Depressed?

Image Courtesy of MorgueFile.com

My wife asked me, "If you never make it as a writer, will you be severely depressed?"  I considered taking the easy way out and lying.  "Of course not.  I almost hope that I don't make it."

Instead, probably to her horror, I started talking until my brain found an answer.  I do that sometimes.

Leaving the definition of making it as a writer aside for another post, here is a close proximity to the answer I gave her:

I don't think failing would depress me beyond recovery.  Sure, it would be a huge disappointment.  Perhaps one of the worst of my adult life.  Yeah, I could see the lack of success sending me into a tailspin where I struggle to eat, or sleep.  I'd waste away.  Then there would be the mood swings, and the anti-social behavior, ending with me on the top of a cliff, pondering the meaning of it all.

But severely depressed?  Not as such.

Okay.  Let me try that again.  Here's how I really answered:

In all seriousness, not making it as a writer would be hard.  Not giving it a real effort and trying would be much, much worse.

And honestly, if I put the hard work into it that I've been discussing here on this blog, I'm having a hard time believing I won't make it.  (That's the writer's ego talking.)  Sure, it'll probably take longer than I'd like, but dedicating myself to the craft, and sitting down to do it every day will surely pay off.  One day.

Strangely enough, I also have daily doubts where I wonder if I'll ever be any good.  (That's also the writer's ego talking.  We're a fragile bunch.)

Resolution and Goals Update

How are those resolutions working out for you?  Has anyone lost any weight?  Given up smoking?  We're not quite a week in yet.  Don't tell me you've blown it already!?

Good for you if you haven't.

I'm thrilled to be at 5500 words so far this month/year.  Last night, I almost took the night off.  After all, there's a day off built into my 6000 words a week goal.  I felt like I could use one.

Guess how many words I'd have written if I took a night off every time I felt like it?  Remember, I love the process of writing as much as the result.  Go on, guess?  That's right.  0.

However, I'm convinced that the vast majority of successful writers are successful because of their work ethic.  It even says so on pages 3-4 of my Christmas present (Crafting Novels & Short Stories.)  "What usually separates good writers from bad ones (and often, published writers from unpublished ones) is a strong work habit.  That's it.  That's the real secret.  Real writers work hard."

So I wrote, and that was even before I read the above quote.  As usually happens when sitting down reluctantly for a writing session, I managed to break through a scene problem.

All that to say, I'd encourage you to continue pursuing your goals.  Especially your writing goals.  Don't regret not working towards fulfilling them.

Math? Writing Goals? What!?

In my last post, I mentioned some New Year's Goals.  That was a big step for me.  Usually my resolution is not to make fun of other people's resolutions.  Usually I break it within the first few days.  You know, just like everybody else does.

But I've been setting goals with my writing.  Most of them have been short term goals and they've helped me focus on what I need to achieve.

So, I declared in my last post that I wanted to achieve a "Race" score of 60.  That's a solid goal that will have me writing all year.  But, how can I break that down on a shorter basis?  Better yet, how can I do that within a system that is already working for me?

Last night I spoke with a friend about this, and we talked about breaking it down.  There's several paths to 60.  To put some arbitrary numbers to it, let's call it 50 short stories and 2 completed novels.  That's a lot, especially for a guy that's only a third of the way through his first novel.  But stick with me.

I've kept track for two months of my daily word count.  For anyone that wants to know, I wrote 27,000 new words last month.  3000 words shy of my stated goal yes, but the accomplishment still felt good.

I yearn to be more prolific, but I understand what it takes to write at that pace.

Typically, I'd like to put out 7000 words a week.  That's 1000 words a day, but not every day is going to be
like that.  So assume I take a day off of writing each week.  (I won't, but let's build that into the system.)

So- 6000 minimum words a week.  For 52 weeks.  That's 312,000 words if I make the goal.

Figure 60,000 words for each of the novels.  That leaves 192,000 words.  Divide that by 50 short stories.  That's 3840 words, which is a pretty good size short story.

Throw in the work I've already put into the first novel and the "Race" score of 12 I currently have and this goal is looking more and more achievable.

Not every writer enjoys math, but man is it working for me.

The Race for the New Year

New Years Resolutions, blah, blah blah.  Almost everyone makes them and almost everyone forgets them.  And even those who don't forget them don't follow through with them.  Don't believe me?  What were your goals from last year?  The year before?

And how are you doing on them?

Ah, but I digress.

For the last two or three months I've been making writing goals, and for the most part achieving them.  (I'll probably fall short of the new 30,000 words for this month but there's an outside chance to make that goal if I can stop blogging about it.)

Making goals for next month is nothing new.  But, since it is a new year, let's make something worthwhile.  Something achievable.

I'm entering two races.

Dean Wesley Smith (I mention him a lot here) wrote a long time back about making goals.  Somewhere along the line the goal setting method became known as The Race.  I couldn't dig out the original post of his, but this website references it.
https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/the-race-an-explanation/

It goes like this.  You get:

• 1 point for every short fiction piece you have submitted to paying markets
• 3 points for every novel synopsis + 3 chapters (to markets, agents don't count)
• 8 points for every complete novel submitted to paying markets (again, agents don't count. Only places that can but the novel)
• As soon as it sells the points come off.  Previously sold pieces that is in the market for other sales (anthologies and so on) count towards the tally

The idea, or one of them, is that the higher number you have, the more you sale.  This is due to two reasons.  1) More chances to sale and 2) The more work you produce, the more practice you get and thus, the better your work should become.

Writers with high numbers (50 and above) tend to make it.  Writers with lower numbers (Mine is currently at 11) tend to not make it.

So what about the e-publishing world?  Dean discussed that sometime back here (courtesy of Amanda McCarter and Annie Bellet):

http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=2617

The eRace.  It's similar, but the points don't come off.  You get 

• 1 Point for every short story e-published
• 3 Points for every short story collection e-published (5 or more)
• 5 Points for every novel e-published

The points don't go off so it's possible to have a number in the 1000's.

Oh, and I just read this before publishing this post:

http://amandamccarter.wordpress.com/2010/10/21/race-scores-and-e-publishing/

So you have to get 5 sales in the epub world before it counts towards your eRace total.

One of my goals is to be a successful hybrid writer, publishing in both worlds.

So yeah.  I'd like to complete 2 novels this year and, say 30-50 short stories.  I keep playing with that number.

But how about something more lofty?  This year I will achieve the following:

A Race score of 60.

An eRace score of 40.

I'm not sure how lofty those goals are.  The 60 seems easier, as I haven't put any new e-works out there.  (I guess I currently have a score of 5 in the eRace.  You're welcome to go find and buy those stories, they're out there.  But I wrote them years ago and I'm not happy with them.  I can't bring myself to take them down yet, but eventually I will.  Probably.  I think.)

60 and 50?  Can it be done?  Stay tuned here to find out. I sure hope the answer is yes.

All I Want for Christmas...

If I were to sit on the mall Santa's lap... well I'd be arrested.  Seriously.  I'm afraid the restraining order is pretty specific.

The next best thing is to hope Santa is a reader of this blog.  My readership is up, so I'm thinking there's an outside chance of it.

Here's my list, from 1 - 10, with 1 being "We can definitely make that happen" and 10 being "And I thought you were crazy when you said Santa might read your blog."

1. Continue to improve my writing daily.
2. Continue to increase my daily and weekly word counts.
3. Get a short story published.  Oh, and I mean in a paying market this time.
4. Finish the novel.
5. Finish a second novel .
6. Sell the novels.
7. Write a story that my wife loves.
8. Win a Hugo. (Or a Nebula.  I'm not particular.)
9. Have John Scalzi ask to write an introduction to my first short story collection.
10. Tell John Scalzi, "Sorry, but no.  Neil Gaiman already agreed to do it."

That should do it for now.  My birthday's coming up in just  few months though.

Who Needs Sleep?

"Why do you stay up so late and write?"

I won't tell you who asked me that, but I live with her and she's married to me.  That's the only hint you get.

And it's an excellent question, with multiple answers.  I'll tell you the answer I gave her, but first here are some other valid responses:

• It's fun
  
• When it's working, creating stories is better than reading stories
  
• So I don't forget how to do it
  
• Because it's the only way to keep the voices at bay

All those and more would have had truth to them.  But here's the real answer, and the one I gave her:

"It's my job."

I work in Information Technology.  At best I figure I have forty years left before the technology passes me by, or the robots take over.  Without other marketable skills, where would that leave us?

I have to practice.  I have to improve.  I have to write.

In all seriousness, I love writing.  The goal is to be read, and earn enough that I can tell people "I'm a professional writer," without displaying that nervous facial tick I get when I lie.

And the dream?  To eventually make it my primary (only) source of income, and on my own terms.  (My own terms being that it's my decision and not that of the Robot Masters.  May they function forever.)

Word count goal

16,000 words written in November. I'm shooting for 32,000 this month