In today’s Journal
* Quotes of the Day
* Yesterday
* Today
* Topic: A Very Short Topic
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Quotes of the Day
“Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it.”
Ray Bradbury
“Eventually, everyone will be quarantined to their houses with no sports to watch…
and in nine months a boom of babies will be born… and we will call them Coronials.”
Creative Talent Agency (via The Passive Voice)
Yeserday was a slow day, but at least I cleared 3000 words (see Day 8). I’m still thinking this one will be finished on or about the end of this month. Getting into some heavy action and waiting for the end to slap me.
It’s difficult to describe how great it is to write a novel when almost every sentence is a surprise. A lot of big-deal writers have said some version of “No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader,” and I believe that’s true.
The surprises are what keep me, the writer, engaged and wanting to keep coming back to the story. I have to believe they will have the same effect on the reader.
Today, I rolled out very late at almost 5 a.m. after a rough night. Hence the very thin Journal today.
Topic: A Very Short Topic (and one I probably shouldn’t post)
I still plan to make my daily word count goal today, despite my entire routine being thrown off. But maybe it’s an opportunity to illustrate what I keep saying:
If you “want to” write, then you sit down, put your fingers on the keyboard, and write. And despite the common (BS) writing advice to “just get it on paper so you can fix it later,” you write the very best you can at your current skill level the first time through.
Why on Earth would anyone think “write sloppy” is good advice? Do you do literally anything else intentionally “sloppy” the first time through so you can do it over?
Keeping your dishes clean is far more important than any story you’ll ever write; do you wash them twice (or three or four times)? Planting a garden (flower or vegetable) is eminently more important than any story you’ll ever write; do you intentionally plant sloppily the first time so you can go back and fix it later? Go ahead. Apply the same thought to anything else you do. It stands up.
A story of any length isn’t important. It’s nothing more than a few minutes (short story) or hours (novel) of entertainment for someone you’ll probably never meet. It will earn you only a few dollars.
If you “can’t” write and if there’s no physical reason you can’t, chances are you’re steeped in one myth or another. (For an excellent example of being steeped in the myths, see the last listing in “Of Interest” today or, sadly, almost any clichéd “writing advice” almost anywhere on the internet. I added the link strictly FWIW and because reading it made my blood boil.)
A disclaimer: I don’t much care how anyone else chooses to write. I really don’t. If they want to turn such a joyful experience as writing into hard labor, that’s their business. But it makes steam rise off my forehead when they actively teach other writers and would-be writers to spoil that joy for themselves too.
I understand going against the flow of conventional “wisdom” isn’t a smart thing to do, yet here it is. Let the slings and arrows begin.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Never Let a Computer Know You’re in a Hurry” at https://prowriterswriting.com/never-let-a-computer-know-youre-in-a-hurry/.
See “Developing a Writing Practice, Part 5: Neurohacks” at https://www.janefriedman.com/developing-a-writing-practice-part-5-neurohacks/.
See “Meet Nancy Wake: Socialite, Spy, and The Most Decorated Heroine of WWII” at https://crimereads.com/meet-nancy-wake-socialite-spy-and-the-most-decorated-heroine-of-wwii/.
See “Writing Bundles Kickstarter Almost Done” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/writing-bundles-kickstarter-almost-done/.
For several more “quarantine” quotes, see “The Passive Voice” at http://www.thepassivevoice.com/.
See “Focusing on the Writing” at https://killzoneblog.com/2020/04/focusing-on-the-writing.html. Only despite the title, it doesn’t teach you how to focus on the writing. It teaches you how to AVOID writing and how to succumb to the myths about writing. So this is strictly a FWIW link.
The Numbers
Fiction words yesterday…………………… 3334
Nonfiction words today…………… 670 (Journal)
Writing of The Good of the Galaxy 2 (novel)
Day 1…… 6138 words. Total words to date…… 6138
Day 2…… 4514 words. Total words to date…… 10652
Day 3…… 3633 words. Total words to date…… 14285
Day 4…… 3181 words. Total words to date…… 17466
Day 5…… 3224 words. Total words to date…… 20690
Day 6…… 3954 words. Total words to date…… 24644
Day 7…… 3606 words. Total words to date…… 28250
Day 8…… 3334 words. Total words to date…… 31584
Total fiction words for the month……… 68354
Total fiction words for the year………… 276336
Total nonfiction words for the month… 21420
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 102570
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 378906
Calendar Year 2020 Novels to Date…………………… 4
Calendar Year 2020 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2020 Short Stories to Date… 12
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 49
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 208
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31
I see it as a symptom of low self esteem.
These people have so little respect for themselves they need to be apologetic about bringing something into existence.
They’re terrified of a bad audience reaction, so they dumb it down with half assed writing. That way they have an excuse for when it “fails” (“it’s just my first draft”).
Most people aren’t at a place to make art.
I can’t agree. I’ve known people who are successful in life and career and who trust themselves in every other endeavor but fall to the myths they were taught when it comes to writing. Over here in the US at least, the writing myths are drummed into us from an early age and reinforced all the way through school.
Self esteem is subtle. Someone could be successful while being deeply insecure in reality. (Not doubting your judgement, but just to point out that self esteem goes much deeper than what we usually think of it to be).
Their struggles with the myths itself communicates low self esteem on a deeper level. Not being able to question something they were taught at school, not being able to separate from conventional thinking, etc.