Today’s challenge writing an outline

Today's NaNoWriMo Preparation Challenge is to write a first draft outline, an overview of the main events. I think I will title the subjects with Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. I do not have chapter names yet, so I will do it this way. I am not going to worry about chapter name or title for the time being. I have to work on the challenge and post that i have completed today's challenge.

Write a Primes

The first exercise in the NaNoWriMo Preparation Challenge is to write a primes. In writing the primes I will answer five question about the main character. These questions cover the character name, what happens to the character, why it happens, how the situation turns out, and a moral.

The fun begins on October 1.

One of my writing weaknesses is use of the passive voice

I am having a tough time overcoming this particular weakness. Perhaps challenge is a better work then weakness. True the use of the passive voice is a weakness, but overcoming it is a challenge.

Challenge the weakness
each day make progress toward
writing perfection.

Writing about the 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule states that when a writer has a to do list containing ten tasks, two of those task return 80% of the value of the list. These top two priorities are the most challenging on the list because they lead the writer to achieve his or her goal. The other eight items are usually "make work" activities the writer uses to avoid the two most challenging activities on his or her list.

This is an interesting theory and, given the human tendency to procrastinate, probably true. The question is how does a writer go about achieving the two most important goals on the to do list. A good way to start is for the writer to make a hard copy of what he or she most wants in life. All of us think about what we most want in life, but how many of us write it down. Then review the actions leading to our life goal.

Reviewing the actions leading to achievement of our life goals is the next step in achieving them. The "to do list" is a daily action plan to achieve those goals. By writing a daily to do list and then reviewing the actions completed and asking ones self "Did this action lead me to achieving my goal today or did it cause me to put off achieving that goal?" The other thing a writer has to do when making his or her to do list is squelch the inner critic.

Daily Writing Challenges

Two days left before I set my next group of nineteen-day goal. Two days before I know how well I did on the present set of nineteen-day goals. I am not going to change the goals very much, all though I am adding one item to the writing goals. I am participating in a writing challenge on writing.com.

The challenge requires two writing task each day, which I post to a book item in my portfolio before midnight of the day assigned. This means I have to post them before 9:00 PM Pacific Time. I posted the July 28 task bout 7:00 PM yesterday and am working on today's task now.

One of the challenges is a poem and the other is to get to know the other participants in the present challenge and past challenges. I came up with an e-mail interview last night and sent it to some of the participants, but I have not heard back yet. In the meant time, I am going to post the questions and the e-mail message into the book I am using for that.

My next post on this subject will contain a link to my portfolio. I am going to put the challenge book item under "Featured Items" in my portfolio so readers can access it easily. Right now, anyone wanting to look at it must go to "Contest Submissions" because I have not updated "Map of my Port" yet. I am posting the e-mail message and question in that book this morning and then I think I will get another cup of coffee and work on the poem for the other part of the challenge. I will write more on this challenge in a later blog entry.