Hey, WIPsters! Remember how we mentioned there’d be PRIZES? Well, the time has come: Denise has drawn the name of our first prize-winner, someone who set their goals within the first 24 hours of March Madness. And the winner is…
*drumroll*
Liz Mertz!
Congratulations, Liz! Drop by THIS POST to pick your prize from the list, then email your choice to Denise — d(at)denisejaden(dot)com — and we’ll get your prize to you.
After writing my last MM post, with its talk of Marty McFly and Back to the Future, I seemed to see BTTF references everywhere. And so, a Tuesday-check-in theme was born. (If you haven’t seen Back to the Future, I apologize for what will therefore be very odd metaphors. Also, go watch it.)
Today I want to think a bit about obstacles and challenges. We’ve all got ‘em, and we’ve probably got strategies we could be using to deal with most of them. But then there’s that one thing that seems to be a constant battle. Maybe it’s self-doubt. Maybe it’s procrastination. Maybe it’s time-management or fear or perfectionism. (Okay, we all know that list could go on and on…we writers do have our challenges, lol!) Whatever it is, we can never seem to get one-up on it, and we let it take way too much from us. Kinda like George McFly dealing with Biff…
(watch the first minute and a half)
So tell me: In your writing life, and in particular your efforts to reach your March Madness goals, what’s your Biff?
Think about that thing…
Okay, now watch this one:
How are you going to stand up to your Biff? What’s the knock-out punch you can give it so you’ll be able to reach out to your WIP or to your creative spirit, help it up, and say with dignity and compassion, “Are you okay?”
Happy writing/reading/blogging/illustrating… 
Check-in tomorrow on Angelina’s blog: http://yascribe.blogspot.com
I tend to ramble (and ramble and ramble) in early drafts. I start a scene and feel it veering off topic, yet I keep writing it. The past few months I’ve really tried to work on this by setting a timer to write for an hour at a time. That way I force myself to take a step back instead of sitting for hours, adding more and more words I can’t use.
Sometimes amazing things come from veering off track, lol, but if you already know where you want to go, it’s no fun to realize you’ve strayed. Setting a timer to check that you’re “on track” is a great idea!
Happy writing, Jennifer!
YAY Liz!
And wow, Shari! You really hit the nail on the head. My Biff definitely has multiple personalities. Perfectionism is one of my biggest. I have such a hard time stifling the editor in my head.
I’m also battling some health issues that make it hard to push past the after hours block. If I don’t get it done during the day (in the little windows during my day job), I don’t get much done. So RA is another Biff for me. But I land a pretty mean punch there whenever I can.
So, I’m curling my fist into a tight positive attitude and launching it as hard as I can. Here we go…
A “tight positive attitude” can make a huge difference, for sure. Sorry to hear about your RA…definitely a challenge! But yay you for recognizing what works for you so you can take advantage of the times that are good. Rooting for you, Mary Ann!
Congrats, Liz!
This is my first check-in since I signed up for March Madness. There hasn’t really been anything to report, I guess because I’m struggling with my Biffs. (The same ones as everyone else of course — perfectionism, self-doubt, the urge to throw in the towel.) I don’t have any particular plan for overcoming this, just putting one foot in front of the other whenever I can. So here’s hoping the rest of the month goes a bit better!
Good luck, everyone!
Sorry to hear you’ve been struggling. One foot in front of the other is definitely a good plan! Just keep moving forward….
I’ve found that for some challenges, having a more specific plan of attack has been helpful (like when I can’t shut off the internal editor, I get up and close my office door, visualizing closing him on the outside of the room, and I also work with my back to the wall so I never have the sense he’s crept in and is peering over my shoulder…sounds pretty ridiculous now that I admit it publicly, lol, but it helps me succeed with forward motion!). All that to say, maybe consider choosing a tool or strategy for when perfectionism or self-doubt are beating on you?
All the best, Jaime!
Thanks for the advice, Shari! I love your tips for shutting the internal editor out of your writing space. It might feel silly to admit, but if it works, it works! I’m definitely going to come up with a strategy of my own. Thanks again.
Today’s Biff is tiredness. I rarely drink caffeine because I’m overly sensitive to stimulants, but on days like today, I have a spot of Earl Grey. One thing that helps me overcome the challenges is to take off the pressure. Each day I tell myself I just have to revise one page. I can do that. And most days the one turns into three or five or ten. Just getting started is often the hardest part.
Congrats on the prize, Liz. See you tomorrow over at my place. ^_^
Getting started really can be the hardest part sometimes. I like your “just do one page” strategy (or it could be “just do 20 minutes”). It usually leads to more, and even if it doesn’t, you’ve still got one page done, which is way better than none!
Wishing you energy for your day, and some renewing R&R.
LOL. I love this post, Shari! And I love BttF! My Biff is lack of time, or perhaps guilt. I feel like I should be taking care of everyone else first, and often my writing takes a back seat. This problem comes and goes for me. Sometimes I can be really pigheaded and say to everybody in my life “leave me alone, it’s my time to write.” This is not one of those times, especially because I’m returning from a vacation, so I tend to feel an extra measure of guilt about that.
But your post is an excellent reminder! I WILL take some time today and focus on MY goal!
Lack of time is a tough one…guilt seems to hit no matter how we organize our days! And when you’re a “primary caregiver”, other people’s needs often do have to come first. And yet, we have to value our work and give it its proper priority. Such a balancing act! Wishing you all the best…
Mine is fear of failing so what have I done? I procrastinate with my revision. Find ‘excuses’ not to get it done so I can send it off for yet more rejections. I figured this out just recently. I went back and checked all the rejections I’ve received from all three of my books combined: over 300. Then I remembered a couple NYT authors telling me it wasn’t until their 5 or even 6th book that they got that traditional publisher and/or agent. And some authors even are now doing great on their own with self-pubbing. I just know that route isn’t for me.
Another thing is fear. Period. I have on the back burner a very edgy YA that deals with a teen and her bipolar father. There’s also gun violence in it. My family worries that it’ll be too ‘close’ to what we grew up with. I’ve been told to just ‘forget it’. But I can’t. I just need to have enough courage to continue it. I did post hints of it in my Dear Teen Me letter and one of my family members got upset at me writing it. But on the other hand I got tons of emails thanking me including one from one of my YA author idols who has sent me very encouraging emails supporting me.
I love my caffeine. I admit it.
Congrats Liz!
Fear sure can mess with creativity. And it’s a complex issue when writing something that will hurt a few but help many…a tough call! Hard to know what’s best, and hard to have to decide whether the potential fall-out is a cost we’re willing to pay. (Have you come across this quote by Anne Lamott: “If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better”, LOL.) Wishing you all the best, Kim.
No, didn’t hear that one. Love that! Can I share?
Did get an email from one of my publishers with some good news I can share this Friday. That motivated me.
Hooray for good news! Can’t wait to hear!
I’m not sure where that Anne Lamott quote is from (Bird by Bird, I think, but I don’t recall for sure). It’s a good one, isn’t it?
When I’m drafting, I don’t really have issues like that. At the moment, my biff is the stomach bug I caught. Thought it was gone, but now it’s back. And instead of just making my stomach ache, it’s making me feel exhausted.
Only wrote 325 words and read 11 chapters. Still ahead, though. Can only hope tomorrow will be better.
Ugh, so sorry you’re sick! You did well to get that much reading and writing done. I sure hope you feel better tomorrow!
Can my Biff be my kids? Except they’re much cuter. Being a stay-at-home homeschooling mom to two little ones, and also squeezing in 10-20 hours of for-hire writing/week makes time the biggest issue. I try to stay up late or get up early, but I still have a toddler who wakes multiple times in the night, so I’d venture to say sleep is more precious than writing time at this point in my life. Still, I make it happen! I think today I’m going to wrap up the revision and get it sent to the agent! Woo-hoo!
Your Biff can definitely be your kids, but no knock-out punches, okay? lol. Homeschooling plus up-at-night make for big challenges (oh how I remember the lack of sleep….). You’re smart to make sleep high priority! Gotta take care of yourself. Congrats on making time tor some writing/revising whenever you are able, and yay for sending revisions off to your agent! I hope she/he loves them!
Joy, I homeschool one of my kids too. It’s a tough road when you want to be writing but it does get easier when they’re older and they are definitely worth it!
Ditto that. I homeschool my sixth grader plus review and also write. It’s crazy that’s for sure! I found I have to be more creative in finding time to write even if that means writing when he’s in bed. Sleep is huge. Plus taking care of yourself. I totally believe in giving yourself permission to take ‘me time’. Congrats on sending revisions off to your agent!
Congrats to Liz! And to Shari for this great analogy. These clips make me want to go see a BTTF movie.
I’m not very good at self-analysis. I don’t really know what my Biff is right now. Maybe lack of initiative. Maybe that’s from lack of energy or maybe just procrastination. I have my eye on one project at the moment… not my w.i.p. but something that still involves some writing, so I’ll just keep going on it. So far today not much has been accomplished, but I’m getting some photos printed out, and that’s a necessary step.
Lack of initiative/energy is a tough one — I can relate! But how to shake that Biff off and get fired up and motivated?! I don’t know, but I’ve found that, for me, creative energy seems to come in waves…a real ebb and flow. Maybe it’s a filling-the-well thing, ie when we don’t seem to have any enthusiasm for writing, it’s our spirit’s way of telling us we need art/music/beauty/story IN.
Focusing on the one project that has caught your eye sounds like a good plan. Maybe that needs to be done and off your mind before you return to your WIP? And like you said, it still involves writing and creative energy, so whatever you accomplish there is great! You know we’re all rooting for you…
Wow! What a treat to be a winner!
I almost didn’t check-in, as I have not met my goal yet today. But there is still time.
I think perfectionism slows me down the most. I find it difficult to write without revising as I go or getting hung up when I don’t know exactly how to set up the next scene. I am learning that the solution often comes if I will just keep writing. I will enjoy thinking of myself knocking my “Biff” in the jaw and out of my way. Great image. Thanks!
Glad the image works for you, lol. “Just keep writing” is a terrific plan of attack. I have trouble not “fixing things” while I write, too, but I’ve found one thing that helps is leaving quick notes to myself (or even a few asterisks) right in the ms — something like, [transition needed], or whatever, so on some level I’ve dealt with the thing that is screaming out to be fixed and I can move on.
Congrats on being our first winner, Liz!
Congrats to Liz, and great analogy, Shari! My Biff is over-extending myself, saying yes to too many things. My 1-2 punch is, well, picturing myself sitting in another soul-leaching, dead-end job because I didn’t make the most of this unemployment time.
Ooh, that 1-2 punch sounds like it would be fairly effective, lol. All the best to you, and remember, just say no.
congrats to liz and thanks Shari for the continuing blasts from the past! my Biff is my inner editor – who I think shall forever more be called BIFF. It’s not even the ‘editor’ part that gets me, it’s the ‘doubter’ part. My inner editor sits at my shoulder and reads every word I type, often making grimaces or exclamations like “You’re going to write that?” or “That’s pretty weak.” But most insidious is when Biff puts on his sugary sweet voice and says, “Why not give up? You’ll never sell your books. No one will want them…wouldn’t it be better to give up now?” That’s when I need a giant hammer with Biff’s name on it.
Biff is a jerk, isn’t he? Don’t listen to a thing he says. *passes you giant hammer*
My biff is definitely being interrupted by my kids. I have such a hard time turning off my mom-radar.
Didn’t get any writing/revising done on Mon or Tues this week but I have been reading so I’ve accomplished one goal.
Kids sure can interrupt a lot, can’t they? But they’re kinda worth it, lol. Plus, they’re cute.
Yay for accomplishing your reading goal! I hope you’re able to sneak in some writing time tomorrow.
And congrats to Liz!
I will never tire of your BTTF references, Shari.
I had an absolutely dreadful day. I had a panic attack about my student loan debt and my inability to pay it and the realization that if I took the 25 year plan with the smaller payments, I’d be paying off this godforsaken debt until my 50s. My father decided to start yelling at me over something I didn’t do and when I tried to explain that I didn’t, he started yelling even more and I had no idea what set him off but it sure as hell wasn’t me. I cried a bit and felt properly sorry for myself for a few hours, ate my feelings, and shut myself away from the world for the rest of the day.
In spite of it all, I wrote about 2200 words and polished off another chapter. So, there’s that. Everything else is falling down around my ears, but at least the WIP s going well.
Aw, so sorry to hear about your nasty day. Ugh. It’s so awesome (and inspiring!) that you were able to set that all aside and write so many words! Way to go, turning your focus from “madness” to March Madness.
Wishing you a happy day tomorrow!
My biggest challenge is the internet. When I really need to plow through pages, I disable it from my laptop or work off of hard copy.
The internet can be a real Biff. Awesome that you’ve got strategies in place that work for you!
First off, Congrats Liz!
BIFFs are all around. That list you have is pretty accurate for me. For instance, the tweet I wrote earlier took four tries. Keysmashing and the joy of seeing the tiny green light go on every time they hit the caps lock key. Of course, the tots are so adorbs that you have to stop what you’re doing and play for a few minutes or several…
I stopped using Facebook for the time-suckage. I got super productive after that though my friends get mad that I only check in on the rare occasion. I pop on more frequently now to check author pages but not for socializing. Twitter’s been awesome since I started my official author twitter account. Sadly, Hootsuite is a little like crack… or so I’ve heard. *ahem*
Need to curb it, but there’s so much information. I even have #wipmadness in its own stream so I don’t miss a thing. I’m glad for March Madness. These check-ins help with the BIFFs. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on #wipmadness throughout the year. March Madness sparked a wonderful year of writing for me last year. This year’s already given me a surge of energy so I know it can only get better.
Cheers,
Tonette
That surge of energy is a big part of why we do March Madness! It’s so inspiring to work together, to encourage and be encouraged, to set goals and be held accountable. So, yay for that! Here’s to another whole year of Madness!
Okay, well, now I know what biff means. Haha. Great movies. I took my mum when the first one came out. What a hoot.
They are great movies, aren’t they? I went to the first one somewhere in Alaska–we were camping, and we were cold & looking for something to do indoors, lol.
Thanks for stopping by, Joylene!
I swear, I was all ready to check in last night, and then I got distracted.But I had good news to report. Because yesterday I successfully revised that part that I’d taken the Machete to. The new version is now in my critique partner’s hands.
Woohoo! Congrats on getting through that slash-and-hack session. Onward!
I think my Biff this week is marketing and promotion. I have an ebook (adult fantasy, Soul of Kandrith) releasing on Monday, and I’m driving myself crazy trying to
Okay, no laughing…but I missed last week, so I decided to post anyways. *O*. But I wanted to say congrats to LIZ!! So happy you won something. Liz is the regional adviser for our local SCBWI group, and I’m so thrilled she’s participating in MM. Go Liz!!