 Drama: September 30, 2020 Issue [#10396] |
This week: The Writing Habit Edited by: Jeff  
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"What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out."
-- Alfred Hitchcock
Trivia of the Week: If you developed a habit where you wrote 500 words per day, 5 days a week, you would have 130,000 words written at the end of a year. That's an entire novel (or two!), or 65 short stories (averaging 2,000 words per story)!
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THE WRITING HABIT
I'm writing this newsletter coming off a particularly productive September, where the Writing.com anniversary week festivities really jump started my motivation to start writing again. For all of 2020 through August, I hadn't written anything for this site. No short stories, no poems, just a a few blog posts as part of "The Soundtrack of Your Life" back in February. In the four weeks since September 1st, I've added ten new items to my port, and entered over a dozen different contests and challenges here on the site. The one thing I've (re)learned from this? Momentum is important. Having a writing habit is important.
Contrary to the bit of trivia I posted up above, I don't believe that a writing habit has to be every day. I have a full-time job, a family, and a number of other interests and obligations in my life. And in our COVID-adjusted reality, things are different from one day to the next, so it's unrealistic to assume or expect myself to be able to adhere to a daily habit that leaves very little margin for error. Instead, I've adopted a process where I set weekly goals for myself, and give myself the grace and the freedom to accomplish that however I need to accomplish it during the week. If I can manage to do a little every day for all seven days? Great. If I can manage to do a bit more and cram it into five days so I have two days off? Excellent. If the week is a dumpster fire and I have to stay up late on the weekend cramming in the writing work I didn't get done? Not ideal, but so be it.
A writing habit isn't just important for keeping the rust from collecting on your writing skills. It's also important because the natural process of beginning something, seeing it through, and finishing it is also important. I can't count the number of writer friends I have who get incredibly frustrated when it feels like they're just spinning their wheels and not getting anywhere. Particularly on long projects, that can be a powerful force that tempts you to procrastinate, which is why I try to find a shorter-form interest (short stories, poems, blogging, etc.) where I can undertake a smaller goal, accomplish it quickly, and thereby get to enjoy that feeling of having completed something. Between not feeling like my writing skills are rusty or out of practice, and giving myself constant reminders of how good it feels to finish a piece of writing, that's been what's provided me with the encouragement and motivation to keep going this month, to keep working on things rather than falling back into a sense of complacency.
If your goals involve writing accomplishments and you're having trouble completing those projects, consider getting into a writing habit (or adjusting it if your current habit isn't working for you). Play around with different goals, motivations, and rewards until you find the method that works for you (and by "work for you," I mean results in words on the page and you achieving the goals you set out for yourself). Don't get too eager and force yourself into habits that are so difficult and demanding you have no hope of keeping up (there's a lot of evidence to suggest that puts you in an even worse mindset), but rather set achievable, attainable goals that you can focus on and appreciate once you've achieved.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: When the steady rains came to quench the parched earth, we rejoiced: that is, until ‘The Enlightened One’ beckoned us forth. The beckoning was not unusual. Rather, the sense of urgency superseding his typically stoic presence was.
The meeting chamber was massive, suspended above-ground, nestled among the ancient trees; as were our private chambers. Strong nests of interlacing branches imparted the perfect foundation to support the dwellings built upon them.
EXCERPT: Matt's breath fogged his Art Deco mirror as he checked his new wig was in place. Out of the mist, he saw the throbbing image of a dark blue deck chair abandoned in the brown sea which lapped about its metal legs. A summer breeze billowed the dark fabric. It had been her chair. Now it seemed like a bad dream, their last summer together.
Matt thumbed through his dog-eared address book, and after a few phone calls, he knew where Susan lived. He drew back his narrow shoulders and decided he would visit her before it was too late. He kept repeating to himself that faint heart never won fair lady. This time I'm going to do it right.
EXCERPT: Mia walked into a storage in order to clean the basement. She rummaged through the dusty materials till she came across a photograph. She looked at the photograph and stepped back suddenly in shock.
EXCERPT: Huh? Where am I? Why can't I move? I try to blink but no color comes into sight all I see is black and a little bit of white. Wait, is that light? I struggle to open my eyes and finally with real power they open and stay open. I try to lift my head, but it takes effort as something is slightly forcing it back down. I finally make do with looking around at the position I'm in.
EXCERPT: There was a beautiful princess in Europe who was married into a very popular royal family who was often seen in the press and in the media. This princess, Danica, wanted nothing more but to be an essential part of the thrilling goings on in the royal court and take the arm of her husband Prince Theo wherever they went and were photographed for magazines and television. Princess Danica was very optimistic when she married into the popular royal family of Prince Theo and lived in their lavish castle high up on a small mountain.
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Feedback from "Drama Newsletter (September 2, 2020)" about Writing.com over the years:
Quick-Quill  writes: "I’m 13 years on WDC. Many changes. Some good, some even better. We all get used to what we have and it works. I’m thankful for each of the people who have helped me to become a published author."
I remember when they released the P15 update and a lot of users were like, "I don't know how to use the site anymore!" 
jabberwocky  writes: "Thanks for the reflection on the early days. I too have been here a long time,I remember when it was stories.com lol. Seeing the old interface was a trip. Thanks for the retrospective!"
It's come a long way, hasn't it? 
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