Yesterday I introduced myself to my fellow classmates in an online writing course that begins on July 11th. I sound like a boring person in my introduction, which either means that I am, actually, boring, or that I reallllly need the writing course. Probably both.
This morning, my gentle Amazon alarm rang at 6 a.m. and ... You better get up. You promised you would ... but you have COVID. Isn't that enough of an excuse? But I know I feel fine to get up. Dammit. 5-4-3-2-1 ... and I was up.
I brushed my teeth, didn't put in my contacts (still celebrating the victory of PRK), and poured some ice coffee. I listened to a short meditation recording from Headspace, realized that clearing my mind feels next to impossible, took some deep breaths, and put my a$$ in the chair.
The thing was, I didn't stay there for long. But don't worry...it's not because I quit because I did not quit for a single second (and even kept working until Annabel needed me for a ride to gymnastics). I didn't stay in my seat because I mostly stood facing the wall in our den on which I hung (crookedly) this pocket chart that I have had in my classroom for years. Here is an image of a "pocket chart" for non-teachers.
Using this excellent-used-condition pocket chart, I outlined the three main parts of the book and decided on the two points of view that I want to take (actually, it may be three but the last one is tricky...stay tuned).
In the many "how to write a novel" podcasts, MasterClasses, and YouTube videos I have watched about becoming a writer, authors have shared a common theme about outlining: some authors do it and some don't. For the ones who outline, some do it extensively and some do it with lots of wiggle room for adjustments. For the ones who don't outline, many cite the need to stay creative through the process. Since I've never written a book, I don't know which type of writer I am so I'm going to try the outlining method and see where it takes me.
So this morning I decided that each "part" should have about 12 chapters and each chapter should be able 10 pages. In reality, I just took the novel I'm reading now (American Dirt), found how long it is (379 pages) divided 379 by the number of chapters (36) and decided that I'd round down. Voila! I just have to write 36 awesome 10-page mini-stories, have them all fit together perfectly, and I have a novel. Piece. Of. Cake. (Yum. Cake. Ugh!)
Sometime about 57 minutes into outlining, thinking, and plotting, I had a little breakthrough with one of my key themes. I can't give it away now but it was important and I have my first piece of personal evidence to prove what all those authors have said -- when you actually focus on writing, you come closer to writing. It's magical.
Yep, Day 1 was awesome and I'm already eager to go to sleep so I'm closer to Day 2. And I am never eager to go to sleep, so I'm deeming Day 1 a positive little baby step.
As for my second commitment, to read for 60 minutes, I failed. Ugh. But I learned a lot, including this:
1. I did a favor for some friends today that took about an hour. I learned that I should have said "Yes" to this favor only after I finished my reading and writing commitments. Next time someone asks me for time that I know could infringe on my writing or reading commitments, I'm going to say, "Yes, I can, but only after I get my work done." I'm terrible at saying anything but, "Yes, I can," and I need to work on that. Period. Let's practice. Yes, I can, but only after I get my work done. Easier said then done.
2. In my house, we watch TV together beginning around 8 or 9 p.m. I love having my husband, two kids, and my dog all in the same room, even if five screens are still lighting up around us. I think we are somehow bonding, too. But also, if I'm being totally honest, I've always struggled with that TV time. I guess I can love something and simultaneously struggle with it because I swear, the love and the struggle coexist. First, when we watch TV, I just want to eat, and I battle with the food that calls to me from the kitchen. If I give in to the food, it's no good for my brain. But second, when we watch TV, I'm bored. I try to pay attention to the story in whatever show my family chose, but something inside me has always felt like I should be using that time for something else. Tonight, when they sat down to watch TV, I realized I hadn't done my 60 minutes of reading. I was disappointed with myself until I thought, I could not watch TV and do the reading now. But then I'd have to go upstairs and I like being near them. I tried it out anyways and went upstairs. But instead of reading, I started to write this. Then I had to go pick up Teddy. Then I had to take the dog out. But now I'm back. I still haven't done by 60 minutes of reading, but I'm going to get to it. I can hear Brian and Annabel enjoying their 35th episode of Chuck downstairs and it's clear I'm not as central to TV time as I thought. Plus, it's not as lonely up here as I thought it would be. Actually, it's kind of nice.
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