1) My schedule. My schedule is a full-blown mess, since I can no longer write every day. And I'm okay with that. I used to be psychotically not okay with that in the summer, but when school starts, that GPA (ahhh!) is my number one priority. If you want to know how much of an Asian GPA freak I am, I panicked when I got my anthropology quiz back today, and it was only 91.35% (oh yeah, you know I remember the EXACT percentage). Because that's an A-. Just while I'm at it, I'll go ahead and let you know my one out-of-this-world-impossible dream in life is to be like Barack Obama/Elle Woods (obviously interchangeable) and go to Harvard Law. So as you can see, there are a lot of other things occupying my mind. Instead, I try to block out days where I can have at least an hour to write. And then the trouble is trying to follow that plan religiously, instead of getting distracted by Bubble Tea! or other things that suddenly seem invariably more important during Writing Time.
2) My story. I'm writing fan fiction instead of real stuff. But that's okay, because the reviews I'm getting shallowly boost my self-esteem. And I'm not just saying this--it's really dorky, but fan fiction improves your craft. Usually. I mean, if you're one of those people who can't spell "please read" or "summary" correctly in your summary, then maybe all hope is lost for you/the English language/humanity. In attempting to prove the worth of my detour to myself, I'm also in a way, practicing plotting. Because I have come to the conclusion that I am awful at plotting. It's a weakness of mine. I can do dialogue. I can do description decently. I am a pretty above average writer. But plotting is HARD. So I'm going to use this opportunity to practice in a way that only involves rejection/acceptance from casual anonymous readers on the Internet instead of SCARY AGENTS.
3) Rewriting. I rewrote the last chapter of said fan fiction story 3 times already, and it's still not done. Before I started writing seriously, I never rewrote. Like, never ever. If it was out on paper, it was IN STONE. It was like a commandment of God. The delete key did not exist for me. But now it does, and I am happy. I am learning the magic of the "try, try again" theory.
4) Keeping at it. I've also learned it's unacceptable for me to use writer's block now as an excuse to not post a new chapter in three months. Which happened for my last fan fiction novel. That is called laziness. I am a hard worker. I can do this. I can update on time. I can be on a timely schedule. I can WRITE STORIES and most importantly, FINISH THEM. This is a good lesson for life in general--not quitting.
5) Appreciation. What's new? My appreciation for the journey of writing, instead of the months from January to August where I was hellbent on rolling out a novel for publication. I'm getting a lot better at appreciating the spontaneity of the beginning of a chapter, the frustration of the middle of a chapter, and the satisfaction of the end of a chapter. Life is about the journey, not the destination (because the destination is invariably death...), so stories are too.
WHAT AM I DOING? It's midnight, and I have a British history test tomorrow. If I don't get an A in that class, I will be SAD. I also wiped out half of a full-sized bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos and had frozen yogurt twice. The story of a college student (by that I mean, the story of gaining the Freshman 15, except every year).
Monday: Somewhere Nowhere In My Kingdom
Tuesday: Can we please pretend like I got this out on time? Edit: HA, my timestamp says I did!
Wednesday: Sometimes Helpful Nonsense
Thursday: Flames and Shadows
Friday: Girl With A Notebook
Sounds like despite your full schedule, you've got things pretty well prioritized. Keep up the good work, but don't forget to stop and take the occasional breath, lol.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your British History exam!
Whoa, you put me to shame. Good luck with that exam!
ReplyDelete