Goal 1 Progress: 12/30/2011

Day 1 - December 30

Procrastination is also one of my goals.

Goal: Write every day, starting today.

Purpose: To make a habit of writing.

Mini-Goal: Learn the structures to different kinds of plots: Plot 1 - Quest

Actions: Wrote 700 words outlining three potential stories.

The Loneliness of Not Belonging

Have you ever read the winning entries of a magazine fiction contest and wondered how did these stories win? What's so special about them? I'm falling asleep as I read this crap. I can't get past the first paragraph... I do. Then I wonder why I bother at all. What I consider to be good will never align with what the majority thinks is good.

I tell myself to quit whining (to myself) over it, just worry about becoming a better writer (subtitle drop). But how do I know if I'm getting better if I don't adhere to the same standards of "good" as everyone else? Isn't that concept one that a majority agrees with?

Is it really good if I'm the only one to think so?

Goal 1: Write Every Day

I'm procrastinating by making illustrations!

Before 2011, I wrote maybe 5,000 words a year. Pretty pathetic. I have folders full of stories and poems I began but never finished. They all mock and taunt me every time I see the files.

But I'm leaving those habits behind. This year, I'm pleased to say that I've written over 100,000 words-- and that's just since May. I actually finished rough drafts and whole stories. I believe I'm well on my way to becoming a writer.

However, I can't stop now. It's time to kick this into high gear. If I'm going to be a writer (and not just any old one, but a good one), I need lots of practice and the habits of a good writer. Where I'm at now, I could easily fall back into writing a few hundred words every other month. I don't want that. Writing feels so good for me to let go of it now.

So what good habit do I want to develop? Well, lots of them. But I'll start with writing (almost) every day, or 5,000 words a week. I need a couple days a week to develop ideas and then I'm off. I'm only going to count poems and stories; brainstorming, revising/editing, or commenting (or blogging) won't be added to my goal. That will keep me from bs-ing myself.

I figure I have to get better if I write more, right? Right?

Legends Contest

I am participating in a contest at the Legend Fire writing community (check them out.) I entered the fiction and poetry divisions, and the theme everyone must adhere to is 'Redemption.'

So I began as I usually do -- with research. I looked up the definition of redemption and read some social research on the topic. This usually gets me headed in the right direction, but this time I can't find my focus.

I'm forging on however. Submissions close on December 28 and I wonder if I will make it, even though I am in the revision phase of my entries. When I say make it, I mean submit something that I am proud of. No regrets.

I keep going back and forth with my poem, debating whether or not I should drop out of that part. As far as my fiction entry, every time I read it I roll my eyes. It's too simple, straight-forward. Melodramatic. Maybe I should keep at it and my hard work will pay off, or something sappy like that.

The insecurities about the whole thing are mounting up. Will I last?

For the Upcoming Year

I think the focus of this blog will be my ongoing aspirations as a writer, poet, and web series producer. I've recently began thinking seriously about writing since I do so much of it, and I like doing it. Also, I help my husband out with his web series shows, and I'd like to write about what I'm figuring out.

I'll list what I'm working on, what stage I'm in, and how far I've progressed as a writer.

Here's to the New Year and new aspirations.