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November 10
I came across this little gem this morning and thought I would share. How is the writing going this morning/evening/day?
How to Be a Writer: Just Do It
It's so simple, yet so hard. If you want to do something, be somebody, or go somewhere, most likely the only thing stopping you is you. If you haven't taken action toward your goals, to change your life, or improve a situation, you probably also complain about it. Well, here's a reality check – 'Put up or shut up.'
You want to lose weight, eat right and exercise – Just do it. You want to get out of a dead end job, take night classes and get a career degree – Just do it. You want to be a writer, get off the couch and write – Just do it!
And when you do "do it", continue it like clockwork. Create a writer's schedule and make it a lifestyle. Think of your commitment with your writing like wedding vows. You must promise that you will write from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward for as long as you shall live.
Okay, so maybe that's a little extreme – take weekends off if you must, but whatever your writing schedule is, protect it as you would your own child. When you're a parent, you just parent. You just do it – everyday until you die. Writing is no different.
Aristotle probably said it best: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."
So if you want to be a writer, understand that it takes dedication, fortitude, and discipline. But you "do it" because you have to – because writing is in you. And if you're lucky enough to be blessed with a clear passion, please don't waste it. Embrace it. Be a writer. Just do it.
thescriptlab.com/screenwriting/script-tips/790-how-to-be-a-writer-just-do-it
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I'm replying to myself. I took a few minutes today to grab a notebook and a pen and just get a few basic things mapped out. I find that I plan much much better with pen and paper than with typing notes on the computer.
I first tried to do a basic beginning - middle - end sort of chart, with the inciting incident, central conflict, and resolution. I made a little sidebar trying to pin down exactly what it is my main character wants. I realized that I think I've been getting tripped up because the only way to get what she wants is to go back on what she firmly believes is right.
Then I made a very rough/rudimentary scene-by-scene breakdown and place where Act 1 would end. It's defined enough to help give me a guide when I feel lost but also definitely vague enough for me to go off into uncharted territory should the play start heading there.
I can't tell you all how much better I feel right now. I still haven't generated pages since last Thursday, but I feel less stuck, less lost, and once again excited about the project. yay! Looking forward to attempting some work on it tonight.
I completely I.D. with that. Writing is my obsession of choice. It's funny (or sometimes not so funny depending on the subject matter) how the play we're working on takes over our thoughts/lives and every waking hour. I find whatever play I'm writing totally shapes my reality. I have to unplug from it and readjust to what is actually happening. Luckily, I have kids who flip that switch randomly.
Go Rhino, go !
This process is revealing to me what an addictive personality I have. This may be a result of the fact that I am writing about addictions (all of the characters in my play have self-destructive addictions/obsessions) but also because I am finding that I am addicted to writing at this moment (a much healthier addiction than drugs or binge-eating).
This is a complete one-eighty from where I was before this month began. Back then, I dragged my feet and found lots of excuses not to write. Now that I've started I just want to write and write. I think about my play all the time, discovering new character traits and things for them to say. If only I didn't have to work and pay my bills and take care of my pets and the house!
Thanks for getting me on this latest kick!
Thanks. I've been feeling like crap about myself this week after having a good week last week. I haven't written in a week. It's hard because I'm trying to step up two of the things mentioned in the quote above--exercising AND writing. :) I've been trying to get myself to the gym more regularly, and this week I've just been physically and mentally exhausted when I get home and my writing has fallen by the wayside. Then I get really irritated with myself, which leads to criticizing myself, which leads to less productivity all around. It's an awful cycle. I'll check back in later and hopefully I'll have something to report.