a wayfarer

When I was slightly more active on here for a brief stint before, I tried to make a writing schedule for myself, to allow for focusing on more than one project in quasi-magpie fashion, but it… didn't work.

Nor have I yet picked back up my 100 Days of Sebastian (in truth, I kind of forgot about it amid this original novella I've been working on the last two months, and seeing that post here about reminded me again that I should finish it!), or made any real progress on the Big Stories I had on my accountability list.

(Actually, if you're interested in a bit of introduction to my original writing projects in brief and thoughts on writing in general, I have an "official" author site--the Longhand Writer. Updated slowly but surely, I promise you.)

I have gotten better at pushing myself to write via a Creative Challenge, hosted by thievinghippo on tumblr in September. I'm still trying to figure out what works for the multiple projects I have other than "whatever mood I'm in that day", because that's not consistent and doesn't always work.

Ah, well. I suppose it may always be a work in progress. But, so long as there is progress, that's the most important part, yeah?

So, having trouble already keeping up with this writing schedule... I may have to rethink my distribution of what to do which days. Maybe spread things out more, I'm not sure yet.

But, currently working on editing some poor, poor old chapters of my flagship DAII fic, Bonds of Blood, and it's amazing to me just how incredibly I've progressed with my writing from when I started it--just two and a half years ago!

I'm so much more cognizant and aware of at least some of my writing ticks--not necessarily catching myself while writing (though that does happen), but more recognizing them in the editing process and then writing differently, around the ticks to say the same thing only better (or sometimes rewording/writing the tick changes what happens subtly for the better). That, in of itself, has made my writing more evocative, I feel. I have also become more aware of my sentence structures, being even more precise and intentional with word choices and context and clarity. I've really started to push my descriptions beyond what they were to be more visceral, more suited, just… more.

And also realized holy shit am I heavy handed with foreshadowing--I can write pretty damn awesome ominous statements, yes, but wow definitely don't need that many. And certainly not so soon, gracious.

I am slowly learning and coming to terms with the fact that I can draw things out, I can linger and take my time and dwell a little longer. Pacing has always been difficult for me, in my mind, and it's a comtinuous learning process to get better and better at it. And not be afraid of it.

If I want to really implement this time plan for writing, I need to actually make a schedule to see if I can stick to it or make it work. So let's start with this:

Week One
Monday: Notes--FS
Tuesday: Notes--TFTOI; Narrative--Miomir (Stormwheel or Bone Tower I or Bone Tower II)
Wednesday: Notes--Embrosi
Thursday: Narrative--Lie Through Your Wolfteeth
Friday: Notes--FS
Saturday: Notes--Embrosi
Sunday: Notes--TFTOI

Hopefully I can make enough progress on notes of things that I wil be able to start more narratives soon. Maybe I'll start using this space as a "check in" with these days, giving updates on whether I worked on Notes or not, and my wordcoumt/handwritten page count on Narratives to help with some accountability to get them done. I expect not everyday will happen, and that there will be a… learning curve for lack of a better term, but I hope to practice a schedule until it becomes routine.