Comments on: My New Day Job http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/ A mutual support group for SF/F Novelists Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:40:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Christopher Weuve http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3080 Christopher Weuve Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:05:46 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3080 Scarlett -- What do you use now? (I'm exploring Scrivener and Tinderbox.) Scarlett — What do you use now? (I’m exploring Scrivener and Tinderbox.)

]]> By: Mindy Klasky http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3052 Mindy Klasky Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:18:53 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3052 Scarlett - I am truly impressed! You could teach an entire course on Outlook exploitation! (Reading your description makes perfect sense to me, but I wouldn't have thought of doing it.) I've been disappointed in some aspects of the Mac equivalents to Outlook - mostly they trade robustness for simplicity and beauty. (Maybe I just need more simplicity and beauty in my life :-) ) Barbara - I completely agree with you, about having specific deadlines to keep all deadlines. That's one of the things that I'm working on setting up, in this new full-time writing gig. (Setting specific deadlines for the actual writing bits is mandatory for me, too.) Scarlett – I am truly impressed! You could teach an entire course on Outlook exploitation! (Reading your description makes perfect sense to me, but I wouldn’t have thought of doing it.) I’ve been disappointed in some aspects of the Mac equivalents to Outlook – mostly they trade robustness for simplicity and beauty. (Maybe I just need more simplicity and beauty in my life :-) )

Barbara – I completely agree with you, about having specific deadlines to keep all deadlines. That’s one of the things that I’m working on setting up, in this new full-time writing gig. (Setting specific deadlines for the actual writing bits is mandatory for me, too.)

]]> By: Barbara Martin http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3050 Barbara Martin Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:03:43 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3050 Like you, I use the outlook bring forward calendar to remind me of due dates when I need a particular work ready. To help me keep my deadlines clear was writing blog posts in conjunction with Travis Erwin's "My Town Mondays" (traviserwin.blogspot.com), that by posting for a specific date assisted with me being able to keep to deadlines. Now I've done a list of when I expect to get certain parts of my WIP done by. Like you, I use the outlook bring forward calendar to remind me of due dates when I need a particular work ready. To help me keep my deadlines clear was writing blog posts in conjunction with Travis Erwin’s “My Town Mondays” (traviserwin.blogspot.com), that by posting for a specific date assisted with me being able to keep to deadlines.

Now I’ve done a list of when I expect to get certain parts of my WIP done by.

]]> By: Scarlett Azaria http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3049 Scarlett Azaria Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:19:38 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3049 I used to use Outlook to pretty much run my entire writing life. I'd use a separate .pst folder for every writing project, and then set up sub-folders for the journal, calendar, contacts etc. My characters would go into the contacts, time recording into the journal, documents posted straight into the inbox, writing schedule in the calendar, to do list in tasks, notes kept in notes etc. The bit I loved the most, was using Outlook's powerful contact management system to link my contacts (the characters) to documents, notes, appointments, tasks etc. So, effectively, I could go into the activity tab of a contact and see anything in Outlook related to them - deadlines, stuff I needed to do, chapters they were involved in, what days I had written any scenes with them in etc. It was brilliant. And then I swapped to OSX and I haven't been on Outlook since =p I used to use Outlook to pretty much run my entire writing life. I’d use a separate .pst folder for every writing project, and then set up sub-folders for the journal, calendar, contacts etc. My characters would go into the contacts, time recording into the journal, documents posted straight into the inbox, writing schedule in the calendar, to do list in tasks, notes kept in notes etc. The bit I loved the most, was using Outlook’s powerful contact management system to link my contacts (the characters) to documents, notes, appointments, tasks etc. So, effectively, I could go into the activity tab of a contact and see anything in Outlook related to them – deadlines, stuff I needed to do, chapters they were involved in, what days I had written any scenes with them in etc. It was brilliant. And then I swapped to OSX and I haven’t been on Outlook since =p

]]> By: Mindy Klasky http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3048 Mindy Klasky Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:29:49 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3048 Hmm... I can see that my understanding of the comment system was, um, lacking. Since I can't respond to individuals, I'll respond en masse: Antony - thanks so much for posting your link. I found it really useful to see how you've applied the GTD principles! Paolo - thanks for the link. Slife is totally new to me, but the notion of tracking time is way too familiar, from years spent in law firm life. I look forward to exploring the potential! Sam - goals are admirable, and a great way to get (and keep going.) I agree with Kelly, that you have to use your rejections to measure your progress. (I say this, as a woman with enough rejection letters to wallpaper my entire home office, multiple times!) As Kelly notes, if you don't submit your work, you *know* it won't be published. John - On the first day, I got some editing done, revising a proposal for a YA series. The revisions were pretty substantial; they took me most of last week (the time that wasn't spent in career-organization!) The first *new* writing that I did was this week, a few essays for various online spots. Karen - I had always believed in my own will-power, to keep me focused. With Scrivener, though, I'm finding myself relying on the full-screen option (it blacks out everything else on the computer.) I still have to turn off the bell on my email alarm, and I have to use strength of will not to surf, but with the all-black screen, I'm far less tempted... Adam - The thing about agents is, no one is interested until someone is. Better to keep searching for the right someone than clutching at unsuitable folks (she wrote, having had a not-good-for-her agent for years before landing her current match :-) ) Kelly - Thanks, as always, for chiming in! Hmm… I can see that my understanding of the comment system was, um, lacking. Since I can’t respond to individuals, I’ll respond en masse:

Antony – thanks so much for posting your link. I found it really useful to see how you’ve applied the GTD principles!

Paolo – thanks for the link. Slife is totally new to me, but the notion of tracking time is way too familiar, from years spent in law firm life. I look forward to exploring the potential!

Sam – goals are admirable, and a great way to get (and keep going.) I agree with Kelly, that you have to use your rejections to measure your progress. (I say this, as a woman with enough rejection letters to wallpaper my entire home office, multiple times!) As Kelly notes, if you don’t submit your work, you *know* it won’t be published.

John – On the first day, I got some editing done, revising a proposal for a YA series. The revisions were pretty substantial; they took me most of last week (the time that wasn’t spent in career-organization!) The first *new* writing that I did was this week, a few essays for various online spots.

Karen – I had always believed in my own will-power, to keep me focused. With Scrivener, though, I’m finding myself relying on the full-screen option (it blacks out everything else on the computer.) I still have to turn off the bell on my email alarm, and I have to use strength of will not to surf, but with the all-black screen, I’m far less tempted…

Adam – The thing about agents is, no one is interested until someone is. Better to keep searching for the right someone than clutching at unsuitable folks (she wrote, having had a not-good-for-her agent for years before landing her current match :-) )

Kelly – Thanks, as always, for chiming in!

]]> By: Kelly McCullough http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3047 Kelly McCullough Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:40:03 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3047 Adam, glad to be of service. It's a tough road, but you're submitting. You're in the game and chasing the dream instead of just watching from the sidelines and thinking "I wish." In short, you rock! Adam, glad to be of service. It’s a tough road, but you’re submitting. You’re in the game and chasing the dream instead of just watching from the sidelines and thinking “I wish.” In short, you rock!

]]> By: Adam Heine http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3044 Adam Heine Thu, 26 Jun 2008 02:18:09 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3044 Kelly, I like your words on rejection. I was just picking out a third group of agents to query for my novel last night, and I was getting depressed because most of the first two groups had already sent rejections. I kept looking at information on new possible agents and thinking, "They're not going to be interested in this novel. Will anybody?" It's the first time I really had to struggle with that feeling. The first few rejections were, as you say, a point of pride, but they wear after a while. Your words have encouraged me :-) Karen, I like that hint. I keep telling myself I need to do that, and I never do. But the fact is that the days my internet has konked out are my most productive writing days. Kelly, I like your words on rejection. I was just picking out a third group of agents to query for my novel last night, and I was getting depressed because most of the first two groups had already sent rejections. I kept looking at information on new possible agents and thinking, “They’re not going to be interested in this novel. Will anybody?”

It’s the first time I really had to struggle with that feeling. The first few rejections were, as you say, a point of pride, but they wear after a while. Your words have encouraged me :-)

Karen, I like that hint. I keep telling myself I need to do that, and I never do. But the fact is that the days my internet has konked out are my most productive writing days.

]]> By: Karen Wester Newton http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3043 Karen Wester Newton Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:32:54 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3043 One of my essential get-things-done hints is to write on a laptop with no Internet access. No tempting "I'll just check my e-mail" moments. I have to keep a to-do list of things to research later but I don't stop writing to go online. One of my essential get-things-done hints is to write on a laptop with no Internet access. No tempting “I’ll just check my e-mail” moments. I have to keep a to-do list of things to research later but I don’t stop writing to go online.

]]> By: John Lenahan http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3041 John Lenahan Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:38:11 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3041 On your first day, did you do any writing? JL On your first day, did you do any writing?
JL

]]> By: Kelly McCullough http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3039 Kelly McCullough Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:26:21 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/06/25/my-new-day-job/#comment-3039 Sam, think of it this way: You can't sell a story that's sitting on your desk. Won't happen. Every time you send something out, you increase its odds of selling by an infinite amount, from zero, to some unknown number greater than zero. Instant infinite improvement. What more could you ask for? And don't let the rejections get to you. I've had something like 410 rejection letters over the course of my career to date. I sold my first short after 96 rejections for various shorts and novels and my first book after about 360. Rejection happens. It hurts. It's also a point of pride, not something to be bummed about because finishing and submitting a story means you're in the game and you should be proud of that. Rejections are a measure of finishing and submitting a story—you can't get one without the others. How many people do you know who say they want to write but don't? How many who start things and never finish them? How many who finish, but won't send something out? So when you're feeling down because you've gotten a rejection, or worry because you might get one, remember that it means you're in the game, pat yourself on the back, and write another story. Sam, think of it this way: You can’t sell a story that’s sitting on your desk. Won’t happen. Every time you send something out, you increase its odds of selling by an infinite amount, from zero, to some unknown number greater than zero. Instant infinite improvement. What more could you ask for?

And don’t let the rejections get to you. I’ve had something like 410 rejection letters over the course of my career to date. I sold my first short after 96 rejections for various shorts and novels and my first book after about 360.

Rejection happens. It hurts. It’s also a point of pride, not something to be bummed about because finishing and submitting a story means you’re in the game and you should be proud of that. Rejections are a measure of finishing and submitting a story—you can’t get one without the others. How many people do you know who say they want to write but don’t? How many who start things and never finish them? How many who finish, but won’t send something out?

So when you’re feeling down because you’ve gotten a rejection, or worry because you might get one, remember that it means you’re in the game, pat yourself on the back, and write another story.

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