The Sweet Escape

Today is the 31st, which marks the last day of the first month of Get Your Words Out, a totally insane writing challenge for 2010. My challenge goal is 300,000 words in 2010. I’m positive I can do that… last year I missed the cut-off so I decided to do it on my own and ended up well over 350K thanks to NaNoWriMo. This year is panning out to be great as well… I checked in with an amazing 31,325 words for January.

So, what comprises my word count? Whatever I write on purpose, for pleasure. I include updates to current WIPs, drabbles, writing exercises, book reviews, and blog posts that aren’t written for a specific purpose like some kind of commercial post (which I never do anyway). I also don’t include short ‘hi, bye’ posts. My word count isn’t suffering so I don’t feel the need to waste time sending that through a word counter.

I’ve been doing a TON of writing at work– revamping our website and rewriting all of the content, updating the graphics, etc –and if I could count all of that, my word count would be outrageous. However, that’s writing that I’ve done for work as part of my job and that doesn’t really count for GYWO. I wouldn’t want to count all that anyway, then work writing would fill up my word count and I wouldn’t feel challenged or compelled to write for myself.

So tomorrow the count starts over at ’0′ (figuratively, I’ve no intention of moving my physical counter back, it’s come so far!) and I’ve got to get on the ball with more writing. I feel kind of uninspired lately and oddly I feel this way whenever I spend a lot of time talking to people who are further along this writing journey than I am. I don’t know if it’s a need I have to feel like I’m ahead of someone, or if I feel subconscious competition, or if I just feel like I’ll never be able to do what others are doing but… I always go through a period of doldrums, so I’ve cut myself off from that. I do best when I keep my eyes on my own paper.

As for any ideas of publishing… they’re far off as well. I’ll definitely keep trying to get short stories, etc published but “Same Time Next Week” is in danger of even being finished, let alone published. Not to mention that there’s no way I could even self publish that story. It’s entirely too graphic and I’d be embarrassed. It will sit at the archives and will continue to be my ‘I let it all hang out and I’m proud of it’ piece. Maybe sometime I’ll finish it, I just… I got nothin’ right now. Less than nothin’.

Only thing I do have is a whole month with which to fill with writing! Yay.

Pen in hand,

Miss M is a reader, writer, lover of coffee, devourer of words, catcher of spirits, liver of dreams. This blog is my place to spill my writerly musings and observations. I'm trying not to focus on being published or world famous, but to be content to allow the words, ideas, meaning, hopes and dreams to flow from my fingertips and leave the world forever changed for having done so.

MissM

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Tags: 2010, gywo, wordcount, writing