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Brain, what is brain.
Sep. 12th, 2013 10:23 pmToo much to write about, not enough brain.
I started classes last Thursday, so I'm one week into it and really enjoying it. I don't recall how much I've talked about this, but the going-back-to-school mostly came about because I have always wanted to become fluent in another language and I'm not exactly getting any younger. Then, since I'd have to be on campus four days a week for THAT, I started adding classes around it and somehow ended up with a full class load. I don't know how long I'll keep this up (and I'll probably cut back to fewer classes next semester for more writing time) but it's weirdly freeing to take university classes with no real plan and nothing to lose if I fail.
My general assessment of the classes I'm taking so far:
( Classes! )
And ... yes, writing. A few weeks ago I posted my intention to write at least 2000 words a day (1000 original, 1000 fanfic). What I was thinking, basically, with the original/fanfic split is that I want original writing to be my focus, but if I wake up with the burning urge to work on a fanfic, why stop myself as long as I get my original-fic quota written at some point during the day. Or I could use the fanfic as a dangling carrot for getting the "work" done. I later added a sub-clause that the fanfic is optional if I write at least 2000 words of original fiction, i.e. I don't want to stop myself and feel like I have to write fanfic if the original writing is going well. But 1000 words is a lot less intimidating than 2000 words, and splitting it that way makes it sound at least half fun.
The amazing thing is that I actually did it (a lot more than the target, even). I didn't miss a day, right up until the end of last week when I simultaneously started classes and finished the original project I was working on (a novel) ... and quietly fell off my rails. I think I established, though, that I can actually do it (for a while, anyway) as long as I make it a priority. Normally I'm a writer who works in binges of inspiration and then faffs off for a while, but I DO want to be a pro and I want to learn good work habits, and I think I established that setting manageable goals for myself does work -- at least in the short term and when I don't have a whole lot else going on. I'm going to have to twiddle my settings a bit: see if I need to shift my goals downward while I have a school commitment of 30+ hours a week, see whether I need to give myself days off as a necessary part of my working process, etc. But I think I might be able to set up a writing schedule for myself that works, and this is something I've never successfully managed to do before.
(Necessary caveat: Everyone is different. I seem to thrive on obsessive word-counting and charts and daily writing totals. For some people, that's a devastating creativity killer. It's just a matter of finding what works for you, I guess. And I'm creeping closer to figuring out what works for me.)
And now I think I will go drink a glass of wine and write something before bed. :)
I started classes last Thursday, so I'm one week into it and really enjoying it. I don't recall how much I've talked about this, but the going-back-to-school mostly came about because I have always wanted to become fluent in another language and I'm not exactly getting any younger. Then, since I'd have to be on campus four days a week for THAT, I started adding classes around it and somehow ended up with a full class load. I don't know how long I'll keep this up (and I'll probably cut back to fewer classes next semester for more writing time) but it's weirdly freeing to take university classes with no real plan and nothing to lose if I fail.
My general assessment of the classes I'm taking so far:
( Classes! )
And ... yes, writing. A few weeks ago I posted my intention to write at least 2000 words a day (1000 original, 1000 fanfic). What I was thinking, basically, with the original/fanfic split is that I want original writing to be my focus, but if I wake up with the burning urge to work on a fanfic, why stop myself as long as I get my original-fic quota written at some point during the day. Or I could use the fanfic as a dangling carrot for getting the "work" done. I later added a sub-clause that the fanfic is optional if I write at least 2000 words of original fiction, i.e. I don't want to stop myself and feel like I have to write fanfic if the original writing is going well. But 1000 words is a lot less intimidating than 2000 words, and splitting it that way makes it sound at least half fun.
The amazing thing is that I actually did it (a lot more than the target, even). I didn't miss a day, right up until the end of last week when I simultaneously started classes and finished the original project I was working on (a novel) ... and quietly fell off my rails. I think I established, though, that I can actually do it (for a while, anyway) as long as I make it a priority. Normally I'm a writer who works in binges of inspiration and then faffs off for a while, but I DO want to be a pro and I want to learn good work habits, and I think I established that setting manageable goals for myself does work -- at least in the short term and when I don't have a whole lot else going on. I'm going to have to twiddle my settings a bit: see if I need to shift my goals downward while I have a school commitment of 30+ hours a week, see whether I need to give myself days off as a necessary part of my working process, etc. But I think I might be able to set up a writing schedule for myself that works, and this is something I've never successfully managed to do before.
(Necessary caveat: Everyone is different. I seem to thrive on obsessive word-counting and charts and daily writing totals. For some people, that's a devastating creativity killer. It's just a matter of finding what works for you, I guess. And I'm creeping closer to figuring out what works for me.)
And now I think I will go drink a glass of wine and write something before bed. :)