Running on Empty....

It's more than just the title to a Jackson Brown song, it's also how I've been feeling of late.

I was a bit saddened to check the sidebar and notice that almost two months have gone by and I don't have one post to show for it.

Truth to tell, though, I've just felt.....drained. I guess that's the best word to describe everything. Like I'm, literally, running on empty. Not just in writing, but in everything. Not that my life is bad, or anything, it's just that I feel like I'm being pulled in a million directions at once.

It's not that I don't have the time to write/blog. Even though my new working dynamic doesn't afford me all the free time I used to have, I still have plenty of it. I guess I've just been opting for things that don't really force me to think.

I have been writing, though, but in short bursts, and have gone back to revising my original NaNo project, The T.E.M.P Agency. I've also been making it a priority to read more. Right now I'm in the middle of a book about Walt Disney (The Revised Vault of Walt) and have also started Gaiman's American Gods.

It's, sort of, like trying to climb out of quicksand or thick mud. You have to take things slow and easy or else you get sucked back down into the muck and mire.

If nothing else, this post is just a reaffirmation of my intentions to get back on the writing/blogging horse in some way, shape, or form. I know I've been a terrible blogging buddy as well. But, in time, I plan on making more effort to read/comment on all the great blogs I follow. I just need to get my boots out of the mud.

I hope everyone's having a great week and, depending on where you live, staying warm.

IWSG for January, 2012. The "M" Word.

It's a new year.

It's also a new January as well as a new first Wednesday in January.

That can only mean one thing....

...o.k...it can mean more than one thing....but, in this instance, it means another Insecure Writer's Support Group post.

The IWSG is the brainchild of the ninja-captain himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh. It's a neat tool to express things about writing that make us a bit less than secure.

This month, I'd like to talk about something I've talked about before....and still haven't done anything about.

M-O-T-I-V-A-T-I-O-N

Sometimes, it gets harder and harder to get motivated. I'm not going to even say my life is "hectic" or "complicated", because it's not. I have a pretty laid back life down in here in sunny Florida,as far as things go. It's all a matter of kicking myself in the tail and sitting down to write.

One of last year's goals for the coming year was to write for, at least, an hour a day. I've fallen short of that....by quite a lot. Again, not that I didn't have the time.....but the gumption (as they say in Kentucky) was lacking.

Lack of motivation was one of my stumbling blocks with this past year's NaNo project. That's why I leave the "participant" badge on my sidebar...to remind me that I fell short.

Now, not to beat myself up too much, I do realize where my weaknesses lie, but I also know there are some strengths I can fall back on. Better organization, better time management, etc. Actually sitting down with fewer distractions and some clear goals, I think, will help me jump this small hurdle.

We'll see how it goes and, hopefully, this will be the last IWSG post that mentions the "M" word.

How do you stay/get motivated?

Post New Year's..errr....post....

Yeah, anyway.....first post of the new year. Hopefully the first of many.

I was a tiny bit proud of having more writing blog entries this year than last. Though, to be fair, I did split some of my writing time between my other blog and this one, so that should be taken into consideration.

Right??

Overall, I think it's been a decent year in regards to writing. I've been writing more this past year than the year before, as well as (still) working on my 2011 NaNoWriMo project. Editing is a bit tougher than I thought....just sayin'.

Speaking of NaNo, it wasn't a stellar year for me in that category. I started on track and quickly fell off the boat. I could blame it on a busy month, but that's not being totally honest. There were a lot of times I could have been writing, but didn't want to put forth the effort. It also didn't help that I switched ideas at the eleventh hour, leaving behind all my preparation for one story for another that I thought would be more interesting....but wasn't. I mean, I might keep the kernel of the idea, but the overall execution of the idea wasn't as "neato" as I had hoped.

I don't really do resolutions, per se, but I do look for ways I can improve in the upcoming year.

I think I'll keep it simple again, this year as the year before that, in that I'll just try to Be Better.

A better husband, a better friend, a better person, and a better writer.

It's called the past for a reason....it's behind us. It's now time to look forward.

Now, on to adventure!

JuNoEdMo

Roughly seven months ago, I made a pretty significant foray into the world of writing. I attempted my very first National Novel Writing Month or, as it's known in some circles, NaNoWriMo.

And, amazingly enough, I won....actually finishing two hundred and twenty-three words over the required 50k minimum.

This is pretty much old news to almost anyone who's even glanced at this jumbled mess I call a blog. It is relevant, though, in that I'm going to try something coming this July.

For me, July will be known as July Novel Editing Month. Yeah, I know it should probably be NaNoEdMo (which is already established), but cut me some slack here....I'm 'marching to the beat of my own drum'...or something like that. Besides, I think JuNoEdMo is sort of catchy. To quote Dr. Peter Venkman:

"The franchise rights alone will make us rich beyond our wildest dreams."


Or something like that....

Not that I can franchise anything connected to NaNoWriMo and...er....umm....oh shut up...I just wanted to use that quote.

Anyway, I'm going to dedicate July to re-reading my (NaNoWriMo) award winning story, The T.E.M.P. Agency and editing it, thus.

I saw a pretty helpful looking article over at LifeHacker that was making the rounds last December, and it looks like a decent starting point.

So, cross your fingers, rub a horseshoe, throw some salt over your shoulder, and wish me luck....

....I'm gonna need it.

Yeah, I'm talking to you!!

It's been a while since I posted anything here, but...

 Like I've said elsewhere, I really hate opening a post with that line but, hey, truth hurts, huh?

Anywho, I've been sliding off the writing wagon, a lot lately, and have been putting some thought into why that may be. It's not for lack of time....I have scads of that. It's not for lack of encouragement. I have tons of that, as well...my wife makes sure of it. I think it boils down to one factor....

Lack of discipline.

There, I've said it.

I've always been the type of person who, if things didn't come naturally, I didn't put a lot of effort into doing them. As I've grown older I've come to realize, more and more, that something worth doing is something worth putting the effort into doing it well. If things were always easy, there would be no satisfaction in getting them done. Take NaNoWriMo (please! :P ) for instance. There were days when I did not want to sit down and put pixels to virtual paper. Some days, I didn't. But I always caught up and it was so satisfying to 'win'....to actually finish....that it made the effort worthwhile. 

Sometimes the oldest lessons out there are the most profound. 

That said, I think I'm going to try to do a few things to self-motivate and get some writing done. After all the name of this blog is "Left and Write"....not "Left and Slack".

Here are a few ideas I've been tossing around....

• Doing a weekly writing challenge. Yes, I know there are a lot of those floating out there, especially by my pals on Google Plus, but I think I need something more tailored to my interests. At least to start with. Perhaps a 500 word minimum, with a week to complete, which I post here for perusal/harassment, etc.
• A simple 100 word challenge, taking prompts from the Seventh Sanctum site. (I've had some good success with this in the past)
• Taking suggestions via a Twitter or G+ post, maybe for a 200-300 word short story and posting the results here. 

So, I think I might try one....or all...of these ideas and see which stick and which fall to the floor in a burning heap.

What do you do to stay disciplined?

He shoots! He scores??

   

   


     Because all the cool kids are doing it (and I am cool....right??), I've decided to post a few writing goals for 2012. It'll be short, I promise....

1. First and foremost, I want to finish my NaNoWriMo novel. While I may have officially "won" National Novel Writing Month ( I have the certificate on my wall to prove it!), I'd still like to be able to stick a 'The End' on the caboose of my work.
2. I want to write. Everyday. For, at least, an hour a day....maybe more. Even if it's just a paragraph, or two.  This will coincide, nicely, with number one.
3. Read more. Yes, I know I said I was posting 'writing' goals but, I feel reading and writing go hand in hand. For me, it helps to see what I think works and doesn't work when writing. 
4. Learn to self-edit. Not that I won't seek out others as beta readers or editors, but I think learning to edit for myself will help me (hopefully) avoid some of the more common errors I see in other's writings. Besides, I already got a great book on how to self-edit, so I might as well make use of it. :)
5. Stop comparing myself to others. Period. The end. In my view, this is the biggest of the self destructive behaviors that a writer can have. I need to stop it. Pronto like Tonto.

   
     See? I told you it would be short.

     How about you? Any goals you're trying to accomplish?

     This time next year, I'll revisit this post with an update for these goals. Hopefully, I'll have a check mark for each....