Thoughts on Writing and Blogging
February has been a strange month. An odd combination of laziness and productivity.
At work, I've been strangely unmotivated. I'm doing my best to keep up with my deadlines and get my main jobs done, but I've been very lackadaisical with my reports and other things that I can "get away" with being late on. It's not that I dislike my job (although there are days), it's that I have other things I'd rather be doing, I think.
Several of my friends have quit or given a date to quit their day jobs to write full time. This is what I've always dreamed of doing, and to see other people actually doing it makes me happy for them, but a little bit depressed -- no that's not the right word -- discouraged for me.
So I've been doing my best to move along as I can, but when I get home, I write like blazes. I don t know what my daily average is, but when I write in the evenings, I usually crank out about 1,500 words a night. I ralize I haven't updated you all about that in the last little while, and in the meantime, they've either discontinued or sold the word meter I've been using, and right now, I'm too lazy to go find another one. But I'm sitting at 72,600 out of 85,000 words, roughly. And yes, I am doing the dance of joy. Not only is this the closest I've gotten to finishing a book, but I'm almost happy with it.
I've come close to finishing another novel (I hope to publish it under another name, because it's different from the stuff I usually do) in the past, but I got discouraged with it. I went back and looked at it though, and while it needs some work -- more work than the one I've just about finished now -- it doesn't suck. I might be able to whip it into shape. We'll see. I'll at least finish it and then throw it at a first reader somewhere later this year.
Also, I've been worried a little about this blog. I know I have two or three regular readers, but I can call them and update them on my life. I was hoping I'd get a little more traffic, which, I suppose is part of the reason I haven't updated since January. Statcounter says that I'm the only one who visits this blog on a regular basis, and for that, I can let the account go and keep a diary. Or journal, or whatever manly men are calling diaries this week.
I've been reading up on blogwriting, and it says that you should write on something that is interesting, something covered by your area of expertise, and something not boring. The problem is, my life ain't that interesting (anymore), my area of expertise is not that interesting to people who aren't in it, and and I refuse to write yet another "bitch and moan" blog about politics, my health or the world in general. Already too many of those. So I'll have to come up with something else. I might write about my previous travels, but those will run out very quickly. We'll see how it goes.
Anyone out there who knows me (or doesn't), chime in with ideas if you've got 'em.
I'm going to go write now. I owe the HWA newsletter two columns and I've got 11,400 words to go to finish the Big Damn Novel.
And then I've got a screenplay to work on.
(edited for spelling)
At work, I've been strangely unmotivated. I'm doing my best to keep up with my deadlines and get my main jobs done, but I've been very lackadaisical with my reports and other things that I can "get away" with being late on. It's not that I dislike my job (although there are days), it's that I have other things I'd rather be doing, I think.
Several of my friends have quit or given a date to quit their day jobs to write full time. This is what I've always dreamed of doing, and to see other people actually doing it makes me happy for them, but a little bit depressed -- no that's not the right word -- discouraged for me.
So I've been doing my best to move along as I can, but when I get home, I write like blazes. I don t know what my daily average is, but when I write in the evenings, I usually crank out about 1,500 words a night. I ralize I haven't updated you all about that in the last little while, and in the meantime, they've either discontinued or sold the word meter I've been using, and right now, I'm too lazy to go find another one. But I'm sitting at 72,600 out of 85,000 words, roughly. And yes, I am doing the dance of joy. Not only is this the closest I've gotten to finishing a book, but I'm almost happy with it.
I've come close to finishing another novel (I hope to publish it under another name, because it's different from the stuff I usually do) in the past, but I got discouraged with it. I went back and looked at it though, and while it needs some work -- more work than the one I've just about finished now -- it doesn't suck. I might be able to whip it into shape. We'll see. I'll at least finish it and then throw it at a first reader somewhere later this year.
Also, I've been worried a little about this blog. I know I have two or three regular readers, but I can call them and update them on my life. I was hoping I'd get a little more traffic, which, I suppose is part of the reason I haven't updated since January. Statcounter says that I'm the only one who visits this blog on a regular basis, and for that, I can let the account go and keep a diary. Or journal, or whatever manly men are calling diaries this week.
I've been reading up on blogwriting, and it says that you should write on something that is interesting, something covered by your area of expertise, and something not boring. The problem is, my life ain't that interesting (anymore), my area of expertise is not that interesting to people who aren't in it, and and I refuse to write yet another "bitch and moan" blog about politics, my health or the world in general. Already too many of those. So I'll have to come up with something else. I might write about my previous travels, but those will run out very quickly. We'll see how it goes.
Anyone out there who knows me (or doesn't), chime in with ideas if you've got 'em.
I'm going to go write now. I owe the HWA newsletter two columns and I've got 11,400 words to go to finish the Big Damn Novel.
And then I've got a screenplay to work on.
(edited for spelling)