Writing Personal Fiction

I am in the midst of not writing two short stories right now. The characters and their longings whisper in my ears every day, and I turn away from them. Every other thought turns back. Why am I fighting against writing this?

Because these stories are mine, much too much of me. My deepest fears spilled in black on a blank white page. Maybe I'm not ready yet to confront them, no matter how they haunt me and demand that I investigate their depths.

However, I've slowly been writing one story--a fear that grows stronger every day about my future. Something that looms in my mind. Something that I know writing will make clearer and more real, rather than reveal to be an apparition.

How do I face real fears?

Getting to My Goals

I have made myself a goal of writing a million words of fiction. What doesn't count: poetry, non-fiction, work I do for others, or notes. Fiction prose only.

However, I'm not a very patient person. If I continue at the rate I have been, I won't reach 1 million words for six years. I set this goal so that I will improve my writing, and after that I can really push and experiment with stories. Six years is a long time to wait, just to really begin writing.

Therefore, my new sub-goal is to write 50,000 words a month for 12 months, for a total of...(grabs calculator) 600,000 words. That, added to the hundred thousand I've written since making this goal would put me very close to my overall goal.

So far, I'm not doing so good. December crapped out for me at 15K, but January is looking okay. In two days I'll be over the 15K that took me a whole month to do before. I have to write every day without procrastinating (I love procrastination! It's my favorite country) or letting my emotional turmoil or schedule get in the way of sitting down and getting it out.

The first thing I have learned about setting myself goals is that I need to make them just over realistic bounds because I always fall short. But falling short of 50K means that I got some writing done. In the end, that's all that counts.

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.

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.