The lovely Amanda LaFantasie last posted this blog's anniversary (which is amazing! Great job everyone!) and also about old goals and new. So here I am, reviewing my old list and compiling a new list.
Old list:
1. Finish a book
2. Improve spelling and grammar
3. Be more descriptive
4. Write more elegantly and eloquently
5. Get something published.
6. Improve writing habits/ setting word goals
New List:
1. Finish a book! I get so fixated if something doesn't feel right that I end up derailing myself.
2. Work on letting go of the small stuff and moving forward in a story.
3. Be more descriptive but don't bash it in. Sometimes less is more and learning the balance is key.
4. Writing more elegantly, sure, but writing gritty as well
5. Improve writing habits. This is the hardest of all but I will explain that later in another blog. Setting word goals aren't really a concern of mine at the moment. I am happy to write a paragraph at this point. Again, I will explain later.
6. Balance out my reading list. I need to read more fiction and less non-fiction.
7. Getting feedback. Again this is another blog post entirely, but it is just as important as anything else. 8. Make it worse, make it hot! Something Amanda's current mentor from Pine Manor College, Sterling Watson, said. Some of the best advice I have ever heard.
I'm excited to see the new goal list and I hope that the next several months will see you working hard on them. <3 Writing is one of those things that never is 'done.' But we can reach goals, we can accomplish things and we can feel proud of what we do and I hope that you get to feel all of that very soon!
ReplyDeleteI haven't written anything more significant than the occasional facebook status update. Facebook is a colossal time-waster. Not that keeping in touch with friends is wasteful or anything...bleh...I'm sure you get what I'm getting at. I haven't written anything new on my angel story in months and months. The problem is that I lie awake at night or else daydream about the story when I take walks and whatnot until I have whole sections written in my head but they never make it to the keyboard.
ReplyDeleteThe reason? Sheer laziness. Can't be arsed. I make all manner of lame excuses too: "I'm too busy packing too move right now." "I'm too busy doing major pre-moving cleaning right now." "I'm using a borrowed laptop right now." "I don't have my own computer desk right now, all I have is this couch and I'm not coooommmfffyyy!!"...Wah!
Thinkers block? No.
Imagination block? No.
The actual work of writing block? .:sigh:. yes. I dun wanna!
Being a writer would be great except it involves...you know...writing.
I think role playing roont me. I'm used to collaborating with my characters and another person and their characters. When I sit down and contemplate writing it feels like playing dolls by myself.
And when it all stays inside my head, no one can see my faulty grammar and dangling whatnots.
Zack: I gotcher dangling participle right here. *snickers*
I love Zack's dangling participle >< And yeah, I think Roleplaying totally spoils us! It's so wonderful to have the constant collaboration and feedback and the excitement of wondering what's coming back. It is kind of like playing dolls by yourself with the solitary writing. It took me almost a month to get back into the swing of things after the residency and just now I'm starting to let the characters play while I watch. It's a beautiful thing but very different from the beauty of the RP world. *hugs* I hear you on sheer laziness - if my MFA wasn't hounding me, I wouldn't be anywhere on the Death Man story. I had wanted to start this piece about two years ago and only just started it in February this year, lol. Funny how deadlines can light a fire under your ass a little!
DeleteI love the angel story and even if you're just brainstorming it and playing with it in your head, that's still a good thing and eventually that will trickle down through your fingers and then you'll email it over to me so I can wrap myself up in fallen angel bliss XD. If you get a chance, rent Lucifer by Philip Memmer (it will take you like an hour to read it - it's a collection of poems). I love new takes on fallen angels and I love your take on it! (and have a special soft spot for your angels themselves >.>) <3
I've been watching the Harry Potter movies and Gabe was stroking his chin and said, "You know...the older Harry Potter gets the more he looks like Darius."
Delete>.<
Haha! XD
DeleteRps and fan fiction were great practice for me. I liked writing against other styles and I loved getting feedback. But, as much practice as it was, it was kind of hard to pull away from it and move back to actual novel writing. What is worse, I have a couple of unfinished fan fictions that people keep messaging me to finish. I really want too, but at the moment I just can't focus on that.
ReplyDelete