Monday, November 26, 2012

I came, I saw, I conquered... Aaaand now I'm depressed.

Writing is a Thing I Love(TM), but sometimes it doesn't eclipse all of the depressing things I have to deal with each day.

*twitch*

Even my success in this year's NaNoWriMo wasn't sufficient to overcome all of the downers gnawing at me over Thanksgiving. The combination of leftovers, NaNo success and coffee did give me some pleasure, but I need another project to buoy me from this completion until I can begin editing the ugly first draft of my cyberpunk novel.

Such is my life, and mine alone. I know some of my friends suffer minor and major versions of the same, but it always tends to accelerate for me as the year winds down.

*Head spins and evil laughter echoes from somewhere around*

Since you are still here, I will tell you a secret. It is the early exuberance for the season that affects me the most. Stores weren't satisfied enough with Black Friday. They dug into my Thursday as well. Radio stations began blaring carols and other assorted reprehensible audible attacks on music before the turkey had even been procured. Knowing this, I know that I will arrive at critical mass even earlier this year.

*Shakes violently*

This is not a cheerful thought. I was concerned for the safety of those surrounding me last year. They now have no hope of escaping the piece of my mind that will be forcefully ejected from my cake hole should they try their false cheerfulness on me this season.

Be warned advanced merry makers. I already have plans to eviscerate you in the written word. I shall add characters to this miserable tale as you proceed in your destruction of The Season Formerly Known As My Favorite. I will feast upon the tears of false savings and poorly executed christmas music.

*shakes head to clear the fog* Wha? What happened? I blacked out there for a moment.

Did I tell you, I won NaNoWriMo?

Oh, OK. I'll talk to you later, I guess.

*Wanders off*

~JFo

Friday, November 9, 2012

Forgive me Fellow Writers, for I have sinned...

It has been... months since I last kept track of my daily word count.

I know it sounds simple. Some might not understand. It was once important to me to keep track of how many words I produced each day. The task, I felt, focused too much on manufacturing. "KEEP WRITING, YOU NEED TO SHOW IMPROVEMENT FROM YESTERDAY!", my ego shouted. For many days, weeks and months I listened. I only stopped when I came to the realization that it was being kept track of for the wrong reasons. I wasn't writing because I wanted to write something, I was writing because I had a number to surpass. So I stopped.

I left off worrying about how many words I was writing daily. I started back in my daily idea generation. I started writing short, flashy fiction(not slashy). I started fleshing out my older story ideas that had grown on me over the years. I forced myself to realize that I need to stop talking about it and start editing my old first drafts. I made myself start reading up on editing. I planned three book stories. Lastly, I have been writing one of them for NaNoWriMo... and that was when I remembered word counting.

I know. I have fallen back on some old ways. I've improved them. I have rediscovered where they fit in my writing life. I also remember that word counts are not, and should not be, a replacement for doing good work no matter how many words you produce. Sometimes less is more, and I have to keep that in mind.

I WILL start back keeping track of my count, but I will only do so for posterity. I think that is one of a few things I can take away from my NaNoWriMo experience. I'll expand on the others in a separate post.

I will now go and say five Wendig's Beards and five Our Muses in penance.

Keep Writing!

~JFo

*the above catholic references are in no way meant as sacrilege. I make-a da funny. If you no like-a da funny, say so in the comments.