Wow! I have come such a long way. As of now it is midnight. Officially June 1st. I am now going to start my first WriMo Challenge. And, of course, because it is me, I am being a rebel right off the bat because I already have 26xxx words written. The challenge is to write 50xxx. Here's where I stand with that: I am finishing the rough draft of my first novel this month. Whether that means writing another 50k or not really doesn't matter. And I am OK with this.
I've done some sprints with my friend and writing buddy, Nova Lovette and loved it. I also found a Facebook group that is set up just for sprints. Perfect. Nova clued me in on a webinar type thingy...and I watched an author go through her process of outlining using post-it notes. I LOVE her ideas and have bought my post-its, so I am ready to go--as soon as I go back to Wal-Mart and buy the whiteboard I knew I should have bought today :-(
I've found my voice, my spine, my grit. Had a poem rejected from Everyday Poets. Well, their loss. They seem to prefer a tighter rhyme and meter and I'm more of a free verse style poet. No loss to me. I have other poems that fit what they are looking for. But, unlike my previous rejection, I am not set back or really all that disappointed. I know my poem is good and will fit somewhere. Just not there. And I am OK with that too.
This trend of finding my voice in my writing and publishing adventures, is translating into my personal life too. I have always been the type of person who accepts everyone and excuses their mistakes even when they are "crimes against me". I don't like to call people out for doing things that hurt or bother me. It makes me feel guilty for hurting them even though they were in the wrong. This has landed me in more than enough sticky situations as you can imagine.
Well, this week alone, I asked a dear friend to please try and refrain from drunk dialing me if at all possible, told my ex that I was not discussing something that was none of his business and did not let someone else's inappropriate decision bring me down with them. (I swear, reading this it sounds like I have some great people in my life...lol! Just one of those weeks I guess.) Guess what. The only one who was offended was the last one, and that is because he was called out for his decision and embarrassed--and not someone I ever wanted in my life, but we can't choose all of those who impact us. Everyone else was respectful about my space and privacy. I didn't have to compromise myself and didn't have to be mean. I just had to express what I wanted and let it go. It feels so good to be finding myself.
I wouldn't be in this position without my writing. As my character is experiencing this same phenomenon, it seems we are growing together. Writing truly can be a healing process. That being said...can't wait to see who I am at the end of this month...after I have changed my stars and become an author who has "finished" a novel.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Project Management
Tuesday I debuted on YA Warehouse and, so far, I am pleased with the responses on my social network platforms. I've seen several RTs on Twitter and some Likes on Facebook. I also gained a few followers on my personal blog here. Thank you to you, my supporters!! You all truly encourage me to continue. And, just so you know, unlike on this blog, I can't see the traffic over at YA, so unless you leave a comment, I won't know you visited.
One visitor left me a bit of her amazing story of how she deferred her dreams in fashion design until just recently. One can tell from her story, she is an incredible soul. And reading her comment really got me thinking, I wonder if I could collect stories like her's from around the world--through social media channels--and create an anthology. Off my mind went, spinning like a child just learning the joys of making yourself dizzy.
Just as the dizzy set in, I remembered motion sickness and stopped mid-spin. See, I read/watched the vlog one of my counterparts, Nova Lovette, posted on YA Warehouse last night. She was discussing "shiny new ideas" and maintaining focus on your current WIP. I started thinking about that, then I thought about Bird by Bird from Anne Lamott:
“Because this business of becoming conscious, of being a writer, is ultimately about asking yourself, How alive am I willing to be?”
― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
I had to think about Nova's question: What does a writer do with "shiny new ideas"?
How do you manage your writing projects? (um, yeah...cause we all know we're really the ones in control of our projects, right? ;-D ) Do you keep a writer's notebook so you can let the shine glimmer onto the pages, get out of your system as an infantile glow and then wait there maturing until you are ready to guide it? Do you bottle it up and hope like heck that it'll still be there when you're ready? How do writers deal with the onslaught of ideas when they actually do come? How do we become the proverbial ants who stock up our "food" so we have it when the weather turns and there is none to be found elsewhere? And, is this management, or lack thereof, truly the cause of those idea droughts we all fear?
Typically, I have cycled when it comes to my idea management. Mostly, as an adult, I have not taken my ideas seriously and given them the time and respect they deserve. I stuff them in the corners of my abyss and count on those ideas to come running back to me when I need them--to still love me after being carelessly rejected. Less often, I have stopped, honored the thoughts, jotted them down in a safe place and taken the care to let them flow as they intend from my inner creator. Even though I find I am more creative, productive and positive when I'm in the latter cycle, I still don't set myself up to practice getting the ideas out.
Now that I'm taking my writing more seriously, maybe it's time that I honor my thoughts. Let the "shiny new ideas" sparkle in the sun a bit before gently placing them into a safe writer's notebook for another day. Even the controversial rapper, Eminem does this--sort of! No more games or self-detriment. I want to be a writer. I want to publish my heart and soul in ink. It's time to manage my projects...
How do you manage your projects and your "shiny new ideas"?
One visitor left me a bit of her amazing story of how she deferred her dreams in fashion design until just recently. One can tell from her story, she is an incredible soul. And reading her comment really got me thinking, I wonder if I could collect stories like her's from around the world--through social media channels--and create an anthology. Off my mind went, spinning like a child just learning the joys of making yourself dizzy.
Just as the dizzy set in, I remembered motion sickness and stopped mid-spin. See, I read/watched the vlog one of my counterparts, Nova Lovette, posted on YA Warehouse last night. She was discussing "shiny new ideas" and maintaining focus on your current WIP. I started thinking about that, then I thought about Bird by Bird from Anne Lamott:
“Because this business of becoming conscious, of being a writer, is ultimately about asking yourself, How alive am I willing to be?”
― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
I had to think about Nova's question: What does a writer do with "shiny new ideas"?
How do you manage your writing projects? (um, yeah...cause we all know we're really the ones in control of our projects, right? ;-D ) Do you keep a writer's notebook so you can let the shine glimmer onto the pages, get out of your system as an infantile glow and then wait there maturing until you are ready to guide it? Do you bottle it up and hope like heck that it'll still be there when you're ready? How do writers deal with the onslaught of ideas when they actually do come? How do we become the proverbial ants who stock up our "food" so we have it when the weather turns and there is none to be found elsewhere? And, is this management, or lack thereof, truly the cause of those idea droughts we all fear?
Typically, I have cycled when it comes to my idea management. Mostly, as an adult, I have not taken my ideas seriously and given them the time and respect they deserve. I stuff them in the corners of my abyss and count on those ideas to come running back to me when I need them--to still love me after being carelessly rejected. Less often, I have stopped, honored the thoughts, jotted them down in a safe place and taken the care to let them flow as they intend from my inner creator. Even though I find I am more creative, productive and positive when I'm in the latter cycle, I still don't set myself up to practice getting the ideas out.
Now that I'm taking my writing more seriously, maybe it's time that I honor my thoughts. Let the "shiny new ideas" sparkle in the sun a bit before gently placing them into a safe writer's notebook for another day. Even the controversial rapper, Eminem does this--sort of! No more games or self-detriment. I want to be a writer. I want to publish my heart and soul in ink. It's time to manage my projects...
How do you manage your projects and your "shiny new ideas"?
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