The Benefits of Making To-Do Lists

August 8, 2015January 26, 2017 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

I realize it has been more than a week since my last post and I apologize to my readers. An unexpected hospitalization took me out of commission. Although I’m better, I’m not quite back to full speed. So, today’s post is one I wrote a while back in response to a prompt on lists. Enjoy.

For those close to me, they know I love lists. I’ve been a list-maker as long as I can remember. There’s something innately satisfying about striking through or checking off a task.

The types of lists are limitless. Grocery, spring cleaning, Christmas shopping, books to read, stories to write, blog posts, bucket list, and the, ever helpful, pros and cons list.

Shortly after we married (second marriage for both of us), I discovered a pros and cons list my husband had begun when we started dating! Obviously, the pros won out and 23 years later, we often pull it from its place of safekeeping and enjoy a good laugh. There are many benefits to making lists, including finding Mr. or Mrs. Right.

Benefits of List Making

Our world is often a whirlwind of busyness. In the rush to meet everyone’s needs, we often forget important appointments or feel overwhelmed with to-do tasks. Lists help:

Keeps us on track.
Prioritize, and create a plan of action.
Provide accountability.
Establish goals
Reduces Stress

It’s not always about staying on track. Sometimes it’s about clearing the cobwebs of our mind. Stress-relief is one of the major benefits for list making. With each check mark or line crossed through a task, there is an incredible sense of accomplishment and in some cases, relief. Reduced stress means more Zzz’s and a clearer mind. And, trust me, I need all the help I can get in that department.

Want more information on the benefits of list making? Check out The List Producer.

Having a list at our disposal has never been easier. We all have cell phones and there are numerous Apps we can utilize. I’m partial to the Reminder App and Sticky Notes.

Want to explore the best Apps for list making? You can check out, Forbes – The 9 Best To-Do List Apps for 2014.

Are you a list maker? What are your favorite lists?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood and Twitter @cofcmom.

Why You Need a Theme – And How It Can Kill Your Writing

May 25, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

When I began writing my novel, theme was not a conscious part of the early drafts. But, as I wrote the theme naturally evolved.
P.S. Hoffman points out, …”theme will help you find exactly where you need to end your writing, be it fictional, or other.”

P. S. Hoffman

This was the last thing Swen said to me, before he jumped off the cliff: “I’m going to do something that you will never forget. Witness me.”

As he fell upon the war band, I watched as a car, covered in spikes, collided with his body. I watched as the explosives fell from his hand, undetonated, and his body impaled on the car’s spear-covered hood.

But Swen died with a smile on his silver-stained lips. And he did not die in vain.

Weeks passed, the brothers were killed, and the fortress fell, but still, I could not rid myself of Swen’s dying words. It was only after the water began to run again, when the sanded bluffs turned from red to green did I fully realize Swen’s message.

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Revise, Persevere, or Trash it?

May 22, 2015June 21, 2015 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 7 Comments

Photo Courtesy ofhttp://www.google.com/info.agmednet.com

I started writing my first novel, several years ago. Since then, I’ve revised, cut, changed the timeline, and rethought some of the characters in my current work in progress (WIP).

Am I going about the process the right way? Perhaps and perhaps not, opinions differ.

Janice Hardy at Fiction University (a favorite of mine) has a thought-provoking post on this today, “Onward…No? Write to the End or Go Back and Edit.” The reasons, she suggests, writers get into the revision and edit mode include:

The first chapter isn’t where the story starts.
The story just isn’t working.
You’ve decided the story you’re writing, isn’t the real story.
The character you thought was the protagonist isn’t.
Or, you’ve studied the craft, learned a few techniques, and want to fix your mistakes.

As part panster and part planner, I’ve experienced all of the above. I do study the craft; I read and sometimes make revisions and edits. I hope my novel will be better for it.

At any rate and well past 30,000 words, I’m too far to stop now. I plan to see this first draft to fruition.

Want more information on writing a novel, check out these resources:

Janice Hardy’s, Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure

Larry Brooks, Story Engineering @ Storyfix.com

C.S. Larkin’s, The 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction: Your Blueprint for Building a Strong Story

or James Scott Bell’s, Super Structure: The Key to Unleashing the Power of Story

Anatomy of a Best-Selling Story—Structure Part One

May 8, 2015June 21, 2015 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

I’m between one of those “by the seat of my pants writers” and a plotter. This is an excellent reminder. No matter what you’re building, foundation and structure matters. Thanks for another great post.

Kristen Lamb's Blog

Structure Matters

Writers must understand structure if they hope to be successful. Yes, it might take five years to finish the first novel, but if we land a three book deal, we don’t have 15 years to turn in our books. Also, in the new paradigm of publishing, writers who produce more content have greater odds of making money at this writing thing.

Understanding structure helps us become faster, cleaner, better writers. Structure is essential to all stories, from screenplays to novels to epic space operas.

Plotters tend to do better with structure, but even pantsers (those writers who write by the seat of their pants) NEED to understand structure or revisions will be HELL. Structure is one of those boring topics like finance or taxes. It isn’t nearly as glamorous as creating characters or reading about ways to unleash our creative energy.