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! 

NaNoWriMo: Day 1: Taking the Challenge

So, I totally you know failed to blog for about a month and a half maybe more. For an aspiring writer, I'm terribly lazy, but I'm quite certain I'm not the only lazy writer out there. So this month is the start of National Novel Writing Month! I've never had the time or prepped/realized the start of the event from the beginning. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Yes, it will be terrible, but it's not meant to be publishable (at least not right away, if even). I haven't written fiction in so long, and need something to push me along. I know my story is going to be awful, but I'm okay with that. I'm doing this more for personal satisfaction and achievement; I already know, I'm not going to be the next great American novelist. However, if I can manage a short, shitty novel in 30 days, I know I can write a better novel in like 5 years.

I'm already getting frustrated and running into roadblocks. I had one story with notes, characters developed, snippets written, and then decided to scrap it in favor of a random plot bunny I came up with last night. Granted, I could not stop thinking about the new story all day at work, and forced myself to act on my impulse. The forums on NaNoWriMo's site are hard to access, simply because the site keeps crashing, probably from overload. It's the best place to get support, but so damn hard to get to! Plus, they have an adoption forum for abandoned plots, random snippets, character names, etc! How awesome is that?! I have a few friends also doing NaNoWriMo too, and we're all cheering each other on. I haven't decided if I want to start a separate blog for my story and to talk about my writing process. Keeping one blog and attempting to write a novel is difficult enough. I'm also worried about copyright issues with the net. Maybe I'll just post snippets here and there.

I set myself a small goal tonight of about 500-1000 words; there's no set amount you have to write in a day, but 2-3 K per day is average/good progress. I'm adamant about finishing my first scene. I'm trying really hard to just write and NOT edit while I write. Also, I'm handwriting first, then typing after I finish my daily writing. Computers provide too many distractions, and too easy to edit as I go along. Writing in pen on paper forces me to keep going, scratch out here, but no erasing and all mistakes are there to be fixed later. Wish me luck! I'll be updating as I go.