The Journal, Thursday, 12/22

Hey Folks,

Well, a really blah day out here today. Probably today I’ll just edit and build that bank. I’ve pretty much written off the rest of December for writing fiction.

Not officially but just in a “don’t sweat it” kind of way. It’s something I tend to do, and I’m not sure why. A year ago (or so, at the end of a 12-month period) I was closing in on 750,000 words for that year. Once I hit that 750,000, I all but stopped writing.

I didn’t necessarily WANT to stop writing, but neither did I have any particular urge to put new fiction on the page. Weird. It’s a mental thing, I’m sure. It’s almost like I’m afraid to reach a goal because then it won’t be special anymore. Or something.

For another example of this warped thought process, it would have been relatively easy this year to hit 1,000,000 words total (fiction plus this journal), but I think once I realized that I slacked off. Hmmm. I’ll give it some thought, see whether I can figure it out.

If I glean an insight or two, I’ll pass it along, but don’t hold your breath. I might need professional help on this one. (grin)

Topic: Roberta Jean Bryant’s “Seven Laws of Writing”

Recently I pulled a scrap of folded, crumpled, mutilated paper out of my desk. I opened it and found Jean Bryant’s Seven Laws of Writing.

I had actually typed them on a sheet of typing paper, then cut out around them and saved them. I don’t know for sure when that was, but I’m certain it predates the book in which they’re now found (see below).

Anyway, now and then when I look back on this I am amazed it took me so long to learn these incredibly straightforward guidelines.

These “laws” are excerpted (now) from Roberta Jean Bryant’s Anybody Can Write: A Playful Approach (2002). You can find it at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0760731764/. I recommend it. Of course, the book contains a great deal more than these laws.

But for now, here are the Seven Laws of Writing:

1. To write is an active verb. Thinking is not writing. Writing is words on paper.

2. Write passionately. Everyone has loves and hates; even quiet people lead passionate lives. Creativity follows passion.

3. Write honestly. Risk nakedness. Originality equals vulnerability.

4. Write for fun, for personal value. If you don’t enjoy it, why should anyone else? Pleasure precedes profit.

5. Write anyway. Ignore discouraging words, internal and external. Persistence pays off.

6. Write a lot. Use everything. Learning comes from your own struggles with words on paper.

7. Write out of commitment to your ideas, commitment to yourself as a writer. Trust yourself.

There you have it. Writing into the dark, anyone? Add this to Heinlein’s Rules and it’s all you need. Well, that and a keyboard.

Of Interest

At Dean’s, an interesting post at 12/21/16 Daily (http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/122116-daily/).

His other post is about the writing bundle ending very soon. If you don’t have it, I recommend it.

If you would like to find free ebooks from the public domain, check out Project Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/.

Today’s Writing

Back tomorrow.

Fiction Words: XXXX
Nonfiction Words: 540 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 540

Writing of “”

Day 1…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX

Total fiction words for the month……… 21254
Total fiction words for the year………… 700948
Total nonfiction words for the month… 12150
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 270050

Total words for the year (fiction and nonfiction)…… 970998

Edit Totals

Day 1…… 51 pages. Total to date…… 51 (+16 in the bank)
Day 2…… 26 pages. Total to date…… 77 (+7)
Day 3…… 41 pages. Total to date…… 118(+13)
Day 4…… 38 pages. Total to date…… 156 (+16)
Day 5…… 73 pages. Total to date…… 229 (+54)
Day 6…… 40 pages. Total to date…… 269 (+59)
Day 7…… 36 pages. Total to date…… 305 (+60)
Day 8…… 00 pages. Total to date…… 305 (+25)
Day 9…… 38 pages. Total to date…… 343 (+28)
Day 10… 37 pages. Total to date…… 380 (+30)