I’ve been cruising all the writing panels here at PAX, and there has been more information applicable to writing in general than I expected to find.
I’ll be pulling tips and high lights together into a longer post, probably tomorrow.
Take care ’til then.
One hundred thousand words is my resolution this New Year. Only words used in writerly pursuits will be counted. Dreamer’s Requiem posts, creative writing and professional writing will up my tally, but twitter, email, etc. will not.
This should not be a difficult target to hit. Just 300 words per day will get me there, with some days to spare. 
To help motivate both of us, Amy and I have put a progress chart in the living room where we will see it every day, as will any guests that come over. A daily reminder and a little public exposure will help to keep us on track. The chart also uses the power of shiny star stickers. It worked well enough in elementary school. It may still work well twenty some years later.
What are your writing resolutions this year? Share them or any tracking or motivational tips in the comments.
Just 99,845 to go.
There is one definite thing that I have learned in trying to become a writer: Writing has inertia. “Writing has no mass!”, the geek inside me complains, “Therefore it cannot have inertia.” Still, inertia is the most fitting description of my experience with writing so far.
Early on, I put great effort into my writing. I wrote often, and thought about it more. I finished my first story and wrote for my blog often. I frantically scribbled down notes for other stories. All this was building up the writing inertia.
Then, I let life get in the way, and I stopped pushing so hard. For a time, the writing pushed me instead. It drew me to write when I maybe wasn’t focused or in the mood, much as merry-go-round will drag or carry you once you’ve spun it up. But each day, I put less into my writing, and it slowed down until it came to rest.
Newton would tell you, if he could bothered and wasn’t dead, that any object at rest will stay at rest until acted upon by an outside force. This blog post is that outside force, my first shove to get the weight of writing going again.
Like any object, I can accelerate my writing with either a large force over a short time, or a small force over a long time. Both achieve the same momentum in the end. Last time, I chose the large force over a short time. And last time that momentum was undone by small forces over time.
This time, I will try to build my momentum with small forces. With a small but constant effort, I may be able to build my momentum without exhausting myself as I did then.
So again, it comes down to what so many others have said in blogs and books. Write every day. If you will be a writer, you must write every day. Practice writing every day. You may build the momentum of your writing how you will, through great effort quickly or through constant steady work, but once that momentum is built, you must use that constant work to maintain that energy.
Write every day. If you are not writing, you are not a writer.
It has been a rough week. I’ve been having a lot of anxiety lately, and that anxiety has focused on a few aspects of my work. This last week has been draining.
I’ve also been helping Amy with her coursework. Her physics professor has been less than helpful. I’ve basically been teaching her the course in the evenings. I’m glad to be helpful, but that and work have taken most of my time and energy this week.
I haven’t gotten any solid writing done. A few notes here and there, but no progress on my stories or here on Dreamer’s Requiem.
I did finish reading How to Grow a Novel, which was good to the end. I do recommend it for the beginning or intermediate writer. It would be of less use to advanced writer, though they may glean a few insights from it.
However, Amy’s fall break is this weekend, and I’ve taken some time off from work as well. With the extra free time, you can expect a little more activity around here soon.
