Category: Writing Life

At Least 100 Words #15

Good News everyone!  I feel motivated. Preparing to write in Nanowrimo is as complicated as any new writing project, but also exciting.  There has always been something else going on in October and my decision to participate in Nanowrimo has always been on the fence, until the first day.   My issue is not ideas, I always have ideas.  I also understand that whatever I write in the next 30 days will not be brilliant first copy ready for print. However, it should be cohesive and believable for me.  Revision and editing are the shine up for other people.  I tend to get stuck in connections.  The solution to this is to plot of course.  I admire plotting and yet I miss the flexibility of pantsing.  A result there is a struggle to find the happy medium of both, I haven’t found the golden ratio yet.  But the joy is the journey right?   

The rough plans for November look like this.  The genre for the November story will be a romance and I think the sub-genre will be contemporary.   I have always loved romance stories and even though I have moved on to read other genres, I always look for it as a sub-plot in the books and movies I take in.  The challenge is the sub-genre contemporary.  To explain why this is so, I must add that I am a paranormal, speculative fiction fan and writer.  Most of my stories have a supernatural or fantastical science fiction element to it.   I am aware that paranormal romance is in a decline of sorts it has been going on for years.   Despite that the romance genre is still the best-selling genre.  My definition for contemporary romance is this, no supernatural/preternatural element set in modern times.  It will be daunting for me to develop characters with no extras to them.  But not impossible it was done before when I started writing. I’m giddy about it all.  Stay tuned.

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Sunday Post #5

Photo by Jake Colvin on Pexels.com

I have been talking about October approaching, finally it was here, and I paused in my writing for a couple days.   I can’t say what happened.  I didn’t feel blocked or worn out.  I just didn’t have the motivation.  It was a problem that needed to be addressed.  The Sunday Posts and the “at least 100 words” are methods to keep me writing.  One of my many writing goals is to write decent entertaining creative non-fiction.  Many of the AL1W’s were pointless and ended weak.  I apologize for that because it is not what I intended.

Motivation is an internal struggle that many creatives go through.  There is a whole industry on how to get writers writing and publishing.  It has expanded into podcasting and other social media for recognition.  

There are several questions that pass through my mind.  What is your niche?  What unique thing are you bringing to the vast sea of the creative internet?  Is it a new perspective or derivative?   These are the questions that freeze me and I’m sure other writers of more or less success.  It may be a part of imposter syndrome, it could be part of another fear, that ruins the creative mind.  What is also a terrifying is understanding that different techniques are needed to deal with the same questions, same fear.  One of mine is calling them out as a result this essay.  I let you know next week if it is working or not.   It is the hope and plan that dealing with these questions directly will help.  I am also looking into other methods. 

In conclusion, October is here and dealing with distresses feelings may attempt to take over.  Do not give it.  Give yourself time to readjust and then start where you left off if that is not possible, start brand new. 

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At Least 100 Words #14

 

I did mention in previous AL1W’s that I collect pictures of mushrooms.  My most favorite are red mushrooms.    The red mushroom is a kind of icon for me equal to the sunflower. It was supposed to be the name of my podcast and the name of the company for social media.  For example, two people discuss pop culture and other topics as we understand it brought to you by The Red Mushroom Productions.  

 It sounds like a good idea, until the work is explained.   People who said they wanted to collaborate, faded away to their own lives.   I was left with a name and possibilities.  I do like possibilities; I am an optimist.  However, I had to make a choice.   

I killed all my other blog accounts, for the JC Henry Universe.  There is only the Universe and the Red Mushroom.  I tend to be neglectful to both.   Since recovery I have not thought about the Red Mushroom productions.   In January, my laptop Sterlinq’s screen broke.  I was devastated.  Being hospitalized changes perspectives.  I got a new laptop; I call it Yin.  Sterlinq is being fixed.  Red Mushroom Productions is not getting the attention it needs to be something.   For now, I am feeding the universe. There are the writing quotes that are put up for purely selfish reasons and then these writing projects.  This month will mostly be about the prep work for Nanowrimo.

In conclusion I have a stack of things to get through. Rolling up my sleeves right now. Enjoy the red mushroom picture.

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