It's ShThFuUpAnWoOnYoNo (Shut The Fuck Up And Work On Your Novel) Month! I discovered this in a roundabout way. Yesterday, I read this post - "Write That Damn Novel" at The Rumpus, which lead me here, which lead me to the Colson Whitehead twitter. I love the internet.
As I said in my last post of last year, one of the things I want to do this year is finish my novel that I started in November. I'd wanted to be "good" and get a writing routine down this first week of January, but as fate would have it, no such luck. Though I did work on it, it wasn't every day. So, the above sentiment of STFU and do it seems quite insightful to me right now.
Which of course I'm not doing right now (working on my novel). I'm good at finding excuses to not work on it (interruptions from kids, "things" that need doing, the old blank mind). So STFU is a good sentiment to hear right now. I've thought about posting a little (sits and tries to think of the word) gauge (not word I was trying to think of) to keep a tally of here for the whole world (well, 3 or 4 folks) to see. But I decided not to, because I don't need ANOTHER reason to beat myself up.
So, I'm just going to shut the fuck up and work on my novel. Not totally - I'm going to post - but probably only once a week - sometimes more if something strikes me. But I need to keep the distractions from being too distracting.
Next Monday (January 11) though, there will be one really fun distraction - Jeremy Edwards book release party! Besides fun and games, he's going to be talking about how he approached writing his first erotic novel. And though my novel is not necessarily an erotic novel, it will (because I am me after all) have plenty of erotic elements. So, I'm looking forward to the discussion. And I'm hoping to "see" a bunch of my blogland friends - we've all been so quiet lately.
Working on our novels perchance????
5 comments:
Thanks for the party plug, Robin—and way to go on the writing focus!
Looking forward to seeing you at the shindig on Mondig!
Ha, my spamword is a tipsy version of "folksy": folskish
Looking forward to the shindig at Jeremy's Monday too!
Matter of fact, I just finished editing my novel and now the adventure of getting it out there begins.
I'm with you in spirit as you move forward with your novel!
I find it helps to have two or more competing projects, that way I can use avoidance to my advantage, I can avoid finishing my chapbook by working on a CD. I can avoid memorizing shijin poems by practicing music. I can avoid memorizing shijin poems by vacuuming the rug. (I normally hate doing that...)
At least I am getting something accomplished, and getting to duck out on something too - that a win win thing. haha...
Hey Jeremy, are we all going to get folskish at your Mondig shindig? ;-)
Good luck on your adventure Craig - some of us will be watching with great interest.
and dear Mar, you may have found the secret to the way the universe works!
Ha — I feel like I've been "working" more on the excuses end of things as well myself. ;) Unlike Mad Mar, I haven't even vacuumed lately in the process....
I am looking forward to seeing you at the party Monday! Yay!
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