have the longer goals down, but need to lock-in when this rewrite is to be finished and the next project started. (And what the next project should be.)
Other Stuff
So it turns out next year’s Romance Australia Conference is in Brissie. In August. This looks so doable for me – thanks to a handy tax refund (one benefit of earning bugger all). And yet… GenreCon is next year, too. Pete, I know you’re in a new job, but has there been any talk of *when* GenreCon will be? It’s usually a few months later, isn’t it?
GenreCon is usually Late October/Early November. Exact dates will usually revolve around venue negotiations, but will likely err on later rather than earlier given RWA is in the same city.
Gah, later in the year is less good for moi.
I love both Cons, but GenreCon has a special place in my heart because it has ALL the things.
Sorry to hear that you’ve been going through that rough patch – that sounds like hard yards.
And it’s entirely possible that heading down the path of planning one project that feels a little more self-indulgent might fill the tanks for the rewriting work… I’m not sure if it’s a daft comparison, but I’ve found that starting the day doing something completely self-indulgent (for a time-boxed period) has helped tremendously with mindset for the rest of the day.
So sorry to hear about the rough patch, Karina! As for the short-term goal setting and deadline setting–it’s not very romantic, but in the past I’ve found The Clockwork Muse approach really helpful for accurately measuring out what work is needed on a given project, and how long it’ll realistically take to complete. Mostly, just as a summary, it’s about creating a simple spreadsheet detailing what sections will be worked on, how long (realistically) each task may take, and putting an actual, physical date on each task as a running deadline, counting forward. (So, one of mine might look like:
Add Robot Scene = 2,000 words est. = 500wrd/day (my estimate of how fast I can work) = 9/1/16
Mermaid Seance (EDIT) = 3hrs = 30min/day (the CWM encourages looking at the calendar and adjusting productivity to account for days you’ll know you’ll be busy) = 9/6/16
Etc. for the whole project until the final due-date estimate)
It’s very mechanical, in some ways, but I’ve found it super helpful (and oddly accurate) for keeping me focused when an edit or rewrite is really trudging along. Not sure it’s appealing to everybody, but I’ve enjoyed it in its own way. ^_^
Hang in there! *hugs*
This is a useful technique. I’ll give it a trial and see. Geez, you guys are great for the practical advice as well as the warm fuzzies.
: )
@Peter: I find sometimes too that dedicating time to productivity and planning can feel like a bit of wonkery unless I keep in mind the payoffs that occur down the road. And even then, sometimes I worry there’s a little too much card shuffling going on. About the only thing I’m zero-conflict about is the regular training regimen. I find that a fascinating contrast between my creative practice and that of writers – that as a voice actor, there’s a bunch of stuff that I’m working on specific exercises for which is at such a micro level – for example, tongue placement and larynx function while vocalising certain vowels. Is there a parallel for writers along those lines?
What am I working on this week?
This week is going to have a lot of time dedicated to a corporate narration gig that’s being confirmed tomorrow. Good stuff, but definitely going to take away from more expansive parts of the regular routine. Now Playing still doesn’t have the buffer I’d like behind content thanks to a bit of a croup scare seeing us leaving Emergency at 5AM on Saturday morning, and knocking sleep routine out of whack for the next two days, so there’s a concerted effort to build that back up.
Also launching the planning stages for the next Now Playing project, which I’m really excited about, while simultaneously casting a real close eye on the amount of time that project takes up.
I’ve broken ground on the Tavern of Voices website FINALLY, and will continue to work on that this week, along with supporting a game dev I’m working with under that shingle with casting and organising recording logistics.
What’s inspiring me this week?
I’ve continued to mainline the Tanis podcast, and I really like their approach to mystical elements intersecting with their real world narrative. Pirates continue to infest my brain, and I’ve started folding some more tangible research from A General History of Pyrates into the Now Playing series.
I’m also super-excited about the new Now Playing project, because it’ll mean making stuff regularly with a good friend and collaborator, and talking about things we’re passionate about, while solving new technical challenges along the way.
Also, at the risk of being egotistical, some fundamental breakthroughs in voice training that have come from changes in regular practice this week have made me more than a bit emotional.
What part of my project(s) am I avoiding?
Research and momentum building for the animated series project definitely needs to be shifted up a gear. Also pushing the website work forward.
Ugh, sympathies for the croup scare, and hooray for the training breakthrough! Congrats! It’s always so exciting when you hit one of those next skill plateaus and feel a whole set of new tools open up! 🙂
I like the idea of small, specific exercises for writers–and I suspect there is a way, at least looking at a lot of the technical writing books out there which also include practice exercises, even on the sentence-structure scale. It’s a neat thing to think about incorporating regularly.
Looking forward to the possible new changes. Definitely let us know more about that when there’s time/info-availability! ^_^ And the Charnas book sounds really interesting. I love looking into the lives of chefs. The documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi was also really inspirational, I thought, if you like food-related/chef-related looks at productivity and art form.
This week, I’m working on: Finishing “Circles” for submission by EoD Wednesday. It’s practically ready. A few minor tweaks, a little clipping here and there, and honestly, I feel fairly confident that it’s solidly competitive. Once that’s done, then at least start the retype on the superhero lady business story. XD HA! Lady business. Ok, but seriously, I need that one wrapped pretty soon, so I’ve got to buckle down on it. (Note: I wrote this Friday, anticipating getting it up Saturday night, as is my usual cheat for keeping up here–but I actually got “Circles” out last night, so Woohoo! So this week’s rewrite week.)
What’s inspiring me this week?: Health. Me and the Little Guy got sick as dogs Tuesday-Thursday, and it’s been enlightening how much smoother life normally is. Regular sleeping hours, time in the evening to read (and write) and relax like an adult, how good we normally feel without heads stuffed with mucus or the Little Guy’s puke on our clothes. SO MUCH BETTER. So I think that’s given me a little wind beneath my wings (that, and the total lack of focus for the past week because YUCK.)
I also just started reading Why Call Them Back From Heaven by Clifford D. Simak, which is 1960s Sci-Fi-licious. There are *so many* things in this book that would be totally frowned upon by today’s standards (“As you know, Miles…” and the “Oh, we have everything related to the issue of immortality, faster-than-light travel, terraforming, food consumption fixed, but we just don’t have enough LAND on Earth for everybody (so we’re going to send people back in time to colonize THAT land)!”–seriously, you can molecularly simulate as much food as anyone will ever need, and you *can’t* figure out a basic housing problem? They have FASTER THAN LIGHT TRAVEL, and they haven’t thought about space-stations?!), but honestly, I’m still LOVING THE HELL OUT OF IT. It’s got that dreamers and thinkers quality, that willful obsession with idea beyond all else, and it’s fantastic, even if one of the first lines is: Perhaps, she thought, a woman had no right to defend a man in a court like this. In the ancient days, when the Jury had been human, it might have been all right. But not in a court where a computer was the Jury and the only point at issue was the meaning of the law. Yowch, because obviously women can’t defend someone on any other basis than the “heart” of the law, because…because…vagina. XD Still, it’s kind of magical. Reminds me a bunch, obviously, of Day of the Triffids and a lot of John Christopher’s stuff, too (which I also love).
What I’m avoiding: “Any Day But Today” retyping/edit. For some reason, I am just so unenthused right now. I loved it as I wrote it, and I think I managed to capture something fairly fun, but there are a lot of tweaks it needs, and I think I’m just feeling overwhelmed about successfully incorporating them. And I really just need to bite the bullet and get to work.
It’s my answer to everything, but can you dip a toe in the water with time-boxing some edit work or high level planning for a few days out of the week? Say, a half an hour at a set period?
Glad you’re all on the mend. Sick kids is a stressor at the best of times and pure nightmare when you come down with it too.
Sounds like part of the problem for your ‘Any Day But Today’ is that you have a lot on this week anyhow. Is there a particular editing straw you can break that’ll sort the rest of the camel for you?