Writing Down Your Plans for Writing

   One way that writers can promises more effective is by writing them down
   and speaking about them aloud to others. I tend to forget my promises
   sometimes. I’m good at keeping them, however, if I write them down.
                                          
   Psychologists talk about the importance of writing down your promises and
   commitments. There is something that is inherent in the writing process that
   makes the individual who is writing down the promises commit to them.
  
   Certainly, writing your commitments down on paper is a way of reinforcing
   them to yourself. This practise helps to evoke a sense of responsibility or shame
   that helps me to keep to the commitment. I know that it really works for me,
   and I have spoken to other writers who use this method.
  
   So, here is what I do each Sunday evening before the next week in order to
   reinforce my writing commitments. In my planner, I make two lists. In both
   cases, it is important for you to be specific about your actions, timing, and/or
   results. They are as follows:
  
   1.  What are Five Writing Goals that I have about my writing this week; and
  
   2.  What are Five promises about getting published that I am going to fulfill
   this week.
  
   Here is how my first list looked for this week.
  
   My Five Writing Goals for this week are as follows:
  
   1.  Write Chapter 15 and 16 of your Middle Grade Novel
         (Write 20 minutes a day to achieve this-6:30 to 6:50 a.m.]
   2.  Revise your three quizzes and get them ready to send off.
         (Quiz 1: Monday; Quiz 2: Wednesday; Quiz 3; Friday]
   3.  Do some magazine research to know where best to send them off.
         (Monday after work research on the Internet from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.]
   4.  Draft up Bulimia article
        (Monday, Wednesday, Friday mornings, 6:00 to 6:30 a.m.)
   5.  Draft up Early Puberty article
        (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings, 6:00 to 7:00 a.m.)
  

My Five Publication promises are as follows:
  
   1.  I will have the three quizzes published by March, 2010.
   2.  I will have the Bulimia article out to Listen Magazine, January 2010.
   3.  I will have the Early Puberty article out to Encounter, January 2010.
   4.  I will have my Middle Grade Novel ready to revise by February 2010.
   5.  I will write a new piece on Toxic Friendships by February 2010.
  
   So what are your writing promises for this week?
  
   Irene

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