Home » Posts tagged 'writing life' (Page 7)
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A much better day today. For one thing, I just finished, and it’s not even 11:40 p.m. So, relatively early night.
Second—and more importantly—I made actual progress. I did some editing, which went back to the ever-important question, Did I cut more than I wrote? But in the end, I ended up 1,000 words ahead of where I started, which is definitely a win.
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Yes, the clock was accurate.
See that clock? That’s when I started writing for Day 10.
I didn’t write 1,000 words. I worked on my book for around forty-five minutes before I called it a night. But I did write.
To back up: Monday was a busy day. Working around a follow-up appointment with the surgeon’s office (they say all is well!), then researching and writing three motions that need to be filed today (didn’t finish until about half an hour ago), interrupted by a board meeting (on Zoom, thank heaven), after which I fed the cats and microwaved leftovers for my own dinner as I resumed work on the motions.
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Photo credit: Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash
#1000wordsofsummer 2023, Day Nine
Today, I tried something different. Instead of adding to what I’d written before, I went back to the draft and did some editing and cleaning up.
If you remember one of my earlier posts, Jami granted permission for people to spend the challenge editing rather than adding to their works. In all candor, even if she hadn’t, I’d have done it. I needed to get a feel for what was here so I’d know what I was adding to. It’s still rough, but I spent well over an hour sorting through text, reading and cutting and editing. Since it usually takes me something like an hour to create 1,000 words (not, mind you, 1,000 good words), I figure this evens out.
Continue readingCan you believe it? I’ve hit my target, and it’s only the middle of the afternoon!
Photo credit: Erwan Hesry on Unsplash
If we lived in a perfect world, I could devote the entire weekend to working on my book. Alas, the world is imperfect. The house is in desperate need of cleaning, errands need to be run, I have to take dinner to Mom both tonight and tomorrow night since my sister leaves tomorrow for a business trip to Iceland (don’t get me started on her efforts to micromanage how I do this), and billable work needs to be done since I’ve run the calculations for how much extra money my recent appendectomy is going to cost out of pocket, and It Ain’t Good. (Especially since this year is already proving to be expensive with Ned’s chemo, the house in desperate need of painting, my formerly trusty car requiring many pricey repairs over the past few months, and my even more desperate need for new glasses.)
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Photo credit: Hana El Zohiry on Unsplash
Halfway through the challenge. I’m creating a lot of new material. Just not quite certain what I’m going to do with all of it.
The answer, of course, is to be creative. Like that’s so easy.
Tonight, I had The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on in the background while I was brushing my teeth. Out of respect and solidarity for the writers who are on strike, they’re running older episodes. (I promise, this is going somewhere.)
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As managing editor of Tuxedo Cat Press, Charlotte clearly has complete confidence in TCP’s leading author
Nearly 1,100 words tonight. The biggest issue is going to be weaving all this new material into the existing book. But at least the material finally exists. That’s a big deal. So grateful to Jami Attenberg and the #1000wordsofsummer challenge for getting me moving on this!
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Photo by Vladislav Muslakov on Unsplash
One thousand words. On the nose.
No two ways about it: the only reason I wrote tonight was this challenge–that, and the support of the people who are following along with me. Because I’m so exhausted I can hardly stay awake.
I’m not certain whether or not it’s a good thing, this writing while barely conscious.
I suppose it is, because (a) the words are being written, (b) the scenes are being crafted, and (c) it’s imposing discipline. Without the challenge and your support, I’d likely get to the end of this week without knowing how things are going to play out between two hard-headed characters. Instead, I have a pretty good idea of where it’s all going, even if what I’m creating at this point falls short of any polished draft.
Nodding off here, so I’ll bid you adieu.
My supervisor, Ned
It occurred to me last night that I could get ahead on the challenge by writing more than 1,000 words per day. Then I reminded myself that the purpose of the challenge is not only to accumulate 14,000 words, but to develop a writing practice. A habit, if you will. Like brushing your teeth or washing your face. The point is to come back to it day after day until it’s an integral part of you, something you wouldn’t think of skipping.
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Sleepy Danny
One advantage of this challenge is that it forces me to do more than I would have done.
Take tonight, for instance. I’m exhausted. All I want to do is administer cat meds and bedtime snacks and go to bed myself. But before I could translate that urge into reality, I recognized that I hadn’t yet written my 1,000 words.
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Olivia, Editor-in-Chief of Tuxedo Cat Press
Quick note tonight.
An interesting weekend, and not just because I wrote over 2,000 words. Long conversation yesterday with a dear friend who’s had some huge news. Still dealing with the aftereffects of last weekend’s surgery, including ongoing fatigue, minor pain, and reactions to anesthesia. Meeting with the first of several potential house painters. Return of the “check engine” light, including vibration and rough idle, after spending literally thousands to fix my fifteen-year-old car barely two months ago.
And Olivia, Editor-in-Chief of Tuxedo Cat Press, deigning to recline on the back of my chair.
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P. Jo Anne Burgh 