Hitting a Plateau

I’m excited to have lost twenty pounds. My clothes are fitting better and I’m feeling better about myself. The blood test I took yesterday will determine if the effort will pay off as far as my liver function, whatever that is. But I want to lose more. I want to look good this summer. I want to wear clothing styles I haven’t been able to wear in about twenty years or more. But the dang scale seems to be stuck on the same number. Apparently I’m at what the diet books refer to as “a plateau”.

It seems my writing is at a plateau as well. I’ve been working on this novel for almost six years. It started as a writing challenge, and I started out just putting things down, not researching, not plotting, just writing. Now I have about 53,000 words. I’ve been stuck at 50,000 for about a year now. I’ve added subplots, and defined the conflicts the characters have within themselves and between each other. But the word count doesn’t seem to rise. Apparently I’m deleting as much as I’m adding.

I did some research to find out how to break my weight loss plateau. Most of the web articles I read mentioned these tips:

1. Zig-zag calorie intake: Eat more one day, less the next, but maintain the same weekly caloric intake as before.

2. Strength training: strengthen bone tissue, increase lean muscle mass, and boost metabolic rate.

3. Change exercise routine.

4. Change eating habits: don’t stick to the same foods all the time.

5. Eat less, more often: eat smaller meals and snack in between them.

I guess I can try some of these. We’ll see. In the meantime, I wondered if I could adjust these techniques and apply then toward getting me off the writer’s plateau. Here’s what I came up with:

1. Zig-zag writing output. Write more one day, less the next, but maintain the same weekly word count.

2. Strength training: Go to seminars, workshops, and conferences to learn all I can to “beef up” my writing.

3. Change writing routine. Since I don’t really have a routine other than write when I can, I guess this means I need to establish a writing routine!

4. Change writing habits: don’t stick to the same process each time. Instead of writing historical fiction, maybe I should try a contemporary story, or a short story, or maybe a mystery.

5. Write less, more often: I could try to get up early and write a little in the morning, a little in the afternoon while eating lunch, and a little more at night. Maybe if I don't always write at night I won’t be so tired and draw a blank.

I’m not sure these would work, but since I’m at a stalemate, I guess it can’t hurt!

GOALS PROGRESS

Writing: I’m getting great feedback from my critique group, so I’ve been editing and revising this week. But one of the editing suggestions led to filling out a single action into an entire scene, so that’s good!

Dieting: Stuck at the same weight for over a week. I’m about ready to consume a fudge brownie!

Creativity: More quilt tops sewn, more dish cloths crocheted, and several scrapbook pages completed. Worked on some centerpieces for mom’s club using cone thread spools. I’ll try to remember to post a picture next time!

Shopping Blues

I hate to shop. I’m not sure if my “shopping genes” are defective or missing, but I shop only when I need something specific. And now that I can shop online for most things I shop even less than I used to. But seven times a year, shopping is a great learning experience for me. Rather than shop for the grandkids’ birthday gifts, I take the birthday child out for lunch or dinner and then we shop together for their gift. It’s worked out well for the past dozen or so years. I love the tradition because I know they’re getting something they want, and they seem to enjoy the individual attention.

Yesterday I went shopping with Gabe. He’s the third eldest grandchild, and he is now fourteen years old. We’re facebook friends, so I sent him a message telling him the days I would be free this week and asking him which day he preferred to go. He sent me a text message letting me know which day and time he preferred. (Isn’t technology wonderful?)

When I picked Gabe up at his house, I was really tired. I had worked a late shift the night before and an early morning shift that day. I wasn’t looking forward to fighting the crowds at the mall, but at least it was a weekday, and mid-March is not a super busy holiday season. Gabe and his sisters greeted me with a sunny smile and my fatigue lifted.

I’m lucky that most of my grandkids are quick shoppers. Gabe knew exactly what he wanted and had a good idea where to find it. The first store had sold out of the X-box accessory he wanted, but the second store had it – on sale! Way to go, Gabe. Then he chose the restaurant, and we had a great dinner there. It was great because he enjoyed his burger, and I was able to order something that fit my diet requirements. Score two for Gabe!

I especially enjoy the conversations with my grandkids. The teenage years are difficult, and so many find themselves making poor choices with disastrous consequences. I have to be careful about what I ask and say – after all, I’m only the step-grandma and I don’t want to step on any toes – but I listen as they tell me about their school lives, their friends and activities, their hopes and their disappointments. I was happy to learn all is well with Gabe. He’s a great kid with a good head on his shoulders.

In two more weeks, Scottie (grandchild #4) turns 13. I get to go shopping again. Can’t wait!

* * * * * * * * * *

Writing: I’m doing a lot of editing this week, but I managed to crank out another chapter for my first historical novel. And I remembered to write this blog post!

Dieting: Other than a mini-meltdown last night, Week Three of The Diet has gone well. Unfortunately, The Scale is not impressed.

Creativity: I made another pair of pajama pants and a quilt top, and crocheted a couple of washcloths this week. At our sewing group, the five of us made 200 hats in six hours!

Carrying the Torch

Like many people, my television was tuned to the Olympic Games for the last few weeks. I missed my usual shows, but I can live without them once in a while, and this is definitely worth the interruption to my routine. I love to watch figure skating of any kind, and I guess I like speed skating. The rest of it I can take or leave.

What I enjoy about the Olympics is seeing the dedication on each athlete’s face as he or she gets ready for the event of a lifetime. The single focus is on the goal – the perfect jump, the fastest run, the most twists and turns. Years of training and sacrifice have boiled down to a single chance to prove oneself to the world. Only one person or group wins - the rest are disappointed. That’s the way it works.

I thought about how I could apply some of the athletes’ strategies to my writing. Maybe I won’t make it to a world stage, with television cameras following my every move, but I think if I apply some of their qualities to my writing life, I could get some results. Let’s take a look at them.

Focus: I need to keep my mind on the goal – finish the story. Don’t worry about the fact that it’s not set in a traditional time period, with characters unfamiliar to most readers. I need to write it as well as I can, and then look for someone (a publisher) who thinks it’s worth a shot.

Perseverance: I need to write every day. I need to write, even when I don’t think I have anything to write about. Sometimes it’s only a few hundred words, but that adds up. In a month that’s over six thousand words! I wrote forty thousand in thirty-five days, so I know I can do it. I just have to make time to do it. Besides, I have to keep my hands away from food!

Dedication and drive: I need to believe in myself and in my ability to write something worth reading. I need to push myself out of my comfort zone and put myself out there. Somebody might like my writing, and some (okay, maybe many) will not like it. I have to be willing to face that. Because if I don’t risk it, I don’t gain anything but a bunch of regrets.

So I’ve got to get into training mode and start “working out” at the keyboard. There’s a story or two waiting to be told!

Goals updates:

Diet – going much better! Lost almost twenty pounds so far.

Writing – still plugging along. Lost some of the momentum from NaNoWriMo, but life gets in the way. But I manage to put in at least an hour a day on my laptop, adding a little more each day to my story.

Creativity – this was a good week! I found some time to sew three pairs of jammie pants for myself. I even made my own pattern by tracing around a pair that fit me pretty well. Next week is spring break, so I’m hoping to get a few more projects done!

Rejection

I got another one of those “thanks, but no thanks” e-mails the other day. The publisher had previously told me my story was “in the final round” and that “the vast majority of those” with that distinction would end up in their latest anthology. The final insult is that the publisher actually put out a call for additional stories after asking me for my payment info and other details. It’s a legitimate company, so I’m not worried about that, but if they had to ask for more stories and then rejected mine, perhaps they were looking for something to replace mine with!

But I guess I can’t dwell on that. I’ve got more stories to tell. I’m disappointed not to have this particular story told, because it’s one that’s near and dear to my heart. I loved my dad and miss him very much, so I wanted to tell everyone about him. My writers’ group has been very supportive, urging me on. So I went back to the publisher’s website and found two other anthologies I can write stories for. One of them might even be a better fit for the story they rejected.

So I’m back at my keyboard, putting my thoughts down. Just like I’m doing now. And maybe this time one of my stories will be one that is deemed worthy of sharing with everyone!

Goals update:

Writing – I’m working with a marvelous critique group. We meet once a month to read each others’ chapters and discuss them, looking for ways to hone our craft into something we can offer a publisher/agent. This weekend we’re working on our 6^th chapters!

Creativity – I spent five hours with my sewing group on Tuesday, making hats. Last Saturday I spent the day with another group of friends, working on my family scrapbook. Still trying to get my individual projects started so I can clear out some of the fabric in the house!

Health – started on another diet on Monday. Keeping a food journal. Exercising three times a week. So far, so good - another two pounds gone, hopefully for good!

What's Wrong With Me?

Last month I set a seemingly unattainable goal of writing 40,000 words in five weeks. I met and exceeded that goal.

Last month I also set a goal of losing weight. I’ve failed miserably.

Last fall I set out to organize my life (stuff). That’s also in the dumpster. Unfinished (and unstarted) projects are all over the house.

What’s the deal? It seems anything involving sitting in front of a computer is possible. My bills are paid (online), my classwork is caught up (PowerPoint presentations are done, and papers turned in online are graded), and electronic correspondence is caught up. But everything else is in shambles.

So – do I cut the cord? Go Cold Turkey? Or maybe I should take a page from the parenting book – limit time on this machine. Yeah. I can do that. Set a timer when I sit down and turn it off after two hours (the computer, not just the timer). And then I’ll have to get UP to do something – not watch TV, and definitely NOT eat!

Here goes Plan C!

My Dirty Little Secret

My daughter says I’m a hoarder.

Maybe I am. I hate to throw things out. I wonder why. It’s not like we’re hurting and having to pinch pennies. But I’m always afraid that if I throw something out, I’ll be sorry later.

Last week I watched a show on the Discovery Health Channel about Hoarders. There were two shows back to back, and I watched them both hoping I’d get some insight. There was a woman admitted that when she was seven her father burned all her belongings and it really hurt her (apparently she was an army brat and every time she moved she lost her friends, but was able to keep her stuff – until her dad burned it). That sounded like something that would be emotionally scarring. There was another woman who was a hoarder because her dad was one. Both women got professional help to overcome their difficulties.

I’m not afraid of someone taking my “stuff” and burning it. I think my parents like to keep things – their basement and two and a half stall garage are full of things they haven’t used in years and probably won’t use. But I don’t think they’re hoarders. They just have lots of stuff. I have lots of stuff too, but I can’t seem to organize it.

A lot of it is craft stuff. I like to make things, and it always seems like I get a lot more supplies than I need. And I have a lot more stuff than I have time for. But I’m afraid to get rid of it, because SOMEDAY I’m going have time for all these projects.

I just hope I can remember where it all is.

Writing: I finished my 40,000-word challenge – a day early! Tomorrow I find out if I win one of three gift certificates to Barnes and Noble.

Eating: I started a food journal. Things went well for about three days. Tomorrow I’m going to go for five good days in a row. Gotta keep starting over! Still going to the gym regularly.

Creativity: things were pretty much on hold while pursuing the writing challenge. I did manage to make it to my sewing group – I made 25 fleece hats for some of the ministries in West Michigan. Next week should be better! I have some ideas I want to try.

Agghhh!

For the first time in over seven months, I nearly missed a week of blogging! I guess I could blame it on several things – my writing challenge, my classes, and taking care of mom’s emergencies. But I guess that’s really not necessary. Nothing dire is going to happen because I’m almost 24 hours late on my self-imposed deadline for blogging every Friday. The punishment is merely my disappointment in myself.

So here I am hastily attempting to put together a coherent post in the 30 minutes left of this week. Why? I guess there are a couple of reasons. The first is my disappointment in not meeting my weight loss goals. I have lost two pounds in six weeks. Yuk. I’m eating right (most of the time), and exercising (three days a week). What’s the deal? My daughter gave me a stern “talking to” tonight. She’s disappointed in me too. I hate that even more than being disappointed in myself.

I am meeting my writing goals. If I get this online before midnight, I’m meeting my goal of blogging every week. Also, I’m still plugging away at my story, despite the interruptions in my life. But for some reason, the health goal is eluding me. I guess I need to apply the same strategies toward this as I am toward writing. What’s different? I think it’s probably my accountability. On my computer, I keep track of how many words I need to have completed each day, and I don’t go to bed until that many words are in my manuscript. Some of it’s not very well-written, but the words and ideas are there. I’ve also been sharing my word count totals to my facebook and writers’ group friends. They know exactly how I’m doing.

So I guess what I need to do is what every diet (God, I hate that word!) tells me to do: record my intake. Look at evidence of the food I eat. And then cut it down to a reasonable amount.

Tomorrow starts another week. Let the accountability begin.