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A positive post about goal failures

I am feeling a little bit sorry for myself today. I planned to have edited my WIP ready for my CPs by the end of the month. I know it's not over yet, but I am less than halfway through, and unless I give up sleeping, it's not going to happen!

In order to make this post less depressing, I am going to focus on what I HAVE achieved.

1. I have four chapters ready for critiquing that I am pretty happy with.
2. I have managed to get my overall word count down from 155,000 to a little over 116,000. I still have more to cut, but I am thrilled that I have been able to get rid of huge chunks of useless words. (Does that sound like I was a bit too brutal? LOL! I also had to resist the urge to go back and edit point 2 ...)
3. The pressure on myself has eased since my WIP is moving forwards. I don't deal well with stress, so this is a huge plus for me.
4. I have spent a lot of time engaging in conversation with other writers, and I think I have managed to soak up some useful things!

I never used to like taking small steps. By nature, I am a leaper! But when it comes to writing, there is no rushing the process. I'd rather spend a long time editing a small section well than rushing and leaving it sloppy. I'm confident that editing will become a little easier the more I do it, so I am very much using this is a learning process. 

Hope everyone is having a great week so far!


Comments

  1. If you cut that many words, then it is quite an accomplishment!

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  2. I just cut around 8k. I can't imagine cutting 35k! You go girl :)

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    1. There was a LOT of dead weight to get rid of, and I am sure there is still more that needs to go, ack!

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  3. Girl, you rock. LOVE your attitude! Soooo many huge accomplishments there. We writers are too hard on ourselves. It's in our nature ;)

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    1. So true. I wish we could learn to be just a little less critical of ourselves though!

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  4. Slow and steady is definitely the way to go with editing - don't feel bad, you're doing the right thing!

    I have never, ever, ever cut words... I'm too busy adding them!

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    1. LOL, I wish I had that problem! My first drafts are always too long.

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  5. I'm a leaper too, but I'm learning that all my hard work will pay off, and I know it will for you too! Don't be down, just keep at it!

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  6. You know, you'd be surprised how quickly some editing can go. I've done over 150 pages since Friday (granted, that's not intense, nitty-gritty editing. It's more putting everything in the right order and making some basic continuity changes). But it sounds like you're on the right track and you've got a great attitude about it. So yay! And keep it up! :-)

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    1. W00t, go you! Sounds like you are doing really well!

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  7. Well, I'm impressed! Everything I do is at a turtle's pace, so what you've accomplished is monumental to me by comparison.

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    1. Don't congratulate me too much yet, I am having a "turtle" day today!

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  8. Wowza! Look at you go! I totally agree that this stuff can't be rushed at all. Make it sparkle. :D

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    1. Thanks, Cassie! I am doing my best to turn it into a sparkly masterpiece lol!

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  9. Wow. I was impressed when I cut 12,000 words from mine. Looks like you've got lots to be proud of.

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    1. 12,000 is a huge number! Mine was written including every detail you could ever imagine, and most of it is unnecessary lol.

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  10. The attitude of a winner! I write such spare first drafts I'm always adding - I can't imagine having to chop so much, sounds like you took no prisoners!

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    1. I need to learn how to write sparse first drafts!

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  11. those are great stepping stones toward bigger goals! and positive motivators! i want to hurry up & get published! but it takes sooooooo long to polish!

    i need more patience & more time to work on it!
    housework be gone!

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    1. Lol, yes real life does tend to get in the way sometimes :(

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  12. Cut? WORDS? That have been written in fits of utter genius? Surely you jest! :::sigh::: Alas, the day looms for us all, I suppose. Congrats on the accomplishment!

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    1. Haha, they weren't so much genius as ... complete tripe!

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  13. Baby steps! And missing a goal isn't the end. You just set a new one and keep going.

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  14. That's great! Good work, and good luck on the rest. :) Slow and steady wins the race, yes?

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  15. Good for you! You are making progress, learning, making contacts...sounds like you are getting a LOT accomplished! Don't be too hard on yourself. Sounds like you deserve to treat yourself a bit, if you ask me!

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    1. You're right, I intend to have a few very lazy days over the weekend! :D

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  16. I don't deal well with stress either...the more pressure I put on myself to do something (writing/editing or whatever), the harder it is to do and then it all ends up being rubbish anyway! I wish I had a time machine to get me through all the hard work!

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  17. I'm a leaper myself, so I feel ya on slow and steady. But usually, slow and steady is my mind's way of preparing (subconsciously) for a big leap. So maybe there's one in your future? Keep at it, and congrats on achieving the things you HAVE accomplished! Keep trucking...

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    1. Ooh, I hope there is a big leap on the way - thanks for the encouragement!

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  18. Oh, this post makes me smile. I've done the same thing many times. Set a goal and didn't finish it on time. But, the more time I spent on editing my book, the better it ended up being, so it was worth it. Keep writing and you'll get there. Goals are great, but if you don't make them, don't beat yourself up about it. :)

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  19. *creep* *creep* I'm doing small steps to. Mainly because sometimes looking at the big giant to do list is scary. I do one editing point at a time ^_^

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    1. Yep, trying to do a big chunk at once is a challenge. I just learned my lesson the hard way lol!

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  20. Good for you for looking at things so positively! Sounds like you're doing great to me.

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  21. I'm all for slow and steady. I always call it pacing. Isn't that what good marathon runners do?

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  22. Don't be too hard on yourself! You're right - the process cannot be rushed. Take the time you need to take.

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  23. Aloha Kyra,

    Thanks for the follow, and am doing the same:)

    PS... sounds like you are doing a lot of positive things and have come (mini) leaps :) and bounds from where you were, say last month:)

    Keep on trucking, you don't need me to tell you how crazy this process is, but you *are* heading in the right direction :)

    Good luck ("you can *do* it" )... (uses an Austrian bodybuilder's voice to make it sound more effective:)

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    1. Thanks for following! Yes, there has been a huge leap since last month which is really great! :D

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  24. that's great, Kyra! I SO feel your pain and understand how difficult it is to cut so much. My first WIP I actually queired at 167K word. Yah, what was I thinking? I finally got it down around 90k, but that took years (2!) and a lot of heartache. Keep up the good work!

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    1. Whoa, 167K! That's a LOT of words to trim down!

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  25. Editing is such an important part of the process. You'll really finetune your vision there ... Enjoy!

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  26. Good for you taking it steady. Hard but right :-)

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  27. Everyone should do this. EVERYONE, lol

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    1. Lol, I guess I am doing it right after all!

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  28. You're right. Writing is a pretty slow process. Now, you could send your CPs the chapters you have finished. By the time they're done critiquing those, you'll have more ready...

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    1. Yup, that is happening at the moment which is another step in the right direction! :D

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  29. I have similar feelings to you sometimes, especially at night. I REALLY want to get my first edit done by June. But then I'm trying not to give myself too hard a time if I don't.

    I wanna rush out there into the world of querying, but it's a process that can't be rushed.

    Small steps and not looking at the bigger picture is hard, but you can't loose focus of all you've achieved so far.

    The chapters you've shown me are great, really good excellent, and you're making fantastic progress. So keep that in mind and just take each day as it comes.

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    1. Thanks so much! Your help and advice has been amazing, and I'm glad you are enjoying what you've read so far!

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