Honesty Report

When you issue a challenge to yourself, and no one keeps track of how well you are doing, who keeps you honest? I had taken up the challenge in October to write 100 words for 100 days. I made it to Day 47 without missing a day. And then there came a day so busy, my head was in a constant spin cycle. I simply forgot to take the ten minutes to write 100 words. And I didn’t remember until I was too tired to do anything about it.

So then I faced a battle with myself: do I start over? Who’s to know that I didn’t write for one day? Who cares if I miss a day?

And, of course, the answer is, I care. I had established a routine that kept my fingers moving on the keyboard, my mind constantly thinking, plotting, the next word, the next sentence, the next project. If I suddenly stopped and went cold turkey–no writing for 100 days or more–I’d be back where I started–a writer who wants to write but doesn’t.

And so I started over. It is now day 10 and counting. Hopefully I will continue. If my heart’s desire is to write–I should be writing every day, irregardless of what takes place. Writing comes first, foremost, always, every day.

And to complete this “Honesty Roport”, I didn’t quite make it to the finish line on my Nanowrimo novel. I did create the beginning and middle parts of a novel, topping 30,000 words and 106 pages. My novel contains characters I had never imagined before November 1 and a plot I had to invent along the way. I was pleasantly surprised with the details and twists that popped into my head as I strived to cross the finish line of 50,000 words. I was pleased with the manuscript that I did produce. I worked on it nearly every day–only missed 3 days in posting the word count on the Nanowrimo website. I may not be the fastest writier around, but I am trying, I am writing, I am improving. All of this effort is bound to produce something that will be published.

My hat goes off to all the Nanowrimos who did complete a novel, particularly my friends Kimberlyn Blum-Hyclak, Tahitia Green, and Becky Kelly. Kudos to you all.

Update on Writing Challenges

It is now Day 23 in the completion of my self-imposed writing challenge that a writing friend posted on Facebook a few months ago. The challenge is easy: Write 100 words per day for 100 days. So far I have completed the challenge for 23 days. On paper the challenge has produced 16 pages of words and a total of 5356 words. Mostly these word blurts are journal type entries, what’s happening in my life today, yesterday, or will happen tomorrow. But I’ve also attempted to discover more about the characters in my stories and to create interesting twists in the plotlines.

The second challenge for me this month is as a participant in Nanowrimo, I must produce 1667 words per day in order to complete a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. So far I have written every day and have produced 22 pages with a total of 6188 words. The title of my novel is Campus Murder. I have found this challenge to be much more difficult than the first one. To generate almost 2000 words per day might be a piece of cake for some writers, but for me, it is like pulling words from thin air or like pulling a tooth from a chicken’s beak. I have to really resist the urge to reread what I have written from the beginning. Each day when I open the appropriate file, I have learned to click through to the last page. I read from the top of that page and move forward. I have no idea if what I am writing makes sense or if it will hold water–but I am putting the words down. I’ll go back in December, reread, cut, refine, polish–who knows, by that time I may have a good story.

Writing Challenge–Day 10

I’ve just completed Day 10 of my self-imposed Writing Challenge. Somehow 100 word per day has multiplied from the expected 1000 words, to a total of 2123 words I now have on my flash drive. True, the entries for most days are totally unrelated to any story on which I am currently working–but who knows? Maybe these brilliant word spurts will appear in future stories.

2nd Place Prize Winner

Martha T. Robinson won 2nd place in Excellence in Poetry for her poem, “Hands and Fingers”, at the 2009 Carolina Christian Writers Workshop. The award included a cash prize. Congratulations, Martha!

NaNoWriMo???

November is almost here–that’s Nanowrimo–to would-be writers and novelists-in-training. The goal is to complete a 50,000 word or 175 page novel that starts from scratch on Nov. 1 and is completed by midnight on Nov. 30.

Have I got it in me to write that many words? Don’t have an idea for a novel in my head. Don’t have a character or a place or a line of dialogue or a plot line. How do novelists do it?

Okay, so I did register. I’m going to give it that good old college try. Just to challenge myself, to do what I have never done before–write every day, write fast, go with the first thought that pops in my head, let the word count build up. We’ll see if it works.

To be continued.

Day 5

A writing challenge was issued. Set a goal to write 100 words per day for 100 days. Okay. I accepted the challenge.

Five days done. Word total, 950 words. How does that add up?

At this rate, how long will it take to write a novel?

A Writing Challenge on Facebook

Who thinks Facebook is a bad thing? I’m sure there are negative things that can be said about Facebook but there are also some positives. Carol DeVaney, a writing acqaintance of  mine, posted a comment a few weeks ago. It took some time for the comment to soak into my brain, but that comment has inspired me to take up the Writing Challenge. The Challenge is to write 100 words for 100 days. When you think about it and then put it into practice, you realize that 100 words per day is an easy goal to accomplish. It takes less than 10 mintues, but–if you’re like me–once you get started, it is hard to stop writing. You want to keep going with your idea, and before you know it, the page is filled with your creative words. Thanks, Carol, for posting the Writing Challenge on Facebook.

Summer Writing Conferences

Next week school will be back in session. If any of my students should ask, “Mrs. Robinson, what did you do this summer?” I’ll have the chance to tell about three awesome writing conferences I attended.

In June, I traveled to Epworth-by-the-Sea on St. Simon’s Island for the Southeastern Writers Association Writers Conference. It was 5 full days of writing instruction. What a beautiful location and a really great opportunity to network with other writers.

In July, I attended a one-day Writing Workshop at Grace Lutheran Church, Rock Hill, SC, sponsored by the Rock Hill Chapter of South Carolina Writers Workshop. Speakers included Dannye Romaine Powell, NC poet; Kay McSpadden, columnist for the Charlotte Observer; and Luis Rodriguez, NC author of fantasy novels. What a wonderful opportunity to gather information and inspiration for the writing journey without leaving my hometown.

In August, I attended my fifth Hub City Writing in Place Writing Conference, held on the beautiful campus of  Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC. Jill McCorkle was my instructor. What a great opportunity to listen to and be encouraged by a master short story writer. 

So I could simply say, “I’m a writing conference junkie. Love to attend, love to listen, love to write!”

Writing Tip: M & M’s and Character Motivation

If you are stuck trying to determine your character’s motivation: why did he/she do what he/she did, grab a bag of M&M’s. Select your favorite color and ask the following questions:

If you choose brown, ask yourself: What is the most daring thing your character ever did?

If it is green: What would your character buy if he/she had unlimited resources?

If it is yellow: What is/was the best idea your character ever had?

If it is red: What bothers your character the most?

If it is blue: What is the best vacation your character ever took?

Many thanks go to my friend Pamela Green who shared a bag of M & M’s with me.

Bumper Sticker

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday: “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.”

Humm: What else would fit this comparison?

Or how about putting it the other way around: “A man without a woman is like . . . .”

What do you think? No male or female bashing please.