Staying the Course November 7, 2008
Posted by Becca in Uncategorized.trackback
Yikes! In all the excitement over the past few days, Wednesday slipped by before I knew it. Election night was something of a fairy tale with a huge happy ending, and many of us are basking in the afterglow of all those euphoric feelings about hope and change.
I’ve been thinking a bit about dreams, and the visions we all have for our lives, particulary our writing lives. We talked about our wildest writing dreams here a few weeks ago, and pondered the challenge of plunging forward to make those dreams come true. It takes courage to embark on a quest, whether it’s toward achieving our goals as a writer, an athlete, or a leader. There’s a great deal of excitement involved, and heady anticipation at the prospect of things to come.
The outcome of our election is a good reminder of the way dreams come true. But geting there involves not only the courage to embark on the project, but the strength to stay the course when the going gets rough.
Those of you who are involved in NaNoWriMo are about to be tested in that regard. These first few days were a picnic compared with the middle of road humps that are just ahead. Those are the days when it seems as if your characters and plot are totally ridiculous, you have no idea where the story is going, your mind draws a blank when it comes to description and dialogue. At about the mid-way point in your novel writing journey, you have to drag yourself to the keyboard, and those 50,000 words appear as an insurmountable goal.
Here’s where you might need to employ “cheap tricks,” as Julia Cameron calls them, to keep you on track. (The Right to Write) A change of scenery works for some – taking your computer to a cafe or coffee shop. Phoning a writing friend can help, someone who will encourage you to keep at it. Even bribing yourself can help – the promise of a dinner at your favorite restaurant or even the indulgence of massage or manicure to celebrate the achievement of writing goals can sometimes be the incentive to get you started.
Cameron’s favorite “cheap trick” is what she calls the “writing date,” personally connecting with a writing friend and working in tandem. “There is something enlivening about writing in duos,” Cameron says. ”A great deal of usuable track can be laid in chummy proximity.”
I’m sure President elect Obama has plenty of experience with the doubts and negativity that plague us in the pursuit of our dreams. His ability to stay the course was likely tested many times during the campaign, and will be tried many more during his tenure in office. His dedication to the dream was inspiring, and we can take a page from his book when it comes to fulfilling the writing dreams we all share.
How about you? Are you having a hard time staying the course toward fulfilling your writing dreams? What are you doing about it?
This is some thought. I needed to jolt my mind!
http://firmlyrooted.blogspot.com/2008/11/champions-of-writing-and-bonding.html
I take University creative writing classes and email a fellow poet a poem a month for her to critique. (I reciprocate.) Otherwise, I would sit around thinking of writing and not doing it.
After months of non-productive writing, my muse is finally back on course: http://mymuseandme.blogspot.com/2008/11/write-on-wednesday.html.
For me, writing on my lap top lets me take my novel everywhere I go. Change of scenery helps me and just having it nearby to open, turn on and get to writing. I am good when I can write a bit and then switch to something else and then back again.
I can watch Barack on the news and still be thinking about my writing and grab it computer and get writing a bit more and soon I have my words.
I an ending today with another chapter and my word count for today:
11200.
I can’t believe it.
Bonnie
Becca, I had hoped you’d stay distracted a bit longer, so I could get my post from last week done before you switched topics!
Now, I discover that this question is directly related to last week’s, so I can deal with them together. The only thing required is thought, to put it all into words.
Even though I’m not taking part in NaNoWriMo, and have no desire to do so, I’m hoping everyone who’s chosen this path is still thinking they made a good choice! I’ll pop in this weekend to make small, encouraging noises on your entries while I’m working on mine.
Linda
Hello, Dear Becca — I’m excited, too!
I’m posted — although frankly, it’s a pretty darned short and not particularly exciting post! Here’s the link to that one:
http://themarmeladegypsy.blogspot.com/2008/11/write-on-wednesday-staying-on-course.html
(But if you look at the regular Marmelade Gypsy stuff, you’ll see why this post is so short and lousy! Too many things on the plate…)
It has been quite a week, hasn’t it?
As my writing goals are quite modest — simply to keep finding something to say — lately I find myself depending on your prompts and the prompts from Sunday Scribblings to keep myself going. The communities I’ve found in both places are also invaluable. Without them, I probably would have stalled long ago. Thanks so much!
just checking in … have nattered on a bit about staying the course and having done so, I’d better get back to my course. In the meantime, I’m at http://westcobich.wordpress.com
Well, I’ve been taking on my own writing challenges, as usual, and posted a story that I thought would fit. But that was before the last post…. I do like the keeping in touch on Wednesdays
Yes, they come and go at a frightening speed….
Thanks to all of you for getting me on track and helping me “stay the course” with my own writing!
here are more thoughts on this subject:
http://beccasbyline.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/write-on-wednesday-staying-the-course/
Morning all!
Thanks, Becca, for rooting for us NaNo’ers. I’m at that same point as I was last year where I’ve hit almost 20,000 words and find the steam thinning out. Then I tried going a new direction with the tale by calling up diary entries of my main character and let’s just say, the train has left the station once again, full steam ahead, keeping the dream of completion going.
Karen H.