I didn’t think I would be able to get much writing done w N here this week-end. Some days when he is here I often wonder if I will make it up by 9a to log in to work. This morning, thanks to it being so chilly and my own inability to sleep, I actually did get up—and eventually settle in to write a little before I had to log in. I had roughly 40 minutes to write by the time that I had N settled down and breakfast and cartoons and whatever else he needed.
Word count for the first week:
Monday (first day) - 926 words (not counting the myriad of email flying that morning—that alone should more than triple my count—but I didn’t realize I “should” count every single word I type or write in my word count—since I do morning word count and that’s it. I figure I meet my goal and the rest is all gravy, right?)
Tuesday-1599 words—Monday was the only day this week I managed to get up around 7a. The rest of the week I was lucky to claw my way out of bed by 8a to stumble into my chair to write. Can we say cathartic experience though? Better than meditation first thing in the morning. Better than morning pages first thing in the morning. Even better than asana practise first thing in the morning.
Wednesday-1779 words—and I even have a pm word count here too of 797. I was on a roll.
Thursday-2334 words—I took Natalie Goldberg’s advice. In her book, “Writing Down The Bones”, she says she writes first thing in the morning, before brushing her teeth or anything else. Straight out of bed and into the writing. I modified that somewhat for myself. I have to let the dog out. I have to brush my teeth and use the facilities. And I need a drink too. By the time I am done in the bathroom and have my drink ready, my computer is booted and ready for me, and the dog is ready to come in, whether she likes it or not. This schedule is really working for me. My best time of day is when the kids are asleep in the morning. E usually sleeps til 10 or 11a. Nights are for knitting and whatever.
Friday-1222 words
This morning, Saturday, even with the false starts and the initial interruptions, 1106 words.
I ordered “No Plot? No Problem!” by Chris Baty and it arrived this week—it came FAST. I was very surprised with the shipping—but I am not knocking it. It’s great.
This has to be the very best book on writing I have ever read. To the point where every writer’s course, every creative writing course, literature arts program I have ever taken I could throw out the window—and I have thrown out the window—of course, if you know me, you know I was already fed up enough with them while I was taking them and I threw much of them out the window to begin with anyway. All my how to write books, all my books on writing by writers, all my artist way type books—don’t need them. I read everything I needed to know in the introduction of ‘No Plot?’.
You can say you want to write all your life and never do a darn thing but talk. Or you can shut up, take the plunge, and bloody well write. Writing is writing—editing and fleshing out can come later on. Just put the main thoughts down onto paper and move. The rest can come later—or you can toss the entire thing. Either way, there is a HUGE difference in saying I am going to write some day and I am writing now.
I personally am writing NOW.
This November I will enter the NaNoWriMo—and I will finish it. What am I going to be doing in the mean time? Establishing new habits so that I can bilk writing time out of every single day no matter what goes on or what happens. I am currently in the middle of chapter 4 of “No Plot?” and I have goals. And as the book so recommends I plan to shout from the rooftops that I am doing this, that I will be writing a book in 30 days, along with a bunch of other real writers world-wide. With my current daily word-count I think I can do it—under 1700 words per day. I think I can do it. I know I can do it. I work for an hour a day, roughly, usually less, so an hour in the morning and whatever other time I need to squeeze in—I don’t see that as bad.
The good thing that has come from this 1000 words per day every morning thing is I am exploring the Fifth Realm stuff more. I am working on a lot more non-fiction than I would have said I would. Plus, I have another story floating that comes from a dream I had just a couple days ago. There is nothing at all to it except for one scene. But the possibilities are just – so open and phenomenal.
It’s good to get the juices flowing again. I haven’t been in space like this since I was in high school—when I wrote all day long every day because school was so bloody boring.
