Back around the end of December I had a thought that went something like this: "Hey remember back in November when you sold your soul to noveling and wrote nearly 2 thousand words a day? Remember how awesome it felt to write that much and create that much? Remember what it was like to watch that awesome graph bar go up everyday?"
And then I thought to myself: "it'd be really swell to do that ALL YEAR LONG!"
Which is how I made the goal to write 1 thousand words a day. It was going pretty well for a long time, but I've begun to reach the point where things are getting hard and sticky and unattractive and discouraging. My word count is currently about 35k words (which is about 140 double spaced pages on my word doc), and really, getting that much done is pretty impressive. But I feel like everything that I write is awful and I feel like everything I submit to my creative writing class is just being ripped apart, because they fail to understand that a lot happens in the 6,000 words a week they're not reading.
The kids/students in my writing group have about half my word count. They're still in the beginning stages of their work and most of them write chronologically. And I find myself in this headspace where no one quite gets what I'm doing and no one is taking my word that I've got a grip on it.
And yet, I still try to do 1k a day, even though I feel drained and worn out and not excited about the writing or the creation anymore, because the practice and the habit is good for me.
Unlike the wise words of Owl City, I do need a telescope to see that there is hope and it doesn't make me feel brave. :/
It should be about quality, not quantity in my non-writer opinion :) I think it's awesome that you have a goal you are working toward and sticking to, but if the goal isn't working anymore, maybe you should adjust it?
ReplyDeleteBrandt runs every day, and when he does, he ends up hating it. I have found that if he takes a day off every now again (it ends up about once a month he takes a day off..besides Sundays)the next day, he looks forward to running again. Perhaps that might work for you?
ReplyDeleteSister friend... how alike we are sometimes :) I just want to tell you I think you're an incredible little writer. The fact that you've got enough drive to push yourself to write that much, and then stick to it when it gets hard, proves that this isn't just some hobby for you. It's your passion in life. Hang in there :) but also don't be afraid to take a break if you really need one. You shouldn't burn yourself out. We should find some really creatively inspiring something to do together. I'll think of something.
ReplyDeleteJust now reading this post. And here's my suggestion. you can try a couple things. 1. Change scenes - sometimes the energy will return if you're working on a different part of the story.
ReplyDelete2. as others have said, take a break. Read something for enjoyment (Jeremy's Promise for example ;) )
3. Maybe only write 500 words one day, or 300, or 100 (although I think you might find that difficult) Goals have to be eaten in small bites. Somedays the bites are smaller than others. As long as you are consistent you're still progessing toward you're goal.
4. take a nap! Maybe you just need a nap to rejuvinate you.
Love you!