“If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don’t remove it - I might be writing in my dreams.” - Terry Guillemets
This quote is so great; I think it might become one of my favourites! However, for the modern author it would be something along the lines of: “If I fall asleep with my head on my keyboard…”
So, does anyone actually do this? Do you find yourself so immersed in the world and characters that you’ve created that you take them into your dreams? I’ve never actually had a dream about my characters but last night I couldn’t get to sleep because I kept thinking about my story. My mind would not stop working and all I wanted to do was write. That can only be a good thing.
Sometimes I wish I could write in my dreams because life can get very hectic when you least expect it. For me, I had a bustling week filled with school, work and doctors - I had to see three different doctors and next week I have to see more. *sad face*
So, due to my busy week, I did not reach my goals. I didn’t even get close which really bothers me because it makes me feel unaccomplished and doubt my abilities as a writer. I mean, shouldn’t I be able to push through the tiredness and write? Don’t plenty of other writers have busy lives, work, school and children and they still manage to write? I really need to push myself more.
I aimed to write 5400 words a week and about 770 words a day. Here is a breakdown of what I wrote this week:
Monday - 263
Tuesday - 0
Wednesday - 0
Thursday - 203
Friday - 161
Saturday - 528
Sunday - 152
Total - 1307
So 5400 minus 1307 is 4093 words that I didn’t write. I’m going to add that to my goal for this week, so 5400 plus 4093, and you get my writing goal for this week: 9493 words. It’s a big task but I’m determined to make it!
(Also, I’ve had a slow start to the week so I’ll be visiting fellow ROW80 participants’ blogs for the Wednesday check in.)
Also, tell me how relevant you think the above quote is to you. I’m curious about everyone’s writing process.
Hope everyone else had a good week!
Sure, there may have been 4093 words that you didn't write, but there were still 1307 that you did. I'm a firm, firm believer that any writing at all is an accomplishment. It's good to have goals, of course, but anything accomplished is still more than what you had before!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the quote! Sometimes it's pretty accurate for me; I get inspired a lot by my dreams, so if I have a particularly good one, I usually jot it down before I go about my morning tasks so I don't forget it! I'm also kept up sometimes, as you said you were, by thoughts of your characters and plots running through your head at night; usually, if that's the case, I don't want to waste any of that creative energy, so those are the nights that I will literally sit there with a notebook and write, write, write until I can't even keep my eyes open anymore! It's such a great feeling, too. "One more page, one more page, one mor--zzzzzzz."
But, seriously, good job! Getting out any words at all when you're busy is always impressive! Best of luck for the week ahead!
Setting goals is great. It helps us stay focused and achieve much more than we would otherwise(even when we don't quite reach them). As long as you keep moving forward, nothing else matters that much. Progress is progress. And as easy as it is to compare ourselves to others, this is still a solo journey. It's not as if you didn't make the goals simply because you were slacking. Be gentle with yourself and just keep going. Still here cheering you on!
ReplyDelete--Yolanda Early
Be gentle with yourself. Don't dig a big hole that you'll never get out of. It's ok to start the week fresh. We won't tell.
ReplyDeleteMy WIP is based on a dream. I didn't write it in my sleep, but I'm writing it so that I never have to dream that thing again! LOL
Thank you for the support everyone!
ReplyDeleteInstead of thinking, "I didn't write 4093 words," shout, "I WROTE 1307 WORDS." That's 1307 more words than most people on the planet wrote last week. Yay, you!
ReplyDeleteKeep at it. And don't let the "slow" weeks get you down.
All the best.
TTFN