Row 80 Check-In (Last Round 2 Check-In)

Since I jumped into Row 80 toward the middle of Round 2, the end of the round took me by surprise. Regardless, I missed my wrap up check-in on Wednesday, so I'll do that now. 

Overall, I'm pleased with how Row 80 has worked for me. I'm a goal-oriented person, and making weekly goals is a great thing to have when planning my week. I would occasionally do that anyways, but this gives me motivation to make the list and check it off. In some senses, it holds me accountable for getting the work done. Even though I know life gets in the way sometimes, and things don't get done when I want them to get done, making weekly (and daily) goals helps. If I know that my Monday is too booked to write, or my weekend will be unavailable for writing, I can schedule the remainder of my week accordingly.

Honestly, the biggest challenge I have is setting reasonable goals. For me, since I'm in the editing phase of two novels, a reasonable goal means I need to have an idea of how much editing a scene needs. I have to guesstimate how many scenes and/or chapters I can make it through in a day, and then set goals accordingly. Round 2 of Row 80 has taught me to give myself more time than I think I need. I always think I'm quicker at editing than I am. Considering the fact that I am editing to share with a critique group, I want it to be "perfect." (Yes, I realize it will never be perfect, but that doesn't stop me from trying.)

So my editing takes a long time. It involves second-guessing, third-guessing and sometimes quadruple-guessing myself. However, having a weekly goal of getting through 1500 words of editing and posting it for my critique group encourages me to (okay, demands that I) get it done that week. It may take a little longer, or I may post before I'm completely happy with something. But it means that I meet my goal, and I can move ahead. All too often, I'm reluctant to share, thinking it's not quite ready, and then I let the weeks slide by. In the end, when I post, it's not much different from when I was working on it three weeks before. So all in all, Row 80 is forcing me forward. And forward is where I want to be. 

(I'll save my weekly update for Sunday, since that's the day I've been setting my weekly goals.)

~I.E.