This year my life will change (I hope). If I get into grad school, I’ll then attend school, which means classes, student teaching, and trying to squeeze in my writing where I can. Some weeks and months, that will make writing (including blogging here on Go Teen Writers) a challenge.

Here is my plan to tackle that. Overall in 2019, I’m going to be sharing my life with you. These will be diary-like posts to update you on how I’m managing to juggle school and writing. I hope to do at least one of these a month.

I might also need to pull a post from the archives every-so-often. If I do that, I’ll write a short intro as to when the post originally appeared on Go Teen Writers and why I think it will be helpful to you now.

I’d like to continue to upload a new YouTube video each month, and if I do, I will share those here on Go Teen Writers. And I might schedule a guest post here and there as well to allow me time to (gulp) study.

So that’s the plan. Now, on to my diary-like report.

MY REPORT

Last week I mentioned that I was applying to grad school. Well, I did it! Turned in the application last Friday. Now there is much studying to be done. But as I mentioned last week, I also wanted to ease into writing again in hopes of completing a book before school starts in May (on the assumption I will pass all my tests and am accepted into the program, that is). *fingers crossed*

Monday I gave it my best, but I wasn’t feeling well. The result wasn’t great. I added a total of only 600 words to the story, but I rewrote a lot of it and sat with it, pondering what was working and what wasn’t.

I was concerned that, as is, I was planning a one point of view girl book. I’ve never written one of those, and while I could write one, my concern was should I? I have a lot of male readers, and to write a book from a girl’s point of view alone seemed a risky move to those loyal readers. So I pondered the guys in my story, and I pondered how adding one or more of their points of view might affect the story.

Guess what happened? I grew to really like those guy characters!

Tuesday I went ahead and wrote two of the guy points of view, and not only did it add depth to the story, it added words! I wrote 4800 words on Tuesday. (!) That felt SO AMAZINGLY good, I can’t even tell you. And now I am into this story, which also feels really good. I’m not going to change my goal of writing for at least thirty minutes a day, but if I’m writing and want to keep going past thirty minutes (like I did today) and I have the time, I totally will.

It feels so good to care about these characters, and I know that is going to make a difference in my motivation to write their story. I’m glad I sat with them and got to know them and waited for them to speak. Because they did! And it’s making a huge difference in my own motivation.

How are you doing this week? Have you been able to write? Have you been able to balance your writing with all the other things that require your attention?

Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms, and the author of several young adult fantasy novels including the Blood of Kings trilogy. She loves teaching about writing. She blogs at goteenwriters.com and also posts writing videos on her YouTube channel and on Instagram. Jill is a Whovian, a Photoshop addict, and a recovering fashion design assistant. She grew up in Alaska without running water or electricity and now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two kids. Find Jill online at jillwilliamson.com or on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.