Well, rolled out a little before 2 this morning. I was wide awake when I got up, but I’ve been tired most of the day.
My hobby is photography. I started it mostly so I could take my own cover shots for my books. I have a decent DSLR (Sony SLT A65) and some limited knowledge how to take good pics. Like writing, it takes practice more than anything else.
But I have very limited technical knowledge re the mechanical inner workings. Recently the image sensor in my camera got some dust on it, and of course those show up in the pics.
I don’t like to doctor pictures after I take them, so I had to find a way to clean the camera without damaging it.
Finally this morning I took a couple hours to find the right manual online. Downloaded it, read the instructions, cleaned the image sensor (first automatically, then tested it, then manually) and the next shot I took was clean. Score!
No walk today again. Just being and writing and overcoming the sense that I want to go to sleep for awhile.
Anyway, after cleaning the camera and writing this and the topic below, I moved over to the writing computer to spend some more time with Norval Babineaux.
Topic of the Post: Challenges
Yesterday I got flippant and said my short stories don’t want me to meet my goal. That was my way of saying the stories are in command. Which is another way of saying my subconscious is in command.
Now that’s great for word count goals, but not necessarily so much for the goal of writing a complete short story (or two) every day or the current challenge of completing 30 short stories by the end of this month.
But although goals and challenges are wonderful motivators, the key to writing both well and prolifically is to have fun. That was kind of my point yesterday. Sorry for the flippancy and any confusion.
Anyway, back to challenges. Do any of you have any ongoing challenges? Have you set any recurring writing goals? If so, have you broadcast it to others whom you know will support your efforts?
I hope it’s all of the above. If not, I urge you to give it a shot. For one thing, it’s a great deal of fun. For another, I won’t be quite so alone in my insanity. (grin)
If you need an additional motivation, Ray Bradbury himself advised those who would be writers to write at least a thousand words a day, every day. Of course, a lot of times you’ll go over that amount. There’s always a story or a chapter or a scene to finish.
Anyway, as I wrote in a response to a comment yesterday, my current challenge is more tongue in cheek at this point than realistic for me. That doesn’t mean some of you couldn’t do it. Beginning today and in the next 15 days I would have to write 24 short stories. So that’s one short story every day plus an extra short story on nine days. Possible? Yes. Probable or even plausible (for me)? Nuh uh.
Still, I’ll leave it in place until I come up with something better. Which is probably going to be in the next few days.(grin)
My Current Challenge and Goal
Before October 1, I will write at least 30 new short stories, one for each day in September. To satisfy the challenge, these have to be actual short stories, meaning they have to be over 2,000 words. If I write anything shorter than that, it will count on my numbers but not toward the challenge. Stay tuned.
Today’s Writing
Well, not as much as I’d liked. I’m just worn to a frazzle tired so I’m stopping a bit early. I have time for about another 1500 words, but I don’t have the brain for it.
Fiction Words: 2509
Writing of “Norval Babineaux” (not sure what this is gonna be)
Day 1…… 3405 words. Total words to date….. 3405 words
Day 2…… 1487 words. Total words to date….. 4892 words
Day 3…… XXXX words. Total words to date….. XXXX words
Writing of “Curious Shapes” (short story)
Day 1…… 1022 words. Total words to date….. 1022 words
Day 2…… XXXX words. Total words to date….. XXXX words
One thing about these stories — I just have to write them. I don’t have to rush to slap a cover on them and publish them. All of that’s going to come later, although I will pick one each week to be the story for that week. At the end of the month if I’m successful in my challenge I should have 40 publications: 30 individual stories, six 5-story collections, three 10-story collections, and maybe one book titled The Stories of September.
Total challenge stories for the month…… 6 (Goal is 30)
Total challenge words for the month…… 25252
Total fiction words for the month………… 26842 (1590 on Wes)
Total fiction words for the year…………… 491883