Fun and Bonus Assignments

Fun assignment - Write a list of book or story titles for my publications. 

“Happenstance” is the current working name of the novel I am working on. It’s horrible I know. I have no idea why I chose it 4 years ago.

So here’s some others in a random brainstorming fashion:

Murdering My Loves

Love is Deadly

Marriage for Fun and Profit

Save Me, Save You

Will I Ever Love Again?

Love Me or Die

Stalk Me, My Love

Ok, that’s enough of that.

Bonus Assignment:  Choose a favorite book by an author I admire. Find out how many words the book contains (paperbacks are approximately 250 words per page.) Divide that total word count by 365 (days.) Can I write that many words a day?

Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon is 816 pages in mass market paperback which puts it at around 204,000 words. That would be 559 words per day for a year. I can do that.

Assignments 20100907, 08, 09, 10 and 11

Tuesday (20100907): Write my story idea in one very basic sentence.

Rich widow must marry or lose everything.

Wednesday (20100908): Write a brief ending to my story.

Rich widow does marry.

Thursday (20100909): Write a one sentence story summary.

Rich widow marries one of the men on the list of acceptable suitors that is still alive only to discover she married the man she loves who helped her find the serial killer and the murderer of her first husband.

Friday (20100910): Write a basic list of the main characters.

Alena - rich widow and heroine (protagonist.)
Greydere - Alena’s future forbidden love, her helper in finding the murderer.
Wolfram - serial killer (antagonist.)

Saturday (20100911):  Write a basic plot problem statement.

Alena loses her husband. She must remarry to keep her home, town and people safe. She must marry someone of her station.  
No appropriate suitors are immediately available.
As possible candidates become available they are killed and time is running out.
Alena with the help of an attractive  slave searches for the murder while trying to fulfill her obligations.


This helped me focus my idea of my story and will help me make my heroine more active which is what I want for her. Since she's going to detect I need some clues and I have to find a way to make her lover and her future husband seem like two different and yet leave clues so you could possibly figure out the are one and the same person. And I have to make my serial killer more scary while keeping him around.


I have included these notes in my story notebook for easy reference.

Assignment 20100905 and 06

Sunday (20100905): Did I complete all of last week's assignments? If not, why not? What specific things got in the way? How will I prevent or avoid these pitfalls in the future?

I did complete all of my assignments from last week and I did them on time. I even did some preliminary work on my novel.


Write a statement about one specific writing goal I want to achieve by Saturday, 20100911.


Review and re-write my opening scene which I like making it stronger.



Monday (20100906): Write a statement refuting or debunking each excuse on my list (from Monday, 20100830) of the 10 reasons why I haven’t pursued or achieved what I want.



TEN EXCUSES PLUS ONE - debunked

I work 50 hours a week and I am exhausted. - I can work less intensely and take breaks and my lunch hours. I can invest less emotion in my job.

I have housework to do. - Yeah, since when do I care about this?

I am scared of failing - In reality, I rarely fail, so where does this come from? I am even more frightened of not trying.

I am no good. - I may not be the best but I am rarely no good at things I try.

It’s a hobby and other things are more important. - This doesn’t have to be true. It can be a profession and affect many people in good ways.

I need a large block of time. - I can write lots in a few minutes. I have done so many times in the past.

I have writer’s block. - No. Bull shit.

I don’t feel like it. - Again, no. Bull shit.

I don’t know what I am doing. - I learn by doing.

People will laugh at me. - Like this hasn’t happened before and I have survived.

I am crazy to think anyone would pay good money for what I write. - Crazy can be a good thing when doing something new.

Bonus Assignment 20100904 – First Scribbles

Bonus Assignment: Write a paragraph or two of a memory of when I first wanted my dream.

We lived in North Carolina when I was three. I distinctly remember sitting alone on the ground. Using a stick I would “write” in the sand. I still can feel the fascination I had of watching my marks form.

Assignment 20100904 - Commitment

Saturday (20100904): Write a commitment statement based on the sentence from Sunday.

I will work each day to achieve my goal of becoming a professional paid novelist.

Assignment 20100902 - The 5 W's

Thursday (20100902): Write answers to the 5 question words (who, what, when, where, why) based on the sentence from Sunday.


Sunday’s statement: I want to make a living writing novels so I will finish my current novels, submit them and keep writing novels and submitting them.


I want to be a professional novelist who writes adult fantasy/historical/mystery/romance novels making enough money so that I can support myself and my family by writing alone. I want to be able to write all day, every day, in my upstairs office without interruption taking breaks to go for walks in between. As I finish each book, I will take trips for fun and research, to recharge and build new story ideas. I will have a housekeeper and a personal assistant so that I can concentrate on my writing. I want all of this so that I am not distracted by non-writing activities because writing is what gives me the greatest transcendent feeling; the activity that makes all sights, sounds and sensations disappear and bringing me totally within the moment.

Assignment 20100903 – Time Commitment

Friday (20100903): Write a sketch of my daily/weekly schedule as it is now. Can I dedicate one hour a day to achieving my goal? Write a time commitment statement.

0500: Wake. Coffee. Assorted chores.

0700: Get ready for work.

0800: Work.

1700: Leave work.

1730: Cook and eat dinner. Assorted chores.

2100: Bed.

I usually work through lunch. I can make myself use that hour towards my writing goals.

The first 2 hours each day are very loose and unstructured. I waste a lot of that time “waking up.” When I come home in the evening, I waste a lot of time “resting” and “relaxing.”

I will dedicate one whole continuous hour each day towards my writing goals. I will work on increasing that time to 3 hours per day by the end of 2010.

Assignment 20100831 & 20100901 - I am... and I give up

Tuesday (20100831): Write “I am a …” 10 times based on the sentence from Sunday.

In doing the declarative statement for how you want you dream to play out, ‘they” tell you to be over the top. So here is my statement times ten (I wrote these out by hand in my journal):

1.  I am a New York Times #1 Best Selling author of multiple novels making millions of dollars.

2. I am a New York Times #1 Best Selling author of multiple novels making millions of dollars.

3. I am a New York Times #1 Best Selling author of multiple novels making millions of dollars.

4.                    I am a New York Times #1 Best Selling author of multiple novels making millions of dollars.

5. I am a New York Times #1 Best Selling author of multiple novels making millions of dollars.

6.I am a New York Times #1 Best Selling author of multiple novels making millions of dollars.

7.                    I am a New York Times #1 Best Selling author of multiple novels making millions of dollars.

8. I am a New York Times #1 Best Selling author of multiple novels making millions of dollars.

9. I am a New York Times #1 Best Selling author of multiple novels making millions of dollars.

10.                I am a New York Times #1 Best Selling author of multiple novels making millions of dollars.

Wednesday (20100901): Write a list of 10 things I am willing to give up to achieve this goal.

This was hard since I don’t like to give anything up. *pouty face*

Things I am willing to give up until my novel is submitted:

1. Reading other peoples novels

2. Dusting, vacuuming, laundry J

3. Favorite TV shows

4. Arts & crafts (this actually is about 7 or 8 things)

5. Naps

6. Blogging time (I am groaning and whining right now.)

7. Zero Day projects (this is about 11 things)

8. Working at my job through my lunch hour

9. Socializing (yeah, like I do much of that)

10. Photography (I had to make it ten.)

In a comment reply to Quilly yesterday (who has already dedicated 3 hours a day to her novel) I said that if you write 250 words a day (which is a small blog post) you’d have 96,000 words in a year. That’s a respectable size novel.

I already have a story done, the basics of which I like (from my 2006 NaNo) and that is the story I am working on as my first submission. It really needs to be rewritten, so I am pulling it apart to write a basic outline of the story and I am listing all of my bazillion characters.

Assignment 20100830 - Excuses

Monday (20100830): Write a list of at least 10 reasons why I haven’t perused or achieved what I want. Using a black marker, scratch out each excuse until I can’t see them anymore.

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Assignment 20100829 and Fun Assignment

Sunday (20100829): Write one sentence about what I want; why I am participating in “Do It, Write!” Be as specific as possible in 25 words or less.

I want to make a living writing novels so I will finish my current novels, submit them and keep writing novels and submitting them.

Fun assignment - Notebooks and pens. Find a small notebook that will fit in a purse or pocket. Get felt tip markers that can be used upside down and while half asleep. Start keeping these with me at all times to make assorted notes.

Get a main notebook (paper) for a daily journal. Find a favorite pen that flows easily over the paper. These will be used to loosen up my brain.

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I use the Oxford spiral bound index cards (which come in white and colored varieties) as a mini-notebook. They are firm when no surface is available and individual pages can be ripped out.

The mini-sharpie's hook onto the wire so I don't lose them and it's easy to find at night. 

I use any kind of spiral school notebook that I put into a hardcover folder, tied on with a bright red satin ribbon. This is like a lap desk anywhere that opens flat (the reason why I use spiral notebooks.)

I think the uni-ball Vision Elie roller ball pen is the smoothest flowing pen ever invented. I like the BOLD 0.8MM size.