WINNERS: Write First Pre-holiday Writer's Challenge

JAN BROGAN - Well, I don't get a prize, but I'm a winner -- mostly because I found a system that really works for staying away from email and increasing writing productivity. The setting my I-phone alarm for four times a day and not checking email unless it rings has been a life changer (or at least a routine changer.) I'm not sure why this works while other systems have failed, except I really like the sound of that little bell. I must have a Pavlovian dog thing going on, but hey, I'm sticking to it.

And while I did not get a lot of pages written, I made big progress on a Herculean task of starting a historical novel, which has meant A LOT of reading, a lot of highlighting, a lot of printing out from the Internet, and I sincerely thank Avi Love for the great advice on how to handle Internet research without getting too distracted, and tips to make research feel as productive as writing.

Okay, now for prize winners.

The three winners chosen at random are: (To be counted in the raffle you had to comment as least three times, and you could not be a certainly retailer - who shall remain nameless - who spammed the comments page pretty much the entire contest.)

Ann Oxford, Silver James, and Avi Love.

The prizes - offered on a first come, first choice basis are: signed copies of Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen; Dead Head by Rosemary Harris; a US galley of No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie, ABM of The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan, and a signed hardcover copy Teaser by Jan Brogan.

Although many contributors were inspirational, this time the contest prize will go to Shizuka, for recommendation advice on the kitchen timer and the Freedom and Concentrate programs. The prize for this is a signed copy of One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer Fleming.

Molly Swobada gets the prize for most brutally honest: "Discipline My name is JELLO."

Signed copies of Roberta Isleib's Asking for Murder and Deadly Advice.

All winners - please email me at Janbroganbooks@gmail.com with your address.

Winners who were chosen at random winners should include a first and second choice for the book prize.

Writers' Challenge Week FOUR

JAN BROGAN - Okay everyone, we are at the finish line. Not the best week for productivity, at least for me. I cooked for fifteen on Thanksgiving and got started on Wednesday, but I did manage to finish an article for the paper, rough out an essay, and finish two books that I've picked up for research.

The good news is that I've learned that I really love being in the mid 1800s, and that I actually look forward to going there each day. That's got to to help with the actual writing.

Likely just as soon as the Challenge is over (tomorrow) I'll get real fiction pages written, but that's okay, I feel like I've accomplished quite a bit.

Prizes are awarded and announced next Sunday. In the meantime, tell me how you fared over these four weeks, and if you managed to hurdle over this vacation week, or were slowed by it.

And of course, what your plans are for staying productive during the unproductive month of December.

Writer's Challenge Week II

It's an illness, and I've go the cure

JAN BROGAN - It was a rough beginning to the week, with some serious elbow pain and family issues messing with my writing schedule. Also preparations for the New England Crime Bake annual conference - where I actually am today, as you read this.

On the other hand, I did a ton of research that I needed to do for my new novel, and to be fair to myself, I really need to do that research before I can write that much.

By Wednesday though, I was disgusted with my progress, or lack of progress. Mostly, I was disgusted by how easily distracted I was. Then, in a fit of distraction, I read a new study by (yes, again) my favorite blog, PSYBLOG on discipline. And how it really builds on itself. The more you exert discipline, the easier it becomes.

So.... I put really put my foot down on Internet distractions and this is how I did it. I set the alarms on my I-Phone for 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. And these are the rules, I can use Internet for book or assignment related research during that period, and I'm allowed to check in at Jungle Red, which I consider work-related, but I can't go anywhere else on the Internet. I also cannot check email until I hear the alarm.

Yes, I'm just like Pavlov's dog, I practically start salivating for email when the alarm goes off, but you know what? I've been insanely productive between the alarms. I finished a freelance article I was working on, made huge headway on two other assignments, and have done a ton of research.

Yes, I'm all smarmy with feeling better about myself - and wanted to share because it really does work!

Anyone else have any helpful hints to share? Confessions to unload? Pages to boast about?

Writer's Challenge

After One Week

JAN BROGAN _ I have to admit, I've had better weeks in terms of pages. But up until Wednesday, I did sit down and work for a solid two hours before I checked my email. Much of that work was research, but some of it was writing down salient points of that research and playing with characters and plot lines.

Wednesday was a total loss, and Thursday and Friday were a bit better. I thought I would make up for lost time on Saturday, but no such luck. I expect today to be my kick-in-the-pants day.

Still, the discipline focused me more on writing than I would be otherwise, and I feel myself getting closer to a new, productive writing schedule.

For those readers just tuning it - the writing challenge is this: Write two pages before checking your email in the morning - if you write in the morning. If you are a late afternoon-evening person, you can check your email in the morning, but not before you start writing. And most important, you can't stop and check email or go on-line (unless its directly related to research for your book) once you start.

It's not too late to sign up now. The challenge has three more weeks left.

How did everyone else do?

Write First Pre-holiday Writer's Challenge

JAN BROGAN: Okay, time for much promised Writer's Challenge.

OH GOODNESS, WHAT THIS TIME? It's shorter. Only four weeks. Mostly so I can slip it in before the holidays start.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM NANOWRIMO? - (The National Novel Writer's Month writers challenge of producing a 50,000 word novel in only one month, going on roughly the same time.) It's much less ambitious.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? There is nothing to stop you from doing both challenges at the same time, and if you can't keep up NaNoWriMo, you'll still be light years ahead of the rest of us at the Write First Challenge.

HMMMM....?? This challenge isn't so much about output, it's about creating a healthy work habit. In the Write First Challenge, you have to write six out of seven days of the week, and you must write at least two pages before you check your email or surf the web. If you are researching something germaine to your story, you are allowed to go online, but may not depart for EVEN A SECOND from your work research. And you still have to produce two pages.

WHAT IF I HAVE OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES? Like a day job? Then go ahead, check your email all day long and do whatever you have to on the web for your work, but when you come home and get ready to write KNOCK IT OFF. Use your email or your daily dose of The ONION or the Huffington post as a REWARD for getting your two pages done.

WHY WOULD I EVEN CONSIDER THIS? Well, In one month, you'll have about fifty pages written. You'll get to whine, complain, or extol the virtues of the Writers Challenge every Sunday in the JR comments page.

WHY ELSE? Because we are giving away prizes!!

Prizes:
If you post at least three times (on different weeks), we enter your name in raffle and the winners get one of the following books:

Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen

Dead Head by Rosemary Harris

a US galley of No Mark Upon her by Deborah Crombie

an ABM of The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan

A prize will be given for the most inspirational comment: One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer Fleming.

And a prize for the most brutally honest: a copy of Asking for Murder AND a copy of Deadly Advice by Roberta Isleib.

All these copies are, of course, signed.

The challenge technically ends Sunday December fourth - which is the last day to post comments on the comment page. I'll announce winners the following Sunday, December 11th.

Sign up in the comments page all week, tell your friends, and please, TWEET like mad!!

MORE on Happiness and Upcoming Writer's Challenge

JAN BROGAN: As it turns out, the happiness we all seek is best in small doses. In fact, it may be the small doses that actually create the happiness.

A new report from PSYBLOG (how many times do I exclaim this is my favorite blog?) talks about a 2008 study (Nelson&Meyvis) that tried to track happiness by offering massages to its participants. Half the participants received a three-minute continuous massage and the other half received a three-minute massage that was delivered in two parts, with a twenty second break in between. The authors expected the continuous massage to bring more happiness - because we all know, the longer the massage, the better. But, it turned out that the people who had the break enjoyed it more. Why? The theory is that the break stopped them from becoming acclimated to the massage.

Interesting concept: That adaptation is the enemy of happiness. Once we take things for granted, they lose their ability to bring us happiness. Or perhaps, we lose our ability to NOTICE these things bring us happiness. In either event, it explains why rich people are often not happy. Because they can afford it, the bar for their happiness keeps rising. They tend not to savor the small things because their expectations have risen to such heights.

So, you should rejoice! According to this study, small pleasures beat big pleasures. And while some cake is better than no cake, twice the amount of cake does not produce twice the amount of happiness (remember that when you are dieting.)

So USING THIS LOGIC: I planned the next WRITER'S CHALLENGE, which officially begins Sunday, October 30th. It is a smaller pleasure - only FOUR weeks. And it's only four weeks, so I can sneak it, and you can thoroughly enjoy it, before the holidays start. Then you will LONGING to be back in the calmer moments of disciplined writing.

As usual, there will be prizes. Small, highly-pleasurable, SIGNED prizes. Come back Sunday to sign up.

Chocolate Pie and Writer's Challenge

JAN BROGAN: We will talk about our brains later and our stomachs first.

When my friend Beth offered to bring a chocolate pie for dessert, I asked, "do you mean chocolate cream pie?" She said no, and I was deeply disappointed.

But not for long because the chocolate pie she brought was both unusual and unbelievably good. It almost tastes like there is caramel in it, which I can't figure out from the ingredients, but maybe it comes from the below joythebaker pie crust. Anyway, you can top it with fresh whipped cream, so there's no real loss in the cream department. It's also incredibly easy. So here goes.

Minny's Chocolate Pie - although Beth was the one who made it for me.

1 packaged pie dough crust. (Or you can follow the link to a really, easy no-roll pie crust that you can't beat.) http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/10/easy-no-roll-pie-crust

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

2 large eggs beaten

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

whipping cream for serving.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. East the pie crust into the 9 inch pie plate (Crimp edges if you want to be decorative) Prick the crust lightly all over with a fork and line with foil or parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for fiteen minutes or until set. Remove foil and waits and bake for five minute longer. Do not brown.

While it's baking, whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, butter, eggs, vanilla, salt and evaporated milk until smooth.

Pour into the pie shell and bake for about forty five mintues until the filling is mostly set at the edges but loose in the center. Cover the crust strips of foil halfway through the baking (I generally skip this part just watch it closely). When done, let the pie cool on a rack completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.

Now back to our brains: Writer's Challenge coming soon.

For those of you new to the blog, this will be our third challenge and it's usually a bit hit. The more the merrier so spread the word. I'm thinking six weeks, but could be talked into eight. The goal is get us writing on a regular basis and to enjoy rather than avoid it.

Please feel free to offer suggestions about making the challenge better. You can post comments today or contact me through my website www.janbrogan.com No promises, but all comments will be taken seriously and I'll do my best to create and new and improved Writer's Challenge.

Writers Challenge Winners

JAN: Well, I hope everyone who participated feels like a winner - I know I do now that I ignore my email for hours at a time (yes, really!) It was easy to pick the three winners at random, but harder to pick just one for inspirational and one for honest, because there were so many participants who were eloquent in their comments (not so surprising, since you are all writers) and pretty much everyone fessed up to a slip or two.

But here goes: The winners chosen at random are:

Silver James

MaryAnn

E.B. Davis

Most inspirational is a tie, to both Stephen R - who wrote through pneumonia -- and to Ray -- who really helped cheer us on.

And most honest goes to Jack.

Please email me at jan@janbrogan.com and I'll tell you which prizes you won:

We're awarding three signed ARCS -- from Julia Spencer Fleming, (One Was a Soldier), Hallie Ephron (Come and Find Me ) and Rhys Bowen (Bless The Bride). A out-of-print hardcopy of Deborah Crombie's Now May You Weep, An out-of-print hardcopy of Final Copy, and a copy of Drive Time, the last in Hank Phillippi Ryan's award-winning Charlie McNally series.

Coffee Shop Writing

There's been some discussion amongst the hard-scribbling coterie of Jungle Red on the merits of library writing. It certainly has it's appeal--quiet (or at least relative quiet, depending on your library of choice), the lack of household distractions (for those of us who don't have offices outside the home), and the set structure (one of the things we've been working at in our Writer's Challenge--a certain block of time set aside to do nothing but WRITE.)

All pluses, certainly. But I have to admit there is one big drawback for me. My local library doesn't have TEA. We all have our little addictions, our writing rituals, don't we? And mine is tea. I can make a pot at breakfast in the morning, nurse a first cup and then a second until lunch, then make another cup (or pot) in the late afternoon for that blessed second wind.

Now it doesn't matter how tepid and scummy that cup of tea gets, as long as it's next to my keyboard and can be sipped occasionally. Silly? Yes. But it works. And I can't quite get my head around working TEA-LESS.

This started me thinking about our other writing rituals--whether we write with distraction or without, and just how exactly our brains are wired. I have a friend who writes with old movies playing on the DVD player. Another who writes with choral music for background. Others who write in the midst of household chaos.

I find I can't write to music, except very, very occasionally, Bach, or choral chant. I absolutely CANNOT write with the TV on. But--I am a coffee-shop-writer. I have my favorites, my local Panera or sometimes Starbucks. There is that structure. You give yourself two or three or four hours to do nothing but write. No laundry, no phone calls, no toilets to be cleaned or dinner to be prepped. And there is something about that level of ambient noise and the bustle of people coming and going and often other people working, that somehow stimulates the writing center of my brain.

It's an odd contradiction, and I wonder if there's some sort of logical scientific explanation for it. Something to look into, and in the meantime I'll keep debating over the library . . . do you think I could sneak in a thermos of TEA in my laptop bag?

Writers Challenge VI

JAN: Well, I'm finally back home and oddly thrilled at the cooler weather and to be working at my own desk again.

I'm deeply immersed in my non-fiction book proposal, which has meant fewer new pages and many more rewritten pages, so I'm not sure how to keep count anymore. But what's important to me is my attitude. The new energy I've gotten from writing every day.

What I'm taking away from the Write First challenge is this: I'm going to keep writing every day, even the weekends. At least a page a day. I've also learned that Internet isn't really a problem for me, After next Sunday, I'm going to go back to allowing work interruptions for online research if I need to. (Is this a relief, Jim? )

But I'm going to stick with no email -- for me until 1 p.m. I'm really a hardcore addict. Once I start, I can't stop. And I'm going to be blogging about research into email addiction the week of October 4th on Jungle Red.

I will be announcing the official winners of the Write First Challenge next Sunday, September 19th - which I think might be a day earlier than I promised. I say "official winners" because I think a lot of us are winners, especially me. Aside from the new lease on my writing life, I've thoroughly enjoyed hearing from all of you - your struggles, your successes and your cheating.

I feel like I have all these new writing friends, and I hope to meet as many of you in person as I can. If not the New England Crime Bake this November, surely at another writers conference or at one of your book signings.

In the meantime, tell me: What parts of the challenge will you keep, if any?? What's the first thing you'd like to ditch?

Writer's Challenge IV

An embarrassment of riches

JAN: If you're my friend on Facebook, you probably got a little bored with my updates about the solid rain and wind gusts of the first three days of my vacation. But the upshot of the deal was this: I wrote like crazy.

Not only did I finish the first draft of my novel, I rewrote and edited as much as I possibly can before I go to step two in my process, which is a system of evaluation that requires manilla file folders and more importantly a print out. Since I didn't bring my printer, there's nothing else I can do on the novel until my husband, who is going off island tomorrow, returns with one Thursday.

So I shifted to my non-fiction project and finally solved a structural problem that has been thwarting me for the last six months. I came up with book proposal synopsis I loved and even finished the first chapter of the book. Or should I say my FOURTH attempt at a first chapter.

I attribute this productivity partly to the bad weather and partly to the inspirational working conditions -- all four of us, my husband, daughter, son and me, have been sitting around the dining room table with laptops so close, I had access to my son's music files. When other people are working near you, it's just a lot easier to work. But most of all, I attribute it to the challenge. The daily writing that keeps my "head in the game" all the time.

BUT A PROBLEM ARISES

By today, Saturday, I had nothing left to do but revise the first chapter based on my son's edits, which meant I had to download it from my email. So I broke the rule of the challenge. I checked email first. The only other choice I had was to start a short story or an essay or something, which I considered. But it seemed a little crazy, seeing as I'm already writing two books at once and I am on vacation.

So this is a longwinded way of saying mea culpa. mea culpa. And of course, a not-so-subtle way of offering yet another backhanded compliment to the challenge itself.

If anyone else has broken the rules, please tell me.And everyone else feel free to yell at me and tell me you disapprove. I'm highly susceptible to disapproval. That'll launch me right back onto the wagon and help me stay there!!

In the meantime, sun is out and I'm off to the beach!!

Writer's Challenge Update III

JAN: Pat Marinelli left a comment that I copied, posted to the bulletin board, and adopted as a Mantra.

I control the Internet. It does not control me. I control the Internet. It does not control me. I control the Internet. It does not control me.

Yes, I have been way more productive. As of today, I only have two to three pages left to finish the first draft of my novel. But the productivity goes beyond page count. I find myself in the world of my novel all the time, even when I'm shopping at Costco. I've also had more success researching my non-fiction book, and although there are still hurdles to climb, I find everything falling just a little neater into place.

I'm winning the battle with my internet addiction. Admitting I'm powerless once I just "check my mailbox." And turning it all over to a higher power: In this particular instance, the Writer's Challenge.

My proudest moment? On Friday, I had an early physical therapy appointment and pre-vacation errands in the morning. I didn't get a chance to write until 1:30 in the afternoon. I didn't check my email or go on the Internet until after 3 p.m.

And you know what? It was even a waste of time even then.

I'll be en route to Martha's Vineyard today, and by the time I unpack and write my page, I likely won't be able to check the blog until late in the day, but I'll be reading and responding to comments and looking for inspiration. Or is it fortitude? Maybe just a common bond.

Please tell all. What was your proudest moment? Or your weakest one?? And remember page count is only part of the story.

Write First!