I obviously didn't post much more than a placeholder for my last post. This has been a very hectic week in the RD Meyer household, and I'm not sure it's going to get any less hectic over the next little bit. Before you ask, no, this isn't the life-altering event(s) that are scheduled to take place starting in a month or so.
This is just life.
Life affects not only what you prioritize, but also how much of some of your priorities you can accomplish. As I've written recently, I'm working on a new novel. I flew through Acts One and Two, and I wanted to do Act Three at a similarly rapid pace. The initial goal was to do 2,000 words per day and be finished by not later than today. However, due to the things that have crept up, I've been lucky to write just over 1,000 words per day, and it's even been a challenge to find the time for that. I think I can still finish before the end of the month, but it'll be challenging. A lot will depend on the depth of the story in Act Three, which I'm still figuring out. It seem to be getting to where it needs to go, but there are pieces to place, and I won't sacrifice depth for finishing on some arbitrary deadline. After all, it's my deadline, and I'll alter it if need be.
The key question for we writers is, how do we take advantage of life? I did this in spades for my first novel. However, one thing I learned from writing Salvation Day is that it's much easier to take advantage from what life hands you once you're able to look back on it with hindsight. In the moment, digging out those kernels of truth are difficult because our vision is limited to the immediate.
I need to start keeping a journal. I should carry this around so I can jot down thoughts and emotions when I'm in the moment(or close enough so as to make no difference). What I capture may be meaningless, but there could also be a few nuggets in there that I can expand on in a future story. I took copious notes during another of life's little adventures a couple of years ago, and I hope to use them in a novel I'll probably begin in the Fall, but that was a unique circumstance...or so I like to tell myself. What I mean is, aren't all of these things that happen "unique" circumstances?
Great writing is born from extraordinary moments. As writers, we have to be ready to capture those moments when life throws them at us. Still, it's hard to catch them when you concentrate on ducking so much.
This is just life.
(Is anyone ever really ready when you have to do things like tear into a wall?)
Just when we think we're in a rhythm and finally have a few things figured out, life throws us a curveball disguised as a fastball. One of these events happened this past week, and it has severely limited my time to pursue other activities, this blog being one of them. I'm hoping to get back to a more normal schedule sometime soon, but it just smacked me in the face on Monday. Dealing with life's little emergencies make you take stock of what's important, and as much as I love you guys, this blog is pretty far down there on the list when matters of family butt in.Life affects not only what you prioritize, but also how much of some of your priorities you can accomplish. As I've written recently, I'm working on a new novel. I flew through Acts One and Two, and I wanted to do Act Three at a similarly rapid pace. The initial goal was to do 2,000 words per day and be finished by not later than today. However, due to the things that have crept up, I've been lucky to write just over 1,000 words per day, and it's even been a challenge to find the time for that. I think I can still finish before the end of the month, but it'll be challenging. A lot will depend on the depth of the story in Act Three, which I'm still figuring out. It seem to be getting to where it needs to go, but there are pieces to place, and I won't sacrifice depth for finishing on some arbitrary deadline. After all, it's my deadline, and I'll alter it if need be.
The key question for we writers is, how do we take advantage of life? I did this in spades for my first novel. However, one thing I learned from writing Salvation Day is that it's much easier to take advantage from what life hands you once you're able to look back on it with hindsight. In the moment, digging out those kernels of truth are difficult because our vision is limited to the immediate.
I need to start keeping a journal. I should carry this around so I can jot down thoughts and emotions when I'm in the moment(or close enough so as to make no difference). What I capture may be meaningless, but there could also be a few nuggets in there that I can expand on in a future story. I took copious notes during another of life's little adventures a couple of years ago, and I hope to use them in a novel I'll probably begin in the Fall, but that was a unique circumstance...or so I like to tell myself. What I mean is, aren't all of these things that happen "unique" circumstances?
Great writing is born from extraordinary moments. As writers, we have to be ready to capture those moments when life throws them at us. Still, it's hard to catch them when you concentrate on ducking so much.
No comments:
Post a Comment