Goal – Write on the World

The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy and connection, but for many of us, they also bring a whirlwind of obligations: family gatherings, travel, shopping, cooking, and endless to-do lists. Amid the chaos, finding time to write, read, or simply pause can feel impossible. Yet even during the busiest season of the year, it’s possible to carve out moments for creativity and reflection—if you approach it with intention and compassion.

Amid the holiday bustle, it’s important to carve out a moment for yourself to write and reflect—even when life around you is loud.

Set smaller, achievable goals: When life is hectic, long writing sessions or ambitious reading lists can feel overwhelming. Break your projects into smaller, manageable chunks. Write for twenty minutes in the morning, read a chapter before bed, or jot down ideas in a notebook while sipping your coffee. Small, consistent efforts often add up more than you realize—and they keep your creative momentum alive.

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Finish Writing Your Novel Now!

The first step of the novel writing process: Planning

July 12, 2024July 11, 2024 Mandy Webster

Pro Tip: Grab a notebook or your laptop and take notes while you read today’s post– just jot down ideas and plans as you review each task listed. Tomorrow, I’ll be coming at you with your first writing assignment!

The first step in the novel writing process is the planning stage. The planning stage of the writing process is crucial as it sets the foundation for the entire writing project. During this stage, a writer typically engages in several activities, all designed to prepare for the drafting stage. This step is essential because once you sit down to write the first draft, you’ll be prepared to “just do it” without getting sidetracked or bogged down in details that may never make it into your final draft. The planning stage of the novel writing process includes the following elements:

Brainstorming is one of the first steps of the novel writing process. Image created with Canva AI Image Generator.

Generate ideas: The writer starts by brainstorming and generating ideas about the novel they want to write. They may use techniques such as mind mapping, freewriting, or listing to generate ideas. There are a variety of free online story idea generators that can also be helpful. These include plot generators and name generators by genre, among others. If you don’t already have an idea for your novel, play with these resources until you have something fun that you will enjoy writing. Remember, this is a fun experiment, so feel free to be as silly as you like if it helps you stay engaged with the project.

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Essays, Novel Writing

What are you going to finish today?

January 2, 2014 Mandy Webster

If you’re like me, you probably have at least a couple of projects laying around unfinished. If so, then like me, your major goal for 2014 might just be to get shit done. Seriously.

I get a little overwhelmed when I consider all of the projects I started in 2013 and didn’t finish. I want to finish them all. I want to finish writing my current WIP and the one I started for thesis last spring. I want to revise the novel I completed for the summer writing challenge in 2013. I want to publish everything (even all of those business essays I wrote so long ago that they are sitting around on floppy discs.)

When I think about it, I have many great projects that are not only started, but are also nearing completion. For me, 2014 will be more about completing projects than it will be about starting something new. Although, I suppose actually finishing something will be new for me. HA!

Anyway, it is useless to sit here psyching myself out over the mountain of work I have ahead of me. So why do it? I can only do one thing at a time. So. What do I want to do first? That’s the real question begging an answer. Continue reading “What are you going to finish today?” →

Facebook, Holidays, New Year's, Parenting

2014 New Year’s Resolutions

December 15, 2013 Mandy Webster

It’s mid-December and time to begin thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. I don’t typically get too involved in those. Usually, my resolution is to simply try to be a better person overall. I like to think I am slowly evolving into a human who is at least somewhat better than she was just a few years ago. This year, I’ve decided to be a little more specific about my goals for 2014. I have two:

Be more fun.
Stop complaining so much.

Lately I feel like I am already being a lot more fun than I used to be. I used to hate playing board games and such. I think it had more to do with the company I was keeping than it had to do with any specific bias against games. The past couple of months, my kids and I have been playing Skip-bo literally three to five nights a week. And I am enjoying it. I want more of that in 2014. So much so, that I asked Santa to bring my kids several items that we can enjoy together as a family.

As for my second goal, well— Continue reading “2014 New Year’s Resolutions” →