Lynn Raye Harris

The day after Christmas, Hubby and I decided we were going to clean our garage. Apparently, everyone has the same idea after Christmas. Not necessarily the garage, but home organization. Lowe’s and Home Depot both had sales on storage containers and shelves, and people were loading their carts up. Since this is my first time having the organization urge immediately after the holiday, I was a bit surprised.

Still, we loaded up with shelves and containers and came home to begin the garage project. It’s not done, but we’ve made good progress. And now I have my eye on a inside projects. I even cleaned out my pantry! I won’t tell you how many expired things were in there.

Of course all this has me thinking about counting down to the New Year and planning goals for 2010. Some years, I fail; other years, I hit the goals. I’m thinking this is a goal hitting year coming up. I have several, and I think they are reasonable. They aren’t all related to writing. Some are definitely along the lines of “Get Organized!” Since I have a head start, I think it’s possible. (No, I won’t do a 180 and suddenly become super-organized. Wish it were so, but I know me.)

What kinds of goals are you setting for the coming year? Did you go buy organization supplies recently too? And what kind of New Year’s celebration are you planning? Low key at home? Party hearty at some swanky joint? I will definitely be at home, and I’ll probably be in bed long before midnight.

This is a short post because I’m pretty worn out, but I actually accomplished almost as much in front of my home computer yesterday as I did at Starbucks the day before. I think it was *knowing* that I’d successfully worked through my WIP problems while NOT clicking over to email/Facebook/MySpace/etc that forced me to acknowledge the problem lies within me.

And so I was disciplined. Not much choice really. The Deadline of Doom approacheth.

But I may head out to SB today as a way to shake up the routine. Or not. Now that I’ve taken the time to register for Pandora Radio, I’m loving it as I write. So much easier than trying to find stuff in my iTunes library.

In other news, my diet/exercise program is going fairly well. Jogged nearly 2 miles. It’s only my 2nd week back, so that’s not too bad. Soon, I’ll be able to hop up the pace and get my miles done quicker.

Okay, to work. What are you up to? How’s your New Year’s diet/exercise program going (come on, we all have them!)?

As I write this book, I’m always working on scenes that might not feel quite right and I’m always rewriting them. I rewrite the book as I go these days; I tried the fast draft before, and then the revision, but that’s hard.

Heck, it was damn hard to rewrite half a book at my editor’s direction twice, especially when I thought it was fine both times. But writing is rewriting, so there you are. As much as we might like to turn the book in and say it’s done, perfect, send it to print, the reality is there will probably be changes.

You have to be prepared to make them. But, at the same time, don’t get so bogged down in rewriting scenes that you don’t move forward. Because if you don’t finish the book, you can’t sell the book and you can’t have a career as a published author.

Simple advice, but my brain is completely drained from the marathon writing sessions I’ve been putting in. Oh, and today it’s official: one month to deadline. What are you up to?

I always feel a sense of anticipation as the new year approaches. I just know that all the things I planned to do will suddenly become achievable when the calendar turns from one year to another. It doesn’t matter if I somehow got stymied on my goals in 2008 because 2009 will be THE year.

Except I didn’t get stymied for once. Oh sure, I may have regained 5 of the 10 pounds I lost, I may have failed to jog 6 miles a week, and maybe I didn’t organize my office and files — but I SOLD my book. I still get a thrill when I think of it.

So as I move into 2009, I have to make plans that have to do with sustaining a writing career. It’s no longer just enough to say I’m going to finish a book or query editors and agents. No, I have an editor and an agent now. It’s time to consider the next step in my goals.

In order to be more productive and move forward in my career, I have resolved to spend less time surfing. That’s a hard one, and I know you’re laughing. Heck, I’m laughing too. But I’m determined.

I’m also resolving to work smarter, not harder. By that I mean I have to waste less time and focus more. I have a tendency to scatter my attention among projects, or to put off focusing on one thing because I have lots of time to get it done (hello, I’m the girl who wrote the paper the night before it was due all throughout college). I’m of the opinion you can’t force the muse, but I do believe you can coax her. Regular work habits will help.

And yeah, I also have the usual resolutions to lose weight and get more exercise. Nothing wrong with a little ambition, right?

So what are your resolutions this year? What do you plan to change or do differently in order to reach the goals you’ve set for yourself?

Let’s not forget Dara Torres, who at age 41 is the oldest swimmer on the US Olympic team and the US record holder in the 50m. In a sport dominated by youngsters, Dara won a silver medal in the 50m freestyle. When you realize that the ages of the gold and bronze medalists combined still don’t add up to 41, you realize how terrific a feat it is.

Hmm, maybe the 40s aren’t going to be so bad after all. Go, Dara! You’ve made us proud.

I don’t typically post on Saturday, but watching Michael Phelps barely win his 7th gold medal last night made me think about what it means to have drive. Clearly, he has it. He does not give up.

Was he hurting after all these races? Was his body marginally slowing down because the muscle tissue has been stretched and torn and worked to the max of endurance?

Maybe.

But clearly it didn’t stop him. As the other swimmer glided in for his gold medal, Phelps (at the top of picture) took that extra stroke and touched the wall 1/100th of a second faster than the man who looked certain to win the race at that point. Do you think that guy will be watching videos over and over and kicking himself for not pushing that extra 1/100th out?

Friends, as writers, we must push for that extra 1/100th. Even when we feel beat up and bruised and so tired we think it’d be nice to curl up in a ball for a while. Push it out and write your pants off; because so much hangs on that extra effort, doesn’t it?

I’m inspired. Phelps may have the perfect swimmer’s body, may have the conditioning and genetics to be a champion, may have the best coach and the best of everything — but I’m not sure any of that would carry him to 7, possibly 8, gold medals if he didn’t have the one thing that nobody can give him: drive. He refuses to lose. He simply refuses to accept anything less than the best from himself.

It’s something to remember as I sit in front of my computer and contemplate today’s goals.

*(Photo from the BBC)

Wow, has it really been a week since I posted? The days flew by. I had several things going on in Chez Harris, plus I have to write about that sexy Spanish magnate. Which I have been doing!

The story is coming along quite nicely thus far. It’s fun to write about a strong emotional conflict without a gun or dead body in sight. But I still need to finish the revisions on HOT PURSUIT. *sigh* There aren’t enough hours in the day sometimes!

Is it really only 3 months until National? My SF diet is not going so well. Must get busy on that. I’ve been using my treadmill, but it’d help if I could cut out the Chinese takeout. And the pizza and wings. I blame the hubby for those.

But I have no choice. The dress is bought, the matching purse is found, and I MUST appear with them on RITA/GH night. So, in between writing about sexy Spaniards and sizzling Spec Ops guys, I need to lose fifteen pounds. Piece of cake, right?

How’s your week going? Accomplishing any of the goals you set for yourself? Lost any pounds? Done any conference clothes shopping yet? Wrote anything new?

*Not really, but I’m blonde and I’m multi-tasking this week.

I saw a quote recently that really made me stop and think. It was in a magazine, but I can’t remember who said it.

Perfectionists always lose.

Yikes! But so true, because a perfectionist is never satisfied. And if you’re never satisfied, you never let go of the work. I know this from experience. I am cursed with the perfectionist gene, though it’s selective (for instance, I’m not obsessive about having a perfect house — well, I kind of am, but I know I have to give up and invite people over or I never will because things aren’t perfect — hence my party this Friday that I’m trying not to obsess over).

And I’ve also had to learn to stop trying to perfect the writing, to send the darn thing out and see what happens. I do this remarkably well when deadlines are attached. But let me have all the time in the world to “fix” my work, and I’ll keep fiddling with it. There’s always a better way to say something, always a better idea.

But you have to learn to let go.

Are you a perfectionist? Do you have trouble letting the work out of your sight? What tricks do you use to stop yourself from fiddling? If you aren’t a perfectionist, how do you know when the work is ready? What is your benchmark for determining it?

Okay, so I worked today. Wrote about 1500 words. I had a panicky moment where I thought I’d never get into the groove, but then it came. Sometimes, it’s like pulling teeth. Other times, you’re rolling along so good you don’t even want to stop and eat. I had both sensations today.

Some of it, I’m sure, was performance anxiety. I’ve never had to actually sit down and produce pages for anyone but me (if you don’t count college work, lol). This is a new feeling. One I can totally get used to. I told the hubby that it felt like the first day at a new job (in a strange kind of way). It’s exciting and thrilling and odd all at once.

Tuesday’s goal: 1500 words.

Thanks again to everyone who came to congratulate me. I appreciate it so much. You kept me smiling and feeling great for days.

This morning, I was driving hubby to an appointment when something on NPR caught my attention. The report was called “Put Your Money Where Your Girth Is.” The gist of it is that people who put money on the line to lose weight tend to do better than people who simply decide to reward themselves when they reach their goal.

“There are a significant portion of people who have an explicit preference for commitment,” says Karlan. The commitment, or the stakes, help people act in their own self-interest. The contract helps them stay the course.

Karlan describes a recent effort in the Philippines to help smokers quit. Through a local bank, the smokers signed agreements to put their cigarette money into savings accounts and agreed to urine tests. At the end of six months, if the tests showed they had nicotine in their system, their savings were lost — given to charity.

Basically, people respond more to the idea of losing money than of making money. You know this got me thinking, right?

The holy grail for most fiction writers is to sell their novels, whether it’s the first novel or the next series of novels on a new contract. We do all kinds of things to keep ourselves writing. We promise ourselves rewards in addition to the reward of selling. New clothes, a trip, a spa day — whatever it takes, right?

But what about losing something instead of winning? What if instead of promising myself an evening of watching television if I write 5 pages, I pay myself a salary. A salary I will lose if I don’t meet the goal I’ve set for myself.

I’m not talking about 5-page-a-day goals, or novel-in-a-month goals, but realistic goals like those I will face when I get the contract. If my hypothetical contract specifies I will turn in a novel two months from now, then I will pay myself for two months while I work on that novel. And if I miss the deadline, the money either goes to charity or it goes to my hubby to buy whatever he wants for himself. I don’t have to pay myself a lot (obviously there’s a budget), but enough that it will add up in the end to a sum I really don’t want to give up.

I’m still working on this thought, turning it over in my head, but I kind of like the concept. I was the girl who never failed to turn in a paper for college because I had two things in mind: loss of an A grade and loss of the money the class cost if I were to withdraw or fail in any way. The first thing was personal, but the second was, surprise, about money. Money is a good motivator for me.

“What we know about incentives is that people work a lot harder to avoid losing $10 than they will work to gain $10,” explains Ayres. “So something that’s framed as a loss is really effective at changing behavior.”

So what do you think? Is it effective to think in terms of loss rather than gain when trying to write a novel? A statement like if I finish this novel, I can sell it (I hope) and make X dollars (I hope) becomes if I don’t finish this novel on time, I will lose X dollars for sure. I think it could work, but maybe that’s because I know I’m already oriented toward preventing real $$ loss. Hypothetical bucks won’t do it for me. It has to be real. Think hubby will notice if I pay myself $50 a week?