Make Your WISH Come True

I have been a part of the writing group on Skateboard since it was part of the old MSN forums back in 1996. What a fantastic find it was been for me, from the first day I logged on. I found my best friend and all the support I needed to pursue the craft of creative writing.

This year quite a few of us joined forces to conquer NaNo, and we also decided we wanted to get that kind of momentum going more than just once a year, especially since NaNo falls at such a busy time.

So we have chosen February to be our WISH month: Writing Isn't So Hard. We're busy setting goals, and pushing forward with something we want to accomplish in February. Our plan is to put our goal in writing, and then cheer each other on, perhaps offering a hand up if the going gets tough.

This is a very supportive group. In the 10+ years I've been with them, even as people have come and gone during that time, the tone of this board is constant--support and encouragement. I have never ever been flamed, or received anything other than supportive encouragement regarding the writing I've posted there. Despite diverse backgrounds and different writing interests, we're committed to helping each other and at the same time enjoy the laughs and encouragement that can only come from other writers.

We also meet once a week for a workshop/open chat to discuss various aspects of writing or to get ideas and support from one another for our projects. Currently we meet at 1:30 PM Central Time on Wednesday. The link to the Chatroom, as well as our newsgroup, is available on Skateboard's main page, by clicking Writers & Poets on the left sidebar. If you have any trouble accessing either, let us know. We'll work till we get you where you want to be.

Let's make the most of this shortest and sometimes most difficult month of the year: join us in February, if it is your WISH to see you writing move forward. From setting a simple regular goal, to finishing the editing on a novel, we can provide the support to get you where you want to go.

This post on our newsgroup describes the WISH goal:

At workshop yesterday we talked a little bit about our goal for WISH in February. I think we decided two things:

• Writing Isn't So Hard when you aim for 500 words daily.
• If 500 words a day doesn't suit your circumstances, then Writing Isn't So Hard if you set a goal that will help you achieve what you want.

Willa mentioned that a daily goal is better for her than a monthly one because it eliminates the tendency to procrastinate. If you find this is true for you, and you choose a goal other than writing 500 words a day, you might consider breaking the goal down to daily or weekly tasks that will help you reach your overall goal by the end of February.

During the last week of this month, I'll [try to remember to] start a thread that will allow us to post our goals for February. Having a goal down in writing helps, and having the support and encouragement of your writing group can make all the difference when the going gets tough. Meanwhile give your goal some thought so you know exactly what you want February to be for you.

Here's to making our WISH come true....

~ Carolyn

"It is faith, finally, that saves us: faith that our words will matter enough--if only to ourselves alone....This is no small thing we do." ~Monica Wood

In Flow

This is the addictive part of not only NaNo but writing in general for me. Pieces start falling into place, and even though I'm still writing things that are scattered and potentially trash, I feel more like a movie director who is collecting scenes. Let's try this scene and see how it works. Work all the way through it, add it to the other scenes, and we'll see if it will fit in the overall picture at the end. Stop and brainstorm in the middle of everything; "shoot" that too. We may need to move it around, we may need it shorter or longer or in a different POV or setting, but at least we have something to work with.

There are still so many unknowns in this story. I'm still not sure exactly whose story it is. As I go about day-to-day things like pairing socks and chopping vegetables, I find myself weighing out who the story belongs to. Is it Sadie's? Is it Herbert's? Can it possibly belong to them both? Technically I know the answer is no, but my heart doesn't want to decide quite yet. So I keep writing from both points of view, wondering if there will be room for all of it in the end. Wondering sometimes if there even will be an end. My long work never seems to fit comfortably into 50,000 words.

I rewarded myself with a late-night (or early morning, depending on how you want to look at it) movie last night. I love the Sabrina remake with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond. So I sat in my living room all by myself with all the lights off and let myself cry whenever I wanted to. I think I will have achieved the greatest degree of self-acceptance when I can watch a movie that makes me cry in a room full of people and not try to hide the tears. I always feel like such an idiot when I get all blubbery and no one else seems to think it's that big a deal. At any rate, I enjoyed the movie all over again. I also half-watched An Unfinished Life a couple days ago while the house was empty. I had too much to do to sit down and give it my full attention so I watched it like I watch TV--largely listen until I can't tell what's going on and then watch till I can simply listen again.

At any rate, if I could keep writing every day with the same sense of urgency--that I need those 1700 words--I'd probably never lose my ability to sit down and type out something half worth reading. Or completely worth editing. And I get so many other things done throughout the day as well. My breaks are productive and I am "full" enough to dig into other projects without feeling like I'm cheating myself while I'm taking care of everyone else. I can do those 1700 words in an hour, easy. Once I'm in flow. But when I've slowed down to 1700 every month rather than every day, the ease just isn't there. So why do I let myself stop? I haven't a clue.

So after NaNo I need to set some goals. The trouble is, I think it's the group effort that makes NaNo so effective. When I set my own that no one else knows about, it's too easy to slide past those deadlines without flinching.

No matter what, I need to do some planning in December. December will be tax paper organization month. And Viewfinder submission month. And gear up for OWFI Contest month. How did we get this close to a new year already? And turn in the final assignment for the articles for children class. I have plenty of writing to do. It should keep me in gear. Of course tax paper organization doesn't really belong in all that, but it's the top focus.

I wonder how many words this is? Time to go make stew.