Writer's Resolution

Trying to get back into writing. Talking with my co-workers, most of whom are artists too, I realized if I want to accomplish and improve as a writer, I have to practice. Writers are a lazy lot; it's like "Okay, I wrote a paragraph. I want to go eat. Oh there's this new book I want to read. I'll play a game for a little while. I'll write more later." Musicians are the most proactive; they practice a lot and have gigs to perform. Too bad there aren't paying gigs out there for creative writers.

I'm trying very hard to improve myself; old habits are difficult to change. I don't have excuses not to write anymore. I'm not in school, and I don't work a very demanding job where I work really late. I haven't blogged in a long time because it felt forced and almost like work. I've never been able to keep a consistent diary, therefore my blogging isn't very consistent either. I just feel I often don't have anything exciting to write about, so I don't. However, the one thing I've been devoted to writing in is my reading journal. That's an improvement. Still it doesn't hone the skills I need or want to work on.

I think I've been conditioned by school to think of writing as a chore and something to put off til the last second. It hasn't been fun in a long time, so maybe that's why I'm hesitant to write more. Lately, I've been getting really bored and restless without schoolwork to occupy my thoughts and time. I feel I need to channel that energy into something creative. I've been working on my woefully incomplete novel leftover from last year's NaNoWriMo and a snippet of a couple other stories. I'm going to make it a goal to write a little bit everyday both in my blog and "novel."

I have a fear that I'm going to put all this work into a piece, I'll get stuck, and abandon it because it sucks. I have a tendency to want to rush and get to the "good" or more exciting part of the story. Writing in little bits helps me focus. I think I'm a better than average writer. There's lots of mediocre to terrible writers out there who are published, not to mention people who don't actually write their own books. I can do this!