Mental Meanderings

Writing Again - The Hard Beginnings

I started writing again tonight. I reached a point today when I decided I wouldn't let another day pass without working toward my goals of publication. I put aside the ideas of publishing my poetry primarily because it's never been my goal to be a poet. I'm a novelist and focusing on my poetry tends to prevent me writing novels.

Today I decided that writing the novel is the most important aspect. It doesn't matter if it's terrible and it doesn't matter how painful it is to write. It is more painful to go day by day realizing that time is passing and I'm accomplishing nothing.

Now I can give myself a much deserved pat on the back and rejoice that I can sleep as soon as this blog entry is done. I'm running late tonight and I would love to already be sleeping but I've had a pretty full on day and then when I did finally sit down to write I discovered that I had no idea where my plot was going. Such is the disadvantage of having written nothing for over two months. Thankfully I kept fantastic notes and reading the final file of those got me completely back on track.

I have purpose and I successfully posted two sets of 500 words. The first I'd written those two months ago but hadn't posted yet because they might not have been needed and then a few 500 tonight. I've found that scenes are chunking very nicely. I'm not sure if I'll love the way it's written when it comes to revision but for the moment all that matters is to get it written. There are many, many more lots of 500 to go before I can put this book to bed.

Thankfully in a sense of progress I can reward myself in huge degrees. Not only did I write those 500 words but it wasn't as painful as I've been dreading. Not only did I write those 500 words but they are in the genre I most want to write for. These 500 words while not perfect are a step towards my lifelong dream of being a published author. I can already picture this book with my name on the cover gracing shelves in my favorite bookshops and the local libraries.

If I keep that picture in my mind and continue to focus on 500 a day, every day, I know I can do this. I might need reminders, and some pushing, and heaps of encouragement though so feel free to back me up from time to time. Meanwhile, if you'd like to read the progress so far please let me know and I'll link you up and give you the passkey. Of course unless it really, really, sucks I don't want to hear any negatives about it yet. I don't want nitpicking. I don't want reviews based on spelling and grammar etc. All that will come in the second draft stage.

Of course having said that feel free to give all the positive feedback you have. If you get hooked and are holding out for my additions every day LET ME KNOW! Because that sort of accountability helps me push harder and ensures I get it done. When I'm accountable only to myself it's easy to say I'm not worth doing this for. Others however, for my readers, they're worth everything. That's why I write and that's part of what I remind myself when I'm struggling. That this book has to be written because the readers deserve the chance to read it. If not me then who?

Anyway, that's my back-patting. I did a fantastic job. It might be a little gummy, sloggish but it's written and I'm back on track. I will keep this momentum happening and it'll begin to flow easily. The story is fantastic, the characters are brilliant and I'm really looking forward to watching the rest of the plot unfold before me. Every day is a new adventure.

Thank you to everyone who's supported me this far and thank you to My Trid for always believing me and pushing me towards bigger and better things instead of letting me settle into my frequently atrophic moods. YAY! Now I can go sleep.