Erica O'Rourke

SoATW Friday: Celebration!

We did it! Thirteen weeks of Summer of All The Words! Congratulations, Team SoATW -- you survived, you thrived, you wrote ALL THE WORDS. I'm so proud of you for sticking with us and making progress on your goals. As we say almost nightly over on The Tweety:

Any progress is good progress.

Even if you only joined us for one meetup, you are still farther than you were before. And that requires a celebration.

You've got Labor Day Weekend -- three long days -- to dance the Giraffe and prepare for autumn's writing goals. If you've got kids, you've probably purchased all of their school supplies by now. Now's the time to pick up some for yourself. I've got two suggestions for fun grownup supplies for you to splurge on.

Papersource: Artsy hipster supplies. They have the most beautiful calendars anywhere, and you know how I feel about calendars. The rest of their stuff is gorgeous, too.

Poppin: Modern, fun, stylish...I think their products would brighten up any office.

Moleskine: Remember my tiny brown notebook? You can find them at Target or Barnes and Noble, but if you want to see the full selection, browse their gorgeous site.

See? Celebration and preparation in one fell swoop. You guys deserve it!

Now, on to our discussion about Fall SoATW: Clara and I are still looking for a way to continue our community going forward, and we should have more information for you soon. You can follow either of us on Twitter or check our blogs periodically, or shoot us an email. And you can continue to use the #SoATW tag on Twitter if you're looking for partners. In the meantime, if you're so inclined, hit the comments to tell us what accomplishment you're most proud of this summer, then head over to Clara's blog for her final SoATW post -- and scroll down, because she's hosting an amazing giveaway to celebrate her book deal.

You guys are the best. Thanks for making this summer a raging success! *squeezes Team SoATW*

SoATW Friday: Winding Down, Ramping Up

Wow! Can you believe we only have a week left in our Summer of All The Words? Our last Twitter meetup will be this Thursday, August 29th; our last posting will be Friday the 30th. As Clara mentioned last week, we've gotten some requests to continue #SoATW, and we're looking for ways to do that while adjusting to the demands of the school year. If you've got ideas, let us know -- this has become such a great community, and we'd love to keep it going.

Today, I want to talk about the week we have left, and how to make the most of it, so you can start the year feeling good about the progress you've made and ready to tackle a new goal.

Think about the plans you had for this summer: in writing and in the rest of your life. Did you meet them?

My goals shifted considerably: a change in deadline for Dissonance 2 meant that I could focus solely on the revisions for Dissonance, and as we've discussed (and with a ton of support from my friends and family) I made my deadline. What I didn't do enough of was have fun with my family. We did better than last year, but I would have liked to make more good memories, especially considering that our summer ended with my aunt's funeral -- a woman my kids loved dearly.

Now, think about the week (and two weekends) you have left. If you've made your goal, how can you set yourself up for success in the coming months? If you didn't make your goal, what can you realistically accomplish?

In my writing, I have a few lingering projects -- a few guest blogs, a synopsis I've been avoiding for months...and a whole lot of office-cleaning. I'm planning to knock those out next week, and make a massive trip to Goodwill. On the family front, we're going to pack as much fun into the next two weekends as possible -- including trips to see family, eating a lot of frozen yogurt, and watching the original Star Wars trilogy. No Jar Jar Binks for my children! I'm also going to spend some time compiling the checklists and tools that keep our house running semi-smoothly during the year.

I think the key here, whether you've met your goals or not, is that you should wrap up the summer with a sense of accomplishment. You want to finish something tangible, whether it's a draft, a chapter, a synopsis, a query, a proposal, your research...whatever it is, the boost you'll get from meeting even a small goal will give you the momentum you need to continue . So choose something that's attainable -- and will prepare you for the next stage of your journey.

Lastly, think about what's next, and set some goals (and rewards).

My next big writing goal is to finish this draft of Dissonance 2. I DO have a reward in mind, but I have to keep it under my hat for now. I'll let you know when I can tell you about it. My family goals are to help my kids get off to the strongest possible start to the year, and make sure we're scheduling time for fun -- something we often forget to do. I've got plenty of techniques for the former, and I'm happy to share them in another post, if you're interested. Our reward is a less-stressed out family and more fun times (which is pretty self-evident).

I've already told you my goals for our final week above -- so instead, I'll close with a thank you. Your kind words and sympathy last week meant more than I can say. Our little community has become very dear to me, and I am grateful for each and every one of you. I can't wait to see what amazing things you do next.

As always, you can head over to Clara's blog for her Friday post. And I'll see you Sunday night for our final, awesome week!

 

SoATW Fridays: Controlled Re-entry

Welcome back, Team SoATW! We're in the homestretch of Summer of All The Words, and I hope you're pleased with all the progress you've made!

You'll be happy to hear that, not only did I make my deadline, I survived! This week has been about restoring order to my house and getting the kids ready for back-to-school. As much as I try to balance life and writing, during the last three weeks of a deadline, I'm pretty much a crazy person, bemoaning the state of my manuscript and my house, holed up in my cave or at Starbucks while entropy has its way with the rest of my life.

It used to be that, when I was so close to a due date, I panicked not only about my book, but all the things I was neglecting at home. Eventually I developed a system that -- while it might not hold the forces of chaos completely at bay -- lets me feel like it's manageable chaos.

During my deadline, I keep a running list of things I need to do, but aren't super-time sensitive. The urgent things, I take care of right away, despite my due date. Things like, for exampe, a Big Marshmallow's birthday presents, or picking up our weekly CSA share. The non-urgent things go in a little brown notebook, and then I put it out of my mind and get back to work.

Once I turn in the book and I'm ready to re-enter civilized society, I do a few things: Scrub the kitchen, deal with laundry, and prioritize the notebook list. Items that are becoming time-sensitive get a 1; less vital but still important stuff gets a 2; things that aren't urgent get a 3, and aspirational stuff -- the things I'd LIKE to accomplish but probably won't -- get a 4. 

Here's a sample of my list, bearing in mind we're preparing for a big, transition-filled school year:

Clean middle girl's room (1)
Clean Marshmallow's room (1)
Redo oldest girl's closet (2)
School supplies (1)
School physicals and dentist appointments (1)
Pick up framing order from crafting store (2)
Clean out garage (2)
Hang pictures (3)
Clean office (2)
Craigslist old table (3)
Put together photobooks: NOLA, San Diego, Disney 2011 (4) (don't judge me)
New desk for living room (4)
Drill hole in back of bookshelf (4)
Back to school clothes and shoes (2)
Doctor appointment for me (3)
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (1)
Wash couch slipcovers (2)
Domain renewal (2)
Central Registration (1)
Return dresses (1)

It's...a really long list. And there's more where that came from -- you're only seeing snippets. But daunting as it is, the list allows me to empty my brain of nagging worries, so I can focus on work. And once I've prioritized it, I have a clear map of what needs to be taken care of first, which makes me more efficient. This means I'm not freaking out at my family about the state of the house or back-to-school preparations.

As for how writing fits in here, never fear: I have projects to keep me busy, and I make time for them each day. But this allows me to regain the balance I've likely lost in the past three weeks.

GOALS!

I've got a few minor projects to finish up, so I'm working on those while I battle the list. That way, by next Friday, I'll be able to resume work on DISSONANCE 2. What are you up to this week?

Head on over to Clara's blog for more suggestions about balancing writing and life, and have a great week!

SoATW: I Have A Book Due In Four Days

Happy Friday, Team SoATW! We've survived another week of Summer of All The Words, and as you can tell by the title of this post, I'm a leeeeeeetle bit panicky right now. Which means today's post is short and sweet. Literally.

If you were here right now, you'd probably say that the last thing I need is more coffee. You would be wrong, alas. I need ALL THE COFFEE. And now I have a new way to drink it, courtesy of the lovely April Genevieve Tucholke. (I also have an ARC of her new book, BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, which is tops on my TBR pile.)

The link below leads to a recipe for Magical Coffee, and that's exactly what it is. My friend Erin Bowman says she likes to cut down the sugar to one tablespoon, but she's a better person than I am. Four days before deadline, caffeine + sugar is where it's at.

Click here for Magical Coffee!

 

GOALS:

Do you really need to ask? FOUR DAYS. I'll be around Sunday night, of course, but I'll take Monday off to celebrate a certain Marshmallow's birthday and the unique joy/terror of pressing "send" with a giant manuscript attached.

See you on the other side, team. Wish me luck!