This is where I want to be right now.
Wow.
I started this blog mainly as a way to track my progress on my summer resolutions, and now its been a whole year. I’ve gone from not being able to pull 1,000 words a week to doing 2,100 every week. I’m still not up to the (overly optimistic) 750 that I wanted to be doing back then, but I know that isn’t realistic this year either because of all the traveling I’ll be doing. And I’m giving up on Russian, for good this time. I checked out the book again from the library, but I didn’t even crack it. Now is not a good time for me to be learning a whole bother language.
Which leads me to the topic of this post–what will this year’s Summer Resolutions look like?
Part of me (the small child on crack part) wants to shriek I will write 750 words per day without fail! I pinky swear! Then the logical part of me says “Yes, I realize that you won’t have school. But you’ll still be traveling for at least 3-4 weeks of your 12 week summer. Do I need to remind you exactly how productive you are in a small hotel room with other people? And how much you procrastinate over 300 measly words a day?”
My logical part makes my inner crack-addict-child throw temper tantrums.
There are some more tangible projects that I would like to finish this summer. I have two short stories going right now; I’d like to get at least one of them done. I also have the infamous Horribly Bad Short Story that I want to finally sit down and edit. And I’m working on a rather lengthy fanfic project (I know, I know, not real writing) that I want to finish and then start posting.
Ideally, I’d get done the first draft of my novel, but I’m aiming more for November with that. What needs to happen is at least a rough outline, so I can start being more productive during my writing time and less head-banging-on-keyboard-y.
I do want to up my wordcount. I was thinking 500, but I know I probably can’t do that while traveling. Maybe I’ll do a week at 400,and drop it down to 350 (50 words, objectively, is not a lot. But for me that last 50 is always the hardest) if its not working out. But the point of this is to push myself, not to be comfortable, and I need to remember that.
If I’m staying up till the wee hours typing because I didn’t start until 11:30 then I need to restructure my day, not cop out. The problem, I think, is that I am pretty lazy. But that’s why I have a blog to keep me honest, right?
Faceless strangers to hold you accountable? Sounds like a plan!
You’re one up on me, if it makes you feel any better. I try to write something every day, but I don’t always succeed. And I don’t have a goal word-count either. Maybe schedule a variable word-count depending on your other commitments?
I think just the act of having a place designed for me to write about writing lays pressure on to *actually* write. And I tried a variable-interval schedule last summer (less on workdays, more on non-workdays, weekends off) but it fell apart because I am secretly very, very lazy and can only keep myself on track if its the same–albeit small–amount each day. If it changes I feel like its another thing to keep track of, instead of a habit like showering or something.
I think you’re exposing your deep dark secret laziness. Yeah, I agree that much variation sounds like waaay too much work. I retract my suggestion and hang my head in shame.
I think it works for some people. I just suck at it.
Thank you for providing me with a vivid way to understand myself through your descriptions of you…a “small child on crack” at times, “the logical part” other times, and “pretty lazy” the rest of the time. My New Year’s resolution was to write for 15 minutes a day no matter what (who can’t do that?!), but it failed because I kept forgetting I made the resolution! What has worked is my commitment to writing on my blog and on another blog regularly, and last year taking a writing course and having homework due every 6 weeks. I apparently have to be publicly accountable to someone else. I also don’t like doing writing exercises that don’t go anywhere–I have millions. Any suggestions?
I personally like writing prompts that can grow into a story–like a writing on a first line for fifteen minutes–rather than set concepts or “go people watch for an hour.” And classes are great. Whenever I set deadlines for myself I have to tell a fried (or a blog), or a family member because then I feel accountable to them even if they couldn’t care less