Having spend a lot of time analyzing a good friend of mine’s blog (The Writeaholic’s Blog – drop by if you haven’t already) I have come to realize that sometimes, it’s important to add a little bit of structure to your blog and work. I’ve been very fortunate to date, because I’ve had quite a lot of time to write before work. I was still fresh and ready from my evening’s sleep to be clear thinking and motivated to put some words to paper which was a luxury I didn’t think about till now.
At the moment, I spend most of my working day either in front of my computer (working on a dastardly Marketing Plan for which I have almost no information) or on the road in traffic. I’m beginning to realize that these two elements aren’t very good inspiration for creative thinking.
But – with NaNoWriMo only 44 days away, I feel quite strongly that it’s time to start working out a regime and get a little bit more organized in my writing.
I’m trying to determine this week how much time I have to write. I don’t really get round to writing over weekends (heck, there’s a world outside to explore and real people to spend time with) so my time is limited to my tea time and lunch time in the office and the time that I have before and after work. This is a slight problem, because I’m too confused in the morning to tie my own shoelaces and too tired of my computer in the evening to bother with it (and, I’m watching Fringe at the moment. Major procrastination station.).
Through analyzing all of this, I’ve come to one big conclusion (and a few little ones…).
- I am going to have to learn self discipline. I’ve always been very fortunately with my writing. It’s been a natural process and I’ve been able to do it without putting in a lot of effort (like searching for time to write and figuring out my plots). Things have changed a bit, as my writing became more complicated (clichés just won’t work anymore) and longer. My average story length at this stage is over 85K words. More often than not, I have no idea where I’m going at the start of a fic and it’s beginning to show.
- I am going to have to make a list of my current Work In Progress’s and my future Work In Progress’s. It helps to know where you are and where you want to be. I’ve reached a stage in my life where I realize that I don’t want to just work forever and it would be nice to bet a novel published. Yes, Writing is patient, but the market and people aren’t. There are so many would be authors out there and it would be nice not to be one of them but one of those on the other side who have made it.
- I am going to have to work on my NaNoWriMo. I don’t think I can handle another year like last year, where I flew through random plots and scenarios just to get my word count up to date. Heck. I have to make a good effort this year. NaNoWriMo is an opportunity to get a story that you’ve always been meaning to write off of the floor.
- I am going to have to work extra hard at my job. No use trying to be an author when you’re starving. I also really, really don’t want to go back to waitressing. My boss said the other day that he can see that I’m ambitions. Ambition’s got nothing to do with it. I Am Desperate. I have seen the other side and I do not like it.
- I am going to have to work on my blog. It’s such an important and good tool to use. It gives people a contact platform with me. It gives me the opportunity to get more people to notice me. Heck, it gives me a space to rant and rave and that’s always good. But mostly, it gives me a place to put my life into perspective a little bit and that goes a long way in my life.
The thing that’s important I feel is to be prepared. Writing (as with everything else in life) is a discipline. And, it’s a way of reaching out to people. One of the best reviews that I’ve ever received was where a reader came to me and said that she had learned something from my story and my work. That I have given her answers in her own life.
That was one of the biggest compliments I’ve ever received and it made me realize that yes, yes – writing is worth working for.
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