Progress
I think I’ve turned another writing corner. I turned one when I decided to forego full-time employment if possible in favor of writing. It turns out that was a serious commitment to living a life that would support the writing, but it wasn’t actually a serious commitment to writing, although I did get the first novel polished, and planned the second novel and the second play. I wouldn’t be here if those things hadn’t happened.
But the last three weeks or so (since my Aug. 20 commitment) have been a revelation — and I’m not sure what exactly changed. (And yes, I wish I knew why it took more than a year to get here.) I commited to write 500 words per day minimum on the novel, and it started pouring out of me, every day, and instead of looking for ways to avoid writing, I’m looking forward to getting down to it. I’ve learned just how quickly I can get through my commitment, and how seldom I’m actually ready to quit at that point. I’m trying not to think about what’s changed too much — I don’t want to jinx anything.
I wish I could figure out what caused this time to be different. I’ve certainly said I’d write every day before. I don’t remember, but I may even have said I’d write X amount every day before. And I avoided it over and over. Maybe there’s something to this “zone” business — in 2000, I lost about 50 pounds in about six or eight months, mostly because I was in the right place in my head to do it. (Note to self — see if I can find that place again!) This feels like the same thing, only I’m not sure I’ve really hit my stride with it yet. It’s not buzzing yet — and that whole summer when the weight was coming off, I felt a certainty that almost hummed behind everything.
Another difference from before — I finished the first novel in part because I was taking a community ed class and I had to get up once a week and read chapters in front of my classmates. No penalty accrued for not having done it, beyond the embarrassment of having to appear empty handed week after week (and I made myself go). At the moment, I’m working the nights that class is offered, so the only impetus I have to actually get it done is myself. At the moment, that’s enough.
Two other things — 1) I happened to pick up a book yesterday, Pressfield’s “The War of Art,” on the recommendation of a friend, and it’s right on the target about resistance (read “block”) and actually doing the work. I was afraid when I picked it up that I’d get lost in thinking about the theoretical and start having trouble with the practical (read “allow myself to resist” again), but I wrote 2359 words today so I’ve decided not to worry too much about that.
Second — A bunch of things I enjoy doing have become more enjoyable, because I’m doing them after I write, and I’m no longer beating myself up for using them to avoid writing. I’d had no idea how much crap I was giving myself. The rewards just keep on coming.
I’m glad your writing is going well
And I have an out of topic question for you. What did you study as a career/where/was it good for your writing life overall?
I was a three-term student: Clinton, Bush and Reagan. In the middle of all those years, I worked in a 9-1-1 center (I still work there part-time) and took 7 years off because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. (I knew I wanted to write but I also knew I had to eat in the meantime…) When I went back to school, I was closest to graduating in journalism, so that’s what I finished in — I went to the University of Florida, which has an award-winning journalism program.
Was it good overall? Yes. A year after I graduated I got a job editing a magazine about the 9-1-1 industry, which was a perfect melding of education and experience for me. I got LOTS of experience writing for publication, learned much about the editor/writer relationship, about professionalism, about meeting deadlines, and primarily that I actually could FINISH something I started writing and could, when necessary, write on demand. Knowing you can do those two things is invaluable — it makes all the difference. Plus I made some really good friends (my old boss at the magazine, for one, and I still write for her at her new job). And it changed my mental attitude — I view it as a profession, not as a hobby.
Rambling, but I hope that answers your question!
You did answer my question, thank you very much!
You see, I’ve reached a point in time in which adults (and my own conscience) have begun pestering me on what I’ll choose as a career.
What’s the 911 industry, though? (Isn’t that the number for the police in the US?)