…or still planning to?
If so, when you’re done drop a comment here, or over at Moonrat’s place. Let us know how it went, or just leave a link to a post at your own blog which does the same thing.
(My own account is here.)
Ridiculous pursuits, matters solemn and less so
…or still planning to?
If so, when you’re done drop a comment here, or over at Moonrat’s place. Let us know how it went, or just leave a link to a post at your own blog which does the same thing.
(My own account is here.)
Aerin says
http://www.insearchofgiants.com/2009/05/maybe-another-day.html
Moonrat says
i succeeded in devoting… MOST of the day. i’ll admit i read a couple hours’ worth of MIDDLEMARCH on either end. but otherwise, yes.
the thing is, i was hoping to accomplish one task, which was to figure out who i wanted to narrate my new project by going through all my many research notes. at the end of the day, i felt pretty good with my decision. no sooner had i closed up my computer, i started to revisit and question. sigh.
however. as we all known. trying to derive quantifiable “success” from a creative project is essentially a losing prospect from the get-go. so, more qualitatively, i’m pleased about the mental work i spent going through all my notes, reminding myself of what i had, and (hopefully) putting a bunch of my ideas in my head that can compost while i sleep.
thanks, JES! without you i wouldn’t have done this at all.
Misssy M says
Yes I did it, but I did kind of cheat and write a blog post too, but that’s writing too so it still counts I reckon.
So word count that day (not including cheeky wee blog post) was around 4,500 on the book. It made me think ,though, that I am better at writing in short bursts, and I don’t think I could sit down for a working day writing my book. I need thinking space. Which is just as well as who has the luxury of writing an 8 hour shift every day?
John says
Moonie: Congratulations on a day well spent! I’ve never been able to get through a George Eliot novel I wasn’t being forced to read, so I think even the Middlemarch hours could classify as noble sacrifice to your art.
I mentioned to Aerin in a comment on her blog that research — even (or especially) of the “let me see what I’ve already got” sort — is never wasted. When I turn stuff over to my subconscious I know it’s in good hands; it’s the conscious part of my mind that gets me in trouble.
Thank you so much for picking up the ball and running with what was, after all, just a sort of off-the-cuff blog post. Anyone who doubts the Power of the Moonrat just needs to check my blog stats for the past week!
Misssy: I saw on Twitter — buried like a clamshell in all the sand of the Eurovision items — the phrase “4000 words” and almost hung up my spurs right there. I mean, quality, quantity, blah blah, but I know just from reading your “cheeky wee blog posts” you’re no stranger to the former, and I suspect if I actually READ those 4K words I’d be really depressed today.
Years back, I did have the 8-hour writing shift option — for a couple of years, even. Thank gods it was only an option and not a requirement.
Kate Lord Brown says
Bravo! My w/c this week pitiful but mid-research actually have an excuse to read books for a change :)
Miriam Forster says
I camped myself at the local Starbucks and wrote from about 11:30 to about 7pm. I knew i wouldn’t be able to focus for that long if I just wrote on one thing, so I worked on several small projects that I had been procrastinating on, trading off whenever I got bored.
Other than the nasty cheesy breadsticks, (Doughy, greasy AND salty. ick.) the oddest part of the day was that no less than five people I knew came in to get coffee. I managed not to be too distracted, though!
By the end of the day my brain was fried, but the procrastination was dead. Thanks for the great idea!
John says
Kate: Well, word count is just the end product of a lot of what you did during the week. So let’s toast your future word count, eh? :)
Miriam: An ingenious idea — taking along more than a single project. Of course, we’d like to hear that those five people you knew were themselves writers in search of solitude, but I guess we can’t be greedy!
“My brain was fried, but the procrastination was dead.” That’s a T-shirt waiting to happen!