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I love this post. Here is some great writing advice to tighten up your work and say something that others will find it worth their time to read.

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Okay, so maybe this isn’t your traditional summer reading material, but these are some interesting books, and I’m betting you haven’t heard of most of them.

Feeling adventurous? Check out one or two of these.

The 50 outstanding literary translations from the last 50 years - Times Online

Trying scribefire.

Photo by Martin Kingsley

I’ve been lax in posting (and achieving) weekly goals for my writing. I do think it helps me get more done, however, so here we go again.

One thing you might have noticed is that I usually set goals that are a bit higher than is reasonable. I know that it’s not likely that I’ll do everything on my list, but having a long list means that I’ll accomplish more in the long run than if I’d set a reasonable goal in the first place. Make sense?

Think of it like this. If you were going to train to compete in a triathlon, you’d train harder than you would if you were training for a 5K. You might never get to the point that you can do a triathlon, but I’ll bet you’ll be in better shape than if you’d shot for the 5K only.

And here are my goals for the week.

1. Spend one hour writing every morning before work (see my post on Rising Early to Write)
2. Write 11 blog entries for my three blogs
3. Spend two hours EDITING the novel (in addition to the time I spend writing)
4. Spend two hours networking and promoting the blogs
5. Write two articles to sell on Constant Content
6. Work on the Zombie short story I started a few months ago
7. Go through my e-mail

Ambitious, yep. But I guarantee I’ll get LOTS of that finished by next weekend. So, set some ambitious goals and see how well you do.

Photo courtesy of clemson

I’m finally going to do it. Really. For sure this time.

I’m going to start getting up an hour early in the mornings to write. And I’m going to keep you updated here on the blog (to help keep me on track).

I’ve been frustrated for a while at my writing time. I don’t get home until 5:30 or 6:00, and my writing is crammed in to my evenings with everything else I need and want to get done. I’m surprised that I get as much accomplished as I do some days.

So, I’m doing to give this a try for a month and see how it works out.

My rules…

1. Spend the 1 hour WRITING, not reading, networking, e-mailing, etc.
2. I can write blog entries, short stories, articles, or work on the novel
3. No editing allowed, just writing
4. I’ll track my word count progres
5. I’ll update the blog frequently (every couple days or so) to let you know my progress

I’ve also set a goal to finish the novel I’m currently working on by the end of July. That’s a lot of work right there, so having an extra hour a day will come in handy.

Anyone care to join me?

Clintpee is the winner of 250 ec. Clint, just let me know where to transfer the credits to.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Dosh Dosh has a terrific post, Flagship Blog Project. He outlines a week by week plan to start a new blog each month, and set them up to make money. I’ve tried a few monetization techniques here in the past, but I’ll be working on that more seriously over the next month or so. In fact, I intend to follow his 30 day cycle, for a few months at least, and see how it goes. If you’re already blogging daily, then give it a shot and post here about how you’re doing.

Daily Blog Tips has a good post on your blogging strategy, from stocking up on posts to writing for your target audience.

43Folders has a post on organizing your environment. There are some great general tips that can be applied to your writing life as well.

If you’re looking to kick back and relax, check out these Funny You Tube Videos from Zen Habits.

Just in case you’re feeling a little less than inspired, here are some links to get the creativity going, help with your writing style and give you a chuckle. Enjoy!

Dreams as Inspiration for Writing

This one really speaks to me since the idea seed of this year’s novel came to me on the verge of sleep. Has that ever happened to you?

Writing Inspiration, or Sex on a Bicycle

You probably have lots of great stories to tell. Why not turn some of those into actual stories or novels?

110 resources for Creative Minds

Great creativity tips.

How to Write a Book 

A humorous look at writing a book, with “tips” that point out exactly what not to do. Definitely good for a laugh.

50 Tips which can Help you in Writing

Lots of tips for better writing, definitely a must-read.

Advice to Writers by Vonnegut

A concise list of tips for writing success.

For all the bloggers who are doing National Novel Writing Month, I’m curious about how you’re preparing for it. I’m posting this quiz here and on the NaNo forums, and I’ll post the answers here as well.

The poll…

1. Will you continue to blog during NaNo?
2. Will you try to keep your normal posting schedule/frequency?
3. Are you writing any posts ahead of time to use in November?
4. If so, then how many do you have so far?
5. Will you blog about your NaNo experiences?

To kick things off, here are my answers.

1. Will you continue to blog during NaNo? Yes
2. Will you try to keep your normal posting schedule/frequency? Yes
3. Are you writing any posts ahead of time to use in November? Yes
4. If so, then how many do you have so far? Only five!
5. Will you blog about your NaNo experiences? Yes

That’s it! I’ll be putting together a list of bloggers blogging about NaNo and linking from here, so if you’re interested in a link, let me know so I can include you.

Daily Writing Tips has a fun article about proofreading. I’ve covered several of the common mistakes in my Writing Helper series. Can you find all the mistakes?

If you’re looking for some writing software, WhizFolders is one to consider. I downloaded the trial a couple days ago, and I’m strongly considering buying it. You have notes, which can contain text and links. Each note can be moved around, set as child or parent to other notes, and grouped and printed with other notes. If you treat each note as a scene or chapter, it would make re-arranging your writing much simpler. You can download a 30-day trial, or buy it for $40.

Paperback Writer has a novel notebook for download. If you haven’t checked out her site, then you should. Her material is always worth a look. While you’re at it, remember to download my character creation worksheets too.

Pick the Brain has put together a list of 101 self improvement resources. Wow, that’s a LOT of improvement, but some very interesting sites.

If you’ve ever considered publishing your fiction on your blog, then you’ll want to read this article at BellaOnline. Check out the Squidoo article as well.