Wednesday, February 15, 2012

WIP OMG

Photo Credit - AllMotivated.com


Isn't it weird how acronyms are taking over the world? We've become so obsessed with saving time, that speaking and typing full words are too bothersome.

*le sigh*

Okay, I didn't come here to rant. Not today, anyway.

I'm here to give you an update on a commitment I made WAY back in January, to write 500 words every day. You remember, a little challenge called #WIP500!

So like most resolutions  unresolutions, I came out of the starting gates like a bat outta Hell. Pfft 500 words?! Dude I 'll do 600 or 1,000 or maybe 3,000! I was feeling all smug, basking in my own awesomeness (not that I would actually do that) and thinking Damn I could do this all year long - NO problem.

Can you say famous last words?

So the third week of January hits and my real life commitments start building up again after the Christmas and New Year hangover. (I'm not talking drinking here people) All of the sudden I'm struggling to write anything. Sure I was still blogging. Sure I was participating in Five Sentence Fiction, but I wasn't working on my WIP. Not getting in those 500 words per day done.

Houston, we have a problem.

I managed to stay afloat by banking a few extra words when I did get a chance to write, but then it happened.

DUN DUN DUN!!!

I logged into Cara Michael's website and received the electronic equivalent of a bitch slap (sorry for the vulgar language it seems appropriate here.) I had slipped below the accumulated total. Granted it wasn't by much. I think my percentage said I was at 98.42% which is still really awesome, but I was used to seeing that percentage WAY higher. I liked thinking I was giving more than 100%. Made me feel awesome. 98.42% is a fantastic number and seriously if I had scored those kind of stats in school...well, let's just say I'd be doing a lot better for myself right now. Or not, it's hard to tell. The point is, I was behind and I wasn't happy about it.

So yesterday I took my lovely MacBook Pro to work and clicked away at those keys all lunch to get them 500 words, and I did it. Today I managed 500 words too. I may not be getting the 600 or 1,000 or 3,000 words a day like I did before, but hey, it's called #WIP500 not.....

#WIP-as-many-words-as-you-can-before-you-fall-over-in-exhaustion. 

Just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

Are You Participating in #WIP500? How Are You Managing?

8 comments:

breeanap said...

Awesome post Angie. :) I'm doing #WIP500, and I'm still in the crazy phase, though today I definitely hit the brick wall of "what in the h*ll am I doing to myself?", so your post was a bright spot in a dark evening. :)

Janie Crouch said...

98% is great compared to where I'm hovering... I blame it on the editing of last Nov's NaNo novel. That is taking way longer than the three (or whatever ridiculously low number of) days I thought it would. And then I keep getting swept up into all the flash fiction contests and blog comment responses. Sometimes WIP and RIP look awfully similar...

D. D. Syrdal said...

You can do it, but don't think of it as some obstacle to be overcome everyday. If you need a wordsprint I'm on Twitter almost all the time. Hit me up and we can do this!

Angie Richmond said...

Thanks for all the wonderful comments!

D said...

You're doing great, Angie! I'm way behind you, only at 73%! I had to get a few "Knock knock, anybody home?" messages from Cara, asking if I was still participating, until I finally got my ass in gear and started writing every day.

The big change for me was - you know how I'm hopelessly addicted to twitter? - I forced myself into postponing my tweets until AFTER I got my #WIP500 done for the day. It made a huge difference. I think my lowest was around 40%, and I've been steadily climbing the past couple of weeks.

I love Cara and everyone participating in #WIP500 - the support (and the pressure!) has gotten me more productive than I could have ever been motivated to be on my own.

Angie Richmond said...

Great work Dasia! Cara is awesome for thinking this up!

Thanks!

Wow lots of exclamation marks in that comment.

No one said...

Well done, you! I've completely and utterly dropped the ball and am probably barely on 2%. Poor Cara keeps asking if I'm still on board and I keep saying I am while whispering prayers for inspiration and energy and time. And yet, I have time to browse the web and crochet and play mine craft. I just don't know what is wrong with me.

Congrats to you, though!

Angie Richmond said...

Thanks Sif for the comment! Hang in there and it will come :)

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