Mel’s Writing Summer Experiment

 I had big writing goals this summer.  They may have been a bit overachievy, but I wouldn’t be me unless they were.

Essentially, there were two papers that I was giving at two different academic conferences, finish a rough draft of my WIP for the Highlights Foundation YA and MG Whole Novel writing retreat for early July, another revision on the “10-year-book” and the possibility of a book proposal that I’ve been spending the last few months researching. There were also a couple of freelance gigs, the commitment to self care (yoga and meditation) and — oh, yes–relax because apparently that is what some people do in the summer…

It was important that I set myself up for success. I had four months to complete these goals. I am pretty pleased with myself because except for an additional paper which required more research issues than the time would allow, and a book proposal that needs a bit more time for the character to find her voice, all was completed.

So, I can celebrate … right?

A couple of people have asked me to write about how I organized myself, so I’ll share some of tricks that have helped me, but I think that everyone has their own process and you may find my lists, calendar notes and other guidelines a bit too much. The best piece of advice I would say is to work back from the deadline and stick to it, allowing some room for days when it just isn’t working or other things come up.

What you’ll see here is how I did it on a large scale (four months) and then in a shorter time frame (one week).

I have been working with the 2018 Do-it-all Planner which provides the monthly calendar, as well as extra pages for ‘to do’ lists and then a weekly task list with places to put what needs to get done. I cut and pasted the monthly calendars and to-do lists so they fit on the same page and then subdivided the “to do” into three sections: writing goals, professional and promotional goals, and self care practice. You’ll note I highlighted where I was traveling and played with coloured markers (because it is fun to play with colours) and checked off when things got done. There was also a section for “Important dates” to keep track of.

Copyright Melanie J. Fishbane

I then rewarded myself.

Admittedly, I didn’t create this idea (probably some excellent grade school teacher did), but I wanted to do something that didn’t require food. Erin Bow posted somewhere that she gave herself a sticker for a good day’s work and I thought this was perfect. (So, thank you, Erin, for the inspiration).

I also had fun stickers from my Snoopy calendar and it was even an excuse to buy stickers! (I don’t usually have said excuse so that was fun, too). My inner child was thrilled to get a sticker at the end of the day. And how cool does it look when you see it across a whole calendar?!  You’ll note that there were a few days “off” or maybe I didn’t quite make it (like the 12th, cannot remember why), but for the most part I stuck to my plans. The cat was because I completed the revision of the “ten-year-book” and felt like I deserved an extra special sticker…

I also set out a weekly “to do” lists for each project I was working on, with the idea that things might need to get moved or massaged. Creativity doesn’t move in a straight line and thus we need to be OPEN TO THE PROCESS! All of these organizational tools are fine, but if it constricts  your flow it isn’t working!

This is the notebook I used for revising the “ten-year-book.” I organized by chapter and then I outlined how I would work through these notes over the course of three weeks.

This strategy also helped keep me organized during the Highlights retreat where there is essentially five-ish days to get a certain amount of work done. The workshop is set up so you send your manuscript to a mentor who has about a month to read and provide editorial feedback to your novel. I got to work with the amazing Sarah Aronson who responded with an exceptional 16-paged editorial letter (I know!). The letter included her philosophy on writing and other exceptional tidbits. I have to tell you that receiving this letter was the highlight (no pun intended) of my summer. Having no publishing contract right now, there hasn’t been an opportunity to send and get this kind of meaty feedback from someone and I NEEDED IT SO MUCH! Honestly, if you’re looking for a way to get back into your novel and want a master level class, this workshop is where you need to go.

I love this kind of feedback because then I can create a plan, chart a course and go.

Which is essentially what I did. (Well, we’ll still see how successful I’ll be for my finish this draft goal of November). But the workshop helped me figure out some major plot/character questions and create. Sarah and I met up on Monday morning and we determined that I needed to create a new outline and write the revised beginning, at least the first few chapters. 

The idea at Highlights is to give you an environment ripe for creation. They  set you up in these adorable cabins (or you can stay in the lodge), and they feed you succulent food. There are snacks everywhere.  I created a plan for each day being very cognizant of the time we were at our “brain trust” workshops (which were fabulous) or lectures.

Then, my friends pointed out the  illustrator cabin…and  I kind of had a moment of euphoria. It smells like crayons and has everything you can possibly need to draw, paint, and colour. I spent two days in that cabin, creating a new outline for the novel and the character. The outline has four squares with post its for the “extras” the novel has and then worked my way back words, writing a summary in each square.

Copyright Melanie J. Fishbane

And, then I tapped into my inner artist…This is what emerged. The one of the right is something from when I was I think Grade 6, my friend and I were so bored we created paper dolls. I’m pretty sure that face was the same one I drew then…but she wasn’t quite right. The one on the left was in progress. I was also showing someone how to draw on a grey scale and there I am trying to work with that negative space again!

Copyright Melanie J. Fishbane

Then I took all of it and started writing. By then end of the week, I had a new outline, adapted it to Scrivener and figured out at least the next four steps. I wrote the first draft of three new chapters and since then I’ve written the next two.

Copyright Melanie J. Fishbane

Last week, I took that week in the country with my partner, where much of it was reading,  paddle boarding, and relaxing. I wrote in my journal and took about an hour or so a day to write, so I didn’t lose track of the momentum I had created the week before.

Today, I posted the outline, the weird glam-rock inspired character I drew, and a character map on my wall.  I need the visuals to keep me focused, particularly as I head into the fall and will be teaching again.

Copyright Melanie J. Fishbane

I’ve created a new plan for fall.  Note how heavy it is for Sept/Oct with lighter moments in November and December. This is because it all depends upon what I’ll need to move push forward. There are some hard deadlines, some are things (like call for papers) that I might decide not to do, but having them all here means they’re all in one place.

There is probably a lot more to this that isn’t mentioned here, but here are the tools that I used to keep my butt in the chair and keep writing.

Whatever process you have I will say that the rewarding of stickers is probably my favourite thing–oh and using coloured markers. Your inner child will thank you.