When I’m writing and encounter not a writer’s block, but a writer’s bump – where I’m not confident how to proceed or it doesn’t feel right – I’ll take a break. While writing “A Story About Self-Confidence: What’s In A Name?” a month~long story at Eville Medical in the Sammohini Arc of “The Story, that meant either going to bed early or driving into work early. During those drives, I’d often figure out the next section’s solution.
I worked night shift while writing A Story About Self-Confidence: What’s In A Name?, a month~long story at Eville Medical in the Sammohini Arc of “The Story.” It’s a difficult shift. Socializing requires careful calendar coordination. What was once a casual consideration over whether I felt like meeting up is now a careful balance of budgeted time. The shift is easy once you figure out when you must go to sleep by and follow that.
Writing is usually easy for me. When it’s not, the writer’s block is either a physical impairment [illness or fatigue] or just being unable to imagine a scene. For the former, I go to sleep. For the latter, I might draw the scene, as I did in an orange notebook with my first novel, A Story About Self-Confidence: What’s In A Name?, a month~long story at Eville Medical in the Sammohini Arc of “The Story.”
Done!
From November 1st to 27th, I wrote the first draft of my first novel, A Story About Self-Confidence: What’s In A Name? [a thirty-day period at Eville Medical in the Sammohini Arc of “The Story“] and throughout the next few weeks, I’ll write first about what I learned then what I’ll find out about marketing this novel to sell. Let’s address the most important factor first: how many words per day can you write?
WANNA CONSIDER THE NANOWRIMO WRITING PACE OF 1667 WORDS PER DAY? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!
Overcoming the allure of insobrieties, in many ways, taught me the discipline I needed to start pursuing what I love doing. When you’re stuck in misery, the natural inclination is to let that beast take its way with your emotions or physicality. However, when you look at that challenge to work even though you’re exhausted the same way you look at not drinking, it’s easy to just say: Alright, let’s suck it up and go!
I realized a problem with my writing: I’ve reached a soft limit of how I can communicate. There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s analogize with my cheap “pawn shop special” bass: it fulfills all my limited needs when it comes to learning the basics. I can pluck strings and learn chord progression. I don’t mind tuning it whenever I’m serious about playing it. Now if I wanted to play with others or even professionally…
I realized a problem with myself: I wasn’t writing daily. Even though I was publishing essays daily, there were days I’d only write a few hundred words, so I agreed to dedicate myself to writing at least 500 words daily. If you want to be something, do it daily. This dedication has taken discipline, sacrifice, and stress. There are still days where I don’t write 500 words. Through all that, here are 425 words on what I learned:
I’ve had to shelve and nearly scrap 1000 publishable words. They’re good words that tell two good short stories. It’s just the series lead in a direction that won’t accomplish what I’m trying to do with the Sammohini Arc of “The Story.” 90% of it should be fiction practice and 10% should build context for John and Trishna’s Arc, the final and most ambitious story arc. Here’s why I haven’t dived in and started telling their developing story.
Spoilers?: Minor (my writing process)
WANNA SEE SOME BEHIND THE SCENES THOUGHTS AND EFFORTS? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!
Nothing is more frustrating creatively than being unable to execute upon your imagination. You might perfectly envision something while laying half-asleep in bed, yet when you ready your tools, something doesn’t translate! The writing’s flat, drawing’s weird, or project’s just not progressing. How do you fix that? For my development of “The Story,” it’s simple: don’t give up! Keep writing/working, worldbuilding/developing, and planning on what’s easy, constantly working on harder material, until it’s all natural!
Spoiler Warning Scale: None (brainstorming tactics) WANNA CONSIDER WHY YOU SHOULD BALANCE SMALLER AND LARGER PROJECTS? AND WHY YOU SHOULD GO THE DISTANCE WITH YOUR PROJECT? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!
My bull-headed dash through 501 essays has taught me to eschew listless energy. I’m focused on what directly or indirectly helps my mission of becoming a professional writer. When times are bad, escape into nuances that might push along the mission. When times are good, go full-bore! The more practice, the less insecurity I’ve felt over trivialities, enabling “this” to become a natural part of my life. Writing is as subconscious for me as eating breakfast.
