I finished the Prelude of A Clean Slate tonight. I edited what I’d done last week, and I wrote a little more than 700 words. It’s more than last week, though still less than I’d like to be adding in a writing session.
I want to talk for a moment about writing sessions. Specifically, Wednesday evenings.
I said in my last post that I’m going to post word counts here, and I meant it. Unfortunately, I haven’t had any word counts to post until tonight. That’s been one of the great things about having a set night: no matter what else is going on in my life, I’ve got this block of time set aside for writing, and I haven’t wavered. I’ve been keeping my weekly writing appointment.
Having Michael present has helped. It’s like having a work-out buddy. We don’t usually talk much about what we’re writing, but just having a buddy there to help keep me honest is invaluable.
For the foreseeable future, Wednesday evenings won’t be available for Michael. I found out just before driving out to Starbuck’s tonight, and I wanted to cry. Michael’s going to be teaching writing. I’m really happy for him, and I think it’s going to be good for him, just as teaching programming has been good for me. But it is a change, and all of the crazy, neurotic fears I have around writing pressed against my defenses when I heard the news.
If scheduling doesn’t work out, and we’re not able to keep meeting, will I be able to keep going on my own?
The answer is: “Yes, of course.” Actually, that’s the abbreviated answer. The full answer is, “Yes, of course. Quit being a melodramatic idiot, Brian. Write more than once a week, and it won’t be a problem.”
When I ask myself these questions, I can be both wise and a dick at the same time.
I’ll keep writing. It’s just going to be a little bit harder.
I think I’m going to commit to my March plan. 31,000 words in 31 days. A mini NaNoWriMo. Anyone want to join me? If one writing buddy was good, how much better would it be to have many writing buddies?
I totally understand your fears. I formed my Wednesday night writing group specifically because I knew I wouldn’t get the writing done on my own. I really believe it is essential to have a writing buddy or a writing group that incorporates that set block of time every week devoted to nothing but writing.
Just to throw an idea out there: In the past I’ve found some great writing buddies on Craigslist. I made it a habit to check the “Artists”, “Groups”, and “General” columns under community and search for “Writers” or “Writing”. I’ve even posted my own ad looking for writers who wanted a writing buddy. There are good people out there and you would be surprised at the awesome people who turn up when you really start looking.
That’s a good suggestion.
I haven’t tried Craig’s List yet. I’ve used meetup.com and found a couple of interesting groups, but nothing that has stuck with me yet. Maybe I need to give that another go and see what shakes out.
I’ll join you. I’ve just finished my outline and believe that I am ready to start writing. I think that I can make this goal, even if I am starting a day or so behind.