...And Found

My writing brain was lost.

I had intended to write about my goals for the new year. That didn't happen. Not that I don't have any, that post just sort of got lost somewhere in my brain. In fact, my entire zest for writing got lost too.

It's been an odd few weeks. I had thought that the momentum I had gained during the last months of 2009 would carry on through to this year. But it didn't.

I've always been the type of person who functions better on a schedule. When the holidays hit I get a lovely long vacation from work, which means a vacation from my normal routine as well. And this is where things started falling apart. You'd think with all the spare time on my hands, I'd use it to write, but I didn't. Instead, I spent my days being lazy and doing holiday stuff.

It was like the writing area of my brain just shut down for a vacation itself. Even when I sat down to do some writing, my mind was just not in it. I had several supportive and inspirational conversations during this lulling period, which I truly appreciate! (You know who you are!) And finally after much whinging and carrying on, I spat out a blog post the last week of December.

I thought then that my writing brain had finally reemerged, I even had ideas for a follow-up post. I even went so far as to title that post Part I, virtually forcing myself to return in short order and continue writing. And again, it didn't happen.

Two weeks into 2010 and I started to worry I would never find the words to start writing or blogging again. It was completely frustrating. I had enjoyed the act of writing so much just a few short months ago and now it was just something else I had failed to continue with. (Which is a whole other issue as those who know me or have read previous entries in this blog can attest.)

What was it going to take for me to snap back into the happy world of writing?? Turns out, it took a challenge!

My previous post is entitled "The Shape of Things to Come". It also happens to be the title of an episode of LOST (a show I LOVE). A dear friend recently did a post entitled, "The Beginning of the End", also the title of a LOST episode. After jokingly commenting to each other about our choice in blog post titles, she suggested a challenge to see how many of the episode titles we could manipulate into blog posts. My initial response: that would mean I'd have to actually blog. Something I hadn't done in weeks. Something I was growing more and more frustrated by. But wait! Therein lies part of the challenge!

So, I accepted! And here I am two days later blogging away! And really enjoying it!

Stay tuned for more entries in the R and V's LOST Title Blog Challenge AND check out V's entries at http://darknessdisgrace.blogspot.com/

The Short Side of Stories

As November is quickly winding down, the fact that I am a NaNoWriMo failure is becoming clearly evident. Twenty-two days in and my number remains at the 3,000 I was previously so proud to have completed. I still am, although that pride is now joined by a twinge of disappointment. Disappointment that something I was so excited about lost its luster so quickly. The hypochondriac in me considers getting tested for Adult Attention Deficit Disorder.

But seriously, I think the problem is more of a self-disciplinary sort. This isn't the first time I've begun a project and failed to finish. It's sort of my thing. I do it often. My past is littered with dreams and ambitions hanging incomplete.

In light of my complete lack of self-discipline to write a novel, it was suggested that perhaps the short story was more my speed. Perfect, it seemed, as I had no problems getting to 3,000 words. So last night I sat down to create my first short story.

It went well at first, I got the entire story down on paper, well up on the screen really. Then I stopped and went to bed. This morning I went back to it and proceeded to basically destroy the entire thing, except the ending. I love the ending.

I'm currently delaying my return to the little project by doing this blog post. Procrastination is a friend I know well. But this time it feels a bit different. Instead of feeling as though it will likely remain just another unfinished beginning, it feels like I can and will go back to that short story and finish.

Perhaps that's a sign that short stories really are my perfect creative outlet, even if they can be just as frustrating.

Writing

I always wanted to write a book...to put to words the story that has swirled round in my head for what seems like forever. I've never done it, never even tried to do it, until now. A friend convinced me to sign up for National Novel Writing Month. Yes, I am aware that it is a rather large leap to go from not writing ever to writing a novel. However, it's also occurred to me that therein lies the adventure of it. 50,000 words in 30 days, the opportunity to finally get to paper this story I've imagined over and over again. Will I succeed? Not sure yet, currently I am on my 3rd day and have roughly 3,000 words completed. I tell myself that's a pretty good start, even if the little graph on the NaNoWriMo page says I'm already behind. Even if I don't complete the target goal, I think of it as a pretty good accomplishment, in and of itself, that I even got as far as 3,000.