Month: October 2020

Writing Journal 10.26.2020: Slow October, but I’m glad I didn’t just give up

Not too much to write about right now, but I’ll update you quickly.

Usually when I get into a writing lull, my instinct was to just give up and not just putter around with something. These past two weeks have been different, however. I gave myself permission to write less than my quota when I wasn’t feeling things, or when it was a struggle to put together the fiction scenes that I wanted. What happened was, I kept writing. I gave myself permission to not write my best. As a result, I kept writing, and in the end, I think that was the important thing.

I’ve been noticing that I am getting hung up on working on blog stuff because it’s harder for me to keep a running track of my word count when I’m working on a blog draft. I think that I have to do something similar to what I am doing with my big fiction writing, but I hadn’t gotten around to it. I think I will now. That will motivate me to finish up at least a couple of other blog post ideas I have been sitting on for a while, inspired in part by my recent move.

At some point, I’m going to motivate myself to check out my Liegois Media Facebook page and see if there are some funny posts to make. To be honest, I am almost over Facebook as a company and a way of life. They are genuinely not interested in the best interests of its users whose data and activities they are using to sell ads and provide a time sink that gives those users nothing but headaches. The only reason I am still on there is to possibly reach those who might be interested in my writing. Twitter is marginally better, so I think I will continue to maintain my Liegois Media Twitter handle for some time to come.

Anyway, here are the stats for this past two weeks. I improved last week, so that is something, at least. Writers keep writing, and the rest of you keep safe.

Week of 10.11.2020:
+1,831 words written.
Days writing: 5 of 7.
Days revising/planning: 1 of 7 for 90 total minutes.
Daily Writing Goals Met (500+ words or 30 minutes of planning/revisions): 3 of 7 days.
Week of 10.18.2020:
+3,001 words written.
Days writing: 5 of 7.
Days revising/planning: 1 of 7 for 120 total minutes.
Daily Writing Goals Met (500+ words or 30 minutes of planning/revisions): 3 of 7 days.

Writing Journal, 10.11.2020: Slow start to October, to be honest

Not much to write about for the past two weeks, because… I haven’t been doing much writing. At least, not as much as I want.

Work has been busy, enough so that I’ve looked longingly at my father’s retirement-life schedule. 🙂 But, I am getting through things.

I’ve been a little disappointed that I have not had the mental energy to try and reach out to fellow writers in the Des Moines area or my town’s area to try and network. Part of that is COVID, and part of that has been the grind that any typical school year is.

I think another issue is that I’m beginning to get really over Facebook, which might still be the best way to get in contact with other writers or network. Frankly, if it was not for this blog and its “companion page” on Facebook, I would delete my account for sure. I have deleted the app from my phone for at least the fifth or sixth time and it has stayed off, to my delight.

That’s not to say I’m not online. I’m staying on Reddit and Twitter, although I only go on Twitter sporadically. I spend a lot of time on Archive Of Our Own (AO3), the fan fiction site where I have been posting my most recent writings. There are several stories there I am following, and it has been a great mental break to read stuff there.

I think I will wrap it up there. Not sure if I will continue to post journal entries every two weeks or try and get it back up to weekly. I will see.

The stats for the last two weeks are below. The first week I exceeded my quota: 500 words per day over the week or the planning/revising equivalent (30 minute per day), which would add up to 3,500 words per week or the equivalent. The second week I wasn’t so lucky.

Keep safe, everyone.

Week of 9.27.2020:
+4,151 words written.
Days writing: 6 of 7.
Days revising/planning: 2 of 7 for 90 total minutes.
Daily Writing Goals Met (500+ words or 30 minutes of planning/revisions): 6 of 7 days.

Week of 10.4.2020:
+2,228 words written.
Days writing: 4 of 7.
Days revising/planning: 2 of 7 for 60 total minutes.
Daily Writing Goals Met (500+ words or 30 minutes of planning/revisions): 4 of 7 days.