Why I am my own worst enemy.
Today, I need to write 900 words or I will in some way punish myself. I was supposed to write 500 yesterday but only wrote 100 hence the 900 today and the punishment if I don’t.
But I’m very lazy. And I like procrastinating. I’ve refreshed my friend’s page, read Meta Fandom and been busy pretending to do research reading The CrusieMayer.com 2007 Online Writing Workshop* and now I’m writing this.
I’m trying to write a novel (Ha! Ha! I hear you cry, we’ve been here before) and I am determined to finish it. I must write 500 words a day no matter how bad they are till I have finished it. I will finish this even if nothing ever comes of it because I’m training myself to write.
But again I’m lazy; and Himself is not helping either.
I tell him of my woes during our (procrastinating) phone calls and he placates me with very naughty phrases like “Oh, but those 100 words are good. Don’t write anymore; go for quality not quantity” which is nice but what redrafts are for.
I want to do NaNoWriMo this year and have worked out that to hit the target I’ll need to write 2000 words a day. I can of course write more but I must do 2000 words each day as a minimum. I’ve already started outlining it and drawing up chapters/characters so I know what I want to do and where I want to be around say day 12 or so.
But, despite the laziness and the hours of sitting staring at blank sheets of word document 001 - first draft I actually think this is good for me. Writing is a struggle, and writing well and writing lots is something that takes time and takes effort and is something you should be training yourself to come back to and to do each day.
The piece of fan fiction I’m most proud of and the longest piece I ever wrote Le Petite Mort was the work of months - redrafting, editing and trimming. And it was one of the best writing experiences I ever had.
So, despite my procrastination and this essay and the fact that I am my own worst enemy I can already feel that I’m getting better; maybe not in what I’m actually writing or subject matter but that I’m getting better in my planning and my approach. I’m more organized and I’m growing more confident.
I may never be published, but if I don’t write then I certainly never will be.
And although this was a big, naughty distraction of a thing it’s been good to get my ideas and my feelings down on word document and out of the way.
Has anyone else planned to do NaNoWriMo this year? Had any ideas yet? Enjoy procrastinating like me?
*It’s actually a wonderful site. I just enjoy reading it and doing some of the exercises and reading it made me realise where I’d been going wrong and why something I was writing just wasn’t working.
[Edit/] YAY! Beat the target.
But I’m very lazy. And I like procrastinating. I’ve refreshed my friend’s page, read Meta Fandom and been busy pretending to do research reading The CrusieMayer.com 2007 Online Writing Workshop* and now I’m writing this.
I’m trying to write a novel (Ha! Ha! I hear you cry, we’ve been here before) and I am determined to finish it. I must write 500 words a day no matter how bad they are till I have finished it. I will finish this even if nothing ever comes of it because I’m training myself to write.
But again I’m lazy; and Himself is not helping either.
I tell him of my woes during our (procrastinating) phone calls and he placates me with very naughty phrases like “Oh, but those 100 words are good. Don’t write anymore; go for quality not quantity” which is nice but what redrafts are for.
I want to do NaNoWriMo this year and have worked out that to hit the target I’ll need to write 2000 words a day. I can of course write more but I must do 2000 words each day as a minimum. I’ve already started outlining it and drawing up chapters/characters so I know what I want to do and where I want to be around say day 12 or so.
But, despite the laziness and the hours of sitting staring at blank sheets of word document 001 - first draft I actually think this is good for me. Writing is a struggle, and writing well and writing lots is something that takes time and takes effort and is something you should be training yourself to come back to and to do each day.
The piece of fan fiction I’m most proud of and the longest piece I ever wrote Le Petite Mort was the work of months - redrafting, editing and trimming. And it was one of the best writing experiences I ever had.
So, despite my procrastination and this essay and the fact that I am my own worst enemy I can already feel that I’m getting better; maybe not in what I’m actually writing or subject matter but that I’m getting better in my planning and my approach. I’m more organized and I’m growing more confident.
I may never be published, but if I don’t write then I certainly never will be.
And although this was a big, naughty distraction of a thing it’s been good to get my ideas and my feelings down on word document and out of the way.
Has anyone else planned to do NaNoWriMo this year? Had any ideas yet? Enjoy procrastinating like me?
*It’s actually a wonderful site. I just enjoy reading it and doing some of the exercises and reading it made me realise where I’d been going wrong and why something I was writing just wasn’t working.
[Edit/] YAY! Beat the target.