Happy Friday!
It hasn’t been as rough a week at day job, but I’m always happy to see Friday come around. How about you?
On Writing
This week, while it hasn’t been rough, has been busy with lots of guests in town and a few late nights at work. I only made it to the library one night this week. Last night when I’d finally decided I was going to push everything out of the way and get in some writing, my mother sent me a text about getting her set up with some more audio books on her iPod. She is a machinist at an airplane manufacturer and listening to books helps her day go faster. By the time I got her going, it was after 9:30, but I’d committed to writing, so I spent about a half hour doing some light editing and then adding more words.
I ended up with almost 500 new words, so the effort was worth it! Last night I wrote a fight between two characters that used to be lovers. I love doing that. :) I’m just under 17,800 words. Making great progress. This weekend, I am looking forward to a full day of writing and doing some more chapter by chapter planning. I try to do 2- 3 chapters at a time, drilling down to the details.
On Reading-Friday Reads
My reading has suffered greatly with all of this writing, but that is why I spent most of January with my head buried in a book. I am ahead on my GoodReads challenge for the year, which should give me some breathing room for a few months. Still, I finished Terry McMillan‘s Getting to Happy audiobook and enjoyed it. It was nice and long and distracting from the daily drive. I started Jennifer Weiner‘s Then Came You today. Audiobooks are totally saving my sanity and my ‘Read’ count at Goodreads. I just don’t have the hours upon hours I used to have to sit and read books. I’m writing during that time, though I’d like to get in the habit of winding up with a book — I call it Writing Foreplay– and winding down with one as well instead of queuing up Netflix or turning on the TV.
Baby steps to more reading.
On Vision Statements- Where are you going? How will you know when you’ve arrived there?
I’ve read a few posts this week on envy, jealousy, and how to deal when your friend/crit partner gets a contract/snags an agent/writes a book/does a ton of things before you do. All of these posts resonate with me, because every time one of my friends shares how they’ve received an incredible opportunity with me, I have to beat back my jealousy with a stick. I can’t help it, I feel like some people attract awesome chances at shining their light; opportunities I don’t know about, or won’t go after because I am afraid.
I am remembering my Anti Resolution for the year, to not NOT do things I am afraid. I might fail at it and I might suck, but so what? I did it. Besides, as I tweeted last night while listening to the dapper G. Clooney give an interview to NPR, “Failures are infinitely more instructive than successes.” As much as it hurts, we learn what we don’t do well and get an opportunity to improve.
The other day I was talking to my friend Emily Sandford, who is doing just about everything there is to be done, talking about it everywhere, kicking butt and taking names at it. I remember back when she was writing for Skorch magazine, a fashion publication for the plus sized woman. Here I was, honing my craft and studying and writing, writing, writing my head off and she’d stumbled upon a chance to work for a nationwide publication. Had SHE been doing all of this writing and studying and having her work beta’d and critiqued? Nope. I felt like she reached into the air and plucked and that was just totally like, unfair man!
Today, she is thriving and ready to embark on a new adventure. She’s opened her own firm and has continuously been an inspiration in her niche. I told her today that I often sit and grumble in my jealousy but I know that it’s because I don’t go after things. I told her that I was proud of her and that she’d done some excellent work.
She thanked me and passed on some unsolicited advice that I am going to take. Write a Vision Statement:
Imagine that it is one year from now (or right after you’ve achieved your goal). Picturing wild success, describe in present tense what you are doing, how you are feeling and what you are proud of. Be as detailed and creative as you can.
She shared hers with me and it gave me some ideas of things I think about but don’t do because I don’t have time/don’t have an idea/ have an idea cause it’s stupid/am a terrible writer and why don’t just give up already, geez.
Among all my writing this weekend, this will be one thing I take the time to craft and put it somewhere where it will always be at the front of my brain, right in my face. All that stuff? it’s going in.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable Friday and a great, relaxing, productive weekend.
