What have I been working on this past week?
It has been SO. NICE. writing again. Oh my word, six weeks feels like a lifetime to not be pounding the keyboard, let me tell you. It’s like I’m breathing again for the first time, even though I really, really enjoyed my break and the time with my fam and traveling and (well, not COVID) all the other summery things we did from mid-June to end of July.
BUT I AM READY TO WRITE AGAIN. Four days this week I’ve hit 500 words or more, just making myself sit down for five minutes to get back into the groove. It feels wonderful. I’ve added some lovely progress to the novel-in-progress, wrote a chunk of a story I’ve been banging around in my head for a while, and even wrote a prose-poem (wha-?!). It’s been a great week. I haven’t gotten into the office yet (main reason: I have no furniture there yet), but I’m hoping to get my desk and office chair in there by tomorrow, and then it’s ALL GO. I CAN’T WAIT.
I’ve also settled into my notebook set-up, despite initial uncertainty–having one weekly planner for writing where I notate writing-only related things and my day planner (bujo) for the everyday things, and my hashbook for all the scribbly bits–it’s coming together. I’ve also gotten my sweet mini-stickers for tracking certain habits on a day-to-day basis, so hopefully that’ll keep me excited about staying up-to-date on habits. We shall see!
What’s inspiring me this week?
44 days. 44 DAYS. My latest run-through of THE LONG DARK ended on Friday afternoon at 2:03pm, EST, when a wolf attacked me and ate my face. I was doing so good, too! *sobs* For the time being, I’m not starting up a new game, as I need to take a step back. It’s been rather an obsession lately.
In my effort to read a short story a day, I’ve been picking up my copy of NEON Magazine lately, and gosh, is it lovely. I really love how it straddles the odd/fantastic and literature. If you haven’t picked up a copy (it ships out of the UK), it’s well worth it, and every story I’ve read has had something to recommend it. I’ve also picked up THE DARK, the ghost story collection by Ellen Datlow, and it’s wonderfully spooky.
I’ve also lately been thinking about screenwriting/playwriting, because dialogue seems to be one of my consistent strengths (at least in critique groups, that’s the skill that keeps getting complimented), so writing in a form that emphasizes that skillset might be an interesting adventure. We’ll see if this goes anywhere, but I’ve picked up a couple books on script- and play-writing to look into it.
Also, did I mention I had an office now? SO COOL!
What am I working on next week?
This coming week is continuing the trend of re-establishing good creative habits. I’ve set up my 12 Week Plan goals, which essentially boil down to:
- Finish the rough draft of DIRTY BONE.
- Re-establish healthy creative habits.
- Establish home maintenance (low-level system) habits.
Other than chipping away at those three, I’m just hoping to get some good reading in, and surviving Thing 1’s swim lessons.
Maggie Slater 