Distractions

So yes, I have not done anything in relation to practically dead for ages. I am once again at a block, doubts and all that jazz setting in.

I did however start a new short story last night based around an encounter I had on Saturday.

Lately I have been finding myself completely incapable of focusing on anything. I am trying to start blogging again, I have been reading a lot but everything else seems to be jumping from one thing to another to another.

Even just now, I am simultaneously writing this blog post, preparing a review googling distractions, wondering if I have ADD, thinking about doing a tarot reading and thinking about what else to put in my journal, craving both a bagel and cheerios and all the while feeling like I am about to jump out of my skin.

I also can't wait for winter so I can start crocheting again.

I think I need a zumba session and a shower...but something more long term would be great.

I wrote..

...a paragraph...

That's right and entire paragraph of Practically Dead got written tonight.

Wow.

On that note I decided to got to bed, then I got up again half an hour later and wrote three pages of As It Happened (formerly Guide Me) because of something that has been bothering me for months.

Needless to say, I feel much better now, a weight has definitely been lifted.

I love that writing can take away a pain that seems so deeply embedded that you'll never be able to forget it, and as soon as the words are on the pages it's like they're being written out of you. No longer there, no longer a problem. Sure it's still painful, but it's bearable now.

New plans for the new year

Ok so Christmas break, as you know was a bust for me. No writing, no marathon, no word count.

I am now back at work and I feel quite a bit better being in a routine again. I now have 3 diaries that I am simultaneously using to keep track of everything I want to do.

The first one is my tarot journal. I am trying to do a reading every day and I write the outcomes and meanings in there. The second one is my newest jot journal. Basically a place for ideas, poems, sayings and other stuff, I was using my purple diary for that but I think I am getting a bit past that one.

The third journal is my checklist for the day (I love checklists) although I may not DO everything I want to each day, at least it written there for me to see and be reminded of.

One of my daily things to do is "write 500 words". That's it, 500 words, back to basics. NaNoWriMo proved to me that I can write over 1,000 words a day nearly 2,000 when I get on a roll but that was while I was neglecting everything else I want to do.

Once I get back into a rhythm again I will aim higher, but I lost my rhythm in November and now I need to get it back. I have realised that I have become a bit lax about everything, blogging, writing, hobbies in general. I need to put a little more effort in than what I have been - now I know what you're thinking, "but hobbies are supposed to be fun" - problem is, I'm too fricken lazy to be bothered doing anything. I can easily waste 3 hours playing on castleville even though I have nothing to do, or I'll get on a Gossip Girl craze and start reading every wikipedia article ever written, procrastination is not just my friend, it's my secret lover.

So I am now making a list of everything I want to do each day and I am finding (two days in) that it's working so far. I even wrote tonight :D

I wrote 600 words in half an hour tonight :D I am so proud of myself, I am also really proud because I have finally finished chapter 11, it has been the hardest chapter so far because it is the point where Rachel (the main) gets turned, a lot of ceremony and speeches and other stuff, and some really cool gory stuff as well which I am really proud of.

I will say one thing that I have noticed, I am not good at writing dialogue. When I finish my accounting studies, I plan to take a writing course or two to try and fix some of my bad habits. I use common words, rarely write dialogue and if I do it's either really good or horribly awkward, there's no in between. I am not sure what my plot, continuation or grammar is like, that will be my job in the edits (God, I'm talking about edits and I'm only 11 chapters in to writing the bloody thing) - that's another thing I have to stop, I need to focus on actually writing the book.


Tip of the day: Focus on writing the book not finishing the book. Preparing your speeches about how you wrote the book are never going to eventuate if you don't actually write it!

So, enough of my rambling, I have some other things to work on tonight before I go to bed.

Current Project: Practically Dead
Daily Word Count: 606
Total Count: 24,484
Days writing streak: 1