Sunday, June 02, 2013

Mocha Rewards

This morning, after a seven and a half mile run, I'm sitting on my front porch enjoying a final mocha. My running partner, Najah, and I decided that mochas will be my reward for finishing a certain number of words on my current writing project. 
I get no more mochas until I reach that 22,000 -word goal. Then 45,000 words, then 67,000 words, then finished.
It sounds like a lot, but I'm actually just deconstructing and reconstructing a book that I wrote before. I've decided to make some changes so a lot of the work will be cutting and pasting then writing other sections and editing everything together. I'm giving myself a time limit so I can try to solve that other problem I mentioned a few weeks ago -- cutbacks at my job. I've started applying for other, full-time jobs, but if I could bring in a little more income from my writing then I could continue to teach college as an adjunct and have time to write. If I get a full-time job, plus teach college, I'll never have time to write.
It seems silly that I need to motivate myself, but with free time and without set deadlines, I often just fritter it away. That's why Najah and I decided on the joint punishment/reward of mochas or no mochas. And she's going to be my motivator and task master. She'll text me encouragement, like a Nike app: "Way to go!" or "Keep it up!" But she's also willing to push me and scold me if I fall behind. 
So wish me luck that I move along quickly and get to my next mocha. 
The book I'm rewriting is I See London, I See France. Parts of the book are the same and some have changed: a mother of three young children has a fight with her husband and he walks out. She thinks about when she last felt vibrant and pins it down to a semester abroad in France. She wonders how life might have turned out differently if she'd married the Frenchman she had a crush on. She decides to sell the minivan and travel to Europe with the kids to see if she can rekindle that spark of life within herself, and maybe a romance too. 

5 comments:

Suzie Tullett said...

The new book sounds fab, Paulita. Good luck on the word count front x

Alexa said...

Mochas as motivation? Hey, whatever gets you through! I enjoyed The Summer of France and will look forward to this new book. Bonne chance!

Sim Carter said...

Definitely Paulita, the renewed book sounds wonderful. Alexa is right- if it's anything like Summer of France it's a winner.
I'm so sorry to hear you've suffered some cutbacks at the college - not cool at all. Good luck with the job hunt:) I want you to be able to FOCUS on that book.

Just Me said...

Sounds exciting ... the book and your adventure to write it.

Sending you good thoughts !

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Hi Paulita your book sounds brilliant, I look forward to reading it :-)

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