Tag Archives: Writing

Dec 20 2011
2 Comments
Writing

31,128 words…

I just hit 31,128 words, which means that I’m more than half way through my book!  Realistically, I expect my finished product to be somewhere around 60,000 words or 200-240 pages.  The more I write, the more I am becoming fascinated with how writing changes the way that I see the world around me.  
Lately, sitting in crowded rooms has left me quietly observing, listening, thinking of how I would describe the scene and people around me with words.  Reading books and watching movies has left me taking notes about how story tellers cut scenes and purposely leave things out.  Looking at pictures and listening to songs have in turn given me unexpected inspiration, helping me to fill in dead ends and set the tone.  It is funny how ideas surround us if we stop to look and listen.
It’s fun to find our passions, I think that I’ve found one of mine, (regardless of how it works out).
On a less-related note, here are three pictures that I want to share of my December so far:
Reluctant Friends

Modern Solitude

Candy Land!
Tagged , ,
Nov 30 2011
1 Comment
Writing

22,222 words

I hit 22,222 words this evening.  Not bad for a month where I still worked pretty darn hard doing my day job.  My goal is now a whole book by 1/1/12, (or at least a whole draft).  Maybe I’ll actually get to cross something cool off of my New Year’s resolutions for 2011!

At some point in my life, it is now my goal to be a full-time writer, (and not one that writes economic reports…been there, done that!).  I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

It’s fun to dream and even more fun to take real steps toward achieving that dream.

Thank you for the inspiration nanowrimo.

Tagged , ,
Nov 20 2011
2 Comments
Writing

Abandoned Blogs

When I started blogging back in July, I had trouble finding a blog url that was not taken.  I eventually settled on a truncated version of today is the best day of my life, todaybestlife.  Adequate, but not my first choice, it reminds me more of a segment on Good Morning America than the place where I keep my musings on life.

Tempted to find myself a different url, I tried typing in some of the prefixes that I like and discovered a veritable graveyard of abandoned blogs.  I find this irritating to discover that so many good blog names are wasted, but also fascinating, like stumbling across forgotten time capsules.  The first one I tried had been abandoned for nearly ten years!  I did not even know what a blog was in 2002.  I was a senior in high school.

http://luckylife.blogspot.com/

Amused, I tried two more, which also proved abandoned.  It makes me wonder how many are out there.  Millions, I suspect.  I invite you to try your own favorite prefixes and see what you get.  I was hoping to stumble across like-minded blogs that maybe I’d like to follow.  Instead, I found abandoned blog after abandoned blog, reminding me of how often we start projects and quickly lose interest.

This one was actually the most interesting to me:

http://luckyday.blogspot.com/

Someone started a luckiness experiment involving a crucifix and disappeared from the blog world after merely four days.  Outcome unlucky, perhaps?  I know, I know, my insinuation is creepy and unwarranted, I apologize.

At any rate, peeking into other people’s abandoned blog projects is an interesting reflection on human nature and life in general.  May we all find projects that keep us happy and engaged!

Happy Sunday!

PS.  I think this is becoming an obsession, almost every blog prefix I try is abandoned…

olivia.blogspot.com
(my last name).blogspot.com (trying to protect my identity a little bit 😉
oliviaelizabeth.blogspot.com
wanderlust.blogspot.com
happylife.blogspot.com
happynow.blogspot.com
luckyheart.blogspot.com
The
List
Goes
On
And
On

So far, of all the prefixes I’ve tried, only one has led to an active blog.  Maybe dead blogs should have a shelf life and then be thrown out so that others may claim their names?!

Tagged ,
Nov 05 2011
2 Comments
Writing

5,827 words…

Wow.  I wish I had more time to write.  This week has forced out more writing than my six weeks of summer vacation.  I really think that the difference is writing without looking back instead of losing my energy worrying about word choice and reviewing each small piece over and over.  Maybe the writing is better that way, but it does not matter if it keeps me from ever finishing.  I’m excited that I’m actually making slow but steady progress forward.

Since I know that you’re enthralled by my progress, you can track me here:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/todaybestlife

If nothing else, holding myself publicly accountable is just one more step toward finishing a whole book.  I may not make it to 50,000 words in a month, but if I make it to 30,000 words, I’ll be more than pleased!

Happy Saturday!

Tagged , ,
Oct 29 2011
1 Comment
Writing

Hold the presses!!

I just discovered the most exciting challenge!  National Novel Writing Month = 50,000 words written in November.  Yes, I work about 60 hours a week, but, I get a week off in November, and always have my evenings.  I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.  This quote helps:

“Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. This approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.  Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap.”
Wow.  I’m excited.  Really excited.  I’m seriously like a little kid right now.  I think I must be destined to a life as a hermit by how exciting this challenge is to me.  Now I have the next three days to pick my story idea.  To restart one of my various previous book-writing attempts, or to start completely anew, that is the question!
If you want to join me in this adventure, check out the site:
Tagged , ,
Jul 22 2011
Leave a comment
Life, Writing

Introduction

I make no promises to entertain you.  Let it be known, my goal, (as all blogs seem to have a goal), is to give myself a space to share what is on my mind.  I hope to share what is going on in my life as well as things that inspire me.  I don’t mind if you have no interest in reading any of it.  No one is forcing you to!

Moreover, this is not a blog with the hidden desire to become a book or some other source of income.  Yes, I like to write and write in my spare time, but this blog is not about creating some sort of coherent marketable package. Instead, it’s just an attempt to connect more with the people in my life, (ironic, I know, since it’s online), and to become more comfortable with my writing voice that I present to other people.  I’m not a writer by occupation, which means that I often find many reasons not to write in the day.  That is why I like the blog format so much, it keeps my writing alive even when I only have energy to share an anecdote from my day.

I also feel like it’s the perfect medium to not spend so much time worrying about whether everything is beautifully interwoven and to instead just write.  In teaching kids to write, (since that is what I do by day, teach), there is a lot of emphasis on free-writing, which is something that I want to do more often.  So here I am, writing, free-writing, without the pressure to be perfect but with the pressure to write frequently.  Perfect!

Tagged ,
Newer posts →