So I am going along, reading my blogs when I ran across this post by Magaly Guerrero (who in turn got it from from Ms. Misantropia who got it from Gypsy Spirit Rising) and I thought, "Lists...why is it always lists?"
Things like lists make me twitchy. I hate "haftas" and the thought of rigid scheduling makes me feel like this. But I know I've done great work when I have a solid framework to stay in. So I took this idea and applied it to the spiritual portion of my life, (I might blog about that later) and came up some specific tasks with timelines and everything - and it's been working beautifully. Yay! Go me!
And then Magaly and I started chatting about writing, and the process of writing, and I realized I could tweak this too. I already have my modest writing goal, but I could do with setting up a few more and I mentioned it to her.
Turns out that lady is full of ideas, all of them for more work! The great news is I have written enough small stories for a compilation or two and one of my short stories could be expanded to novel length. This doesn't mean I'm abandoning the novel I'm working on, but it does mean that I've given myself permission to work with other stories I've been feeling pretty good about (but thought needed something more). One the one hand, that seems like crazy talk. On the other hand, the idea of doing more stuff, playing with more characters - it's exciting! And it’s that bit of excitement, as mad as all the rest of it sounds, that I think will help me produce stuff I am satisfied with.
So Magaly, all this is your fault! Thanks amiga!
Yeah I know I used this song on an earlier post. Shush, I like it.
Exciting developments! Perhaps in due course you will e-publish too?
ReplyDeleteE-publishing is definitely on the to-do list!
ReplyDeleteI'm halfway through Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan, and this book is a collection of gem phrases and characters. One of the characters is a painter. He says that he is always working on 20 or so paintings at the same time, for if he doesn't "the paintings get tired."
ReplyDeleteI always dedicate most of my writing time to a main work, right now Wishing upon Earth and Bone, then I have a few shorts in progress, and I usually come up with something for the writing blog about four times a week. I know it seems like I lot, but it's the way my Muse works. She likes to stay busy. It took us a long while to find balance.
I know, in my dark writer's heart *hehehe*, that you'll find your balance, too. And I'll be there to read the yum!
Balance is a tricky thing to manage, especially with a busy life, but I am trying to feel what works for me to be both productive and happy with what I put out. This new direction may just be the ticket. :)
ReplyDeleteSo long as you're writing, any pace is better than no pace. And Balance changes day to day. I've stopped trying for balance and now I just aim for not falling over. Good luck with the compilations. Looking forward to seeing another e-publisher out there. It gives me hope. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThanks! LOL, I hope to just not fall over as well, especially at this early stage
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