Friday, September 27, 2019

Lurching Forward

Lurch from "The Addams Family," current mascot of the House of Nolahn

Oh hai there. Just popping in with a quick check-in on how My 500 Words is going, and it's... going.

I'm glad I got that hot start on Day 1, because I haven't been able to maintain that level since:
Day 1 - 1,292 words
Day 2 - 697 words
Day 3 - 174 words
Day 4 - Goose!
Day 5 - 235 words
Day 6 - 263 words

Yeah, not exactly setting the world on fire. That puts me at 2,661 words, and I don't need to be a math whiz to know that does not have me on track for 500 words a day. But, strangely, I'm okay with that.

I'm partially okay with that because that doesn't include anything from today (like this blog post, good for about 240 words), and I should have a solid hour to put towards this later tonight. Those 263 words from yesterday doesn't include the place-setting I did last night to map out the next section or two, so in theory I should be able to get a healthy clip under my belt by the time I call it a night.

The other reason I'm okay with this is that it's still 2,661 words of forward progress, which is the hellova lot better than the past month or so. It's a small (okay, very small) victory, but I'll take it.

Lurch, take us out!





Thursday, September 19, 2019

I Suck (an Update)

Bleh!


You already know how this is going to go: Oh, where have I been? So busy, running around, not writing, blah blah excuse salad.

(Though I could cut myself some slack since I did plan a whole haulin' surprise get-away for my Special Lady Friend and now we're engaged. She is my Future Wife!)

So let's skip right past that part, because summer's over, Shakespeare, and I've written bupkis since my last update. That ain't going to cut it if I'd like to complete a draft of Book #2 in my lifetime. Time to roll up my sleeves and do... well, anything.

Fortunately, I had not one but two realizations over the past 12 hours:


#1: I don't need a ton of time.

I've had it in my head for a while now that I need a solid hour in order to really get rolling with my writing. As a result, there have been many, many times where I look at the clock and say "Oh, I only have half an hour before [blank], so there's no point in trying to get any writing done."

Why? Where did that idea come from? Sure, I won't finish a section in under an hour and I may not want to stop once I get into a groove, but that doesn't mean it's not worth even starting if I only have 30-40 minutes. Because even if I only get a couple paragraphs under my belt in that sliver of time, I'm still that much closer to a finished draft.

I am a jackass.


#2: I should have fun with this.

Yeah, here we go, finally to the core of why I think I've been having such a hard time staying motivated with Book #2: I'm not having fun with it.

I've come close to realizing this in the past, and I suppose the lack of fun is understandable since the kernel of Book #2's story came from the death of a friend. But still. Certainly my friend wouldn't want me to force myself through such a glum and dreary exercise. Hell no! He was fun, and I should be having fun with this, too.

I'm having some fun now. I've just knocked out another section of Book #2 which, inexplicably, was inspired by YouTube remixes of fights from Dance Moms.

Did I ever think that was a thing I would write? No, not at all. But there I was, laughing my nuts off over-exaggerated Dance Mom sassatude like it was the second coming of Monty Python, and then I sat down and cranked out almost a thousand words. Go figure.


So, what I have learned from all this? Watch more Dance Moms Time to challenge myself!

Starting today, I'm taking on the My 500 Words challenge. No, don't worry, I won't be challenging any of you with anything. This is a self-imposed challenge for me to write at least 500 words every day for the next 31 days. And if I can do that, I think that would qualify for the "well, anything" I was thinking I needed to do at the top of this post.

The rules:
  • Writing for Book #2 counts 
  • Blogging counts
  • Writing emails does not count
  • Editing doesn't count, nor does tinkering with query letters
  • I don't have to try and make up for lost days (and there will be a couple near the end of the 31 days)
  • Or course, I can write more than 500 words
That last rule is handy, because I'm already at 1292 words and it's only Day 1. Maybe I don't suck after all?




First Post: The Story So Far

Hallo. I’m Scot Nolan, though you might know me from reviewing and discussing bad movies over the past ten years as “Nolahn.” But this ...