Welcome to Writer Rants–where every Friday a writer just lets loose on whatever the heck is bugging them this week. Enjoy.
A couple of days ago I wrote 7,211 words for money. Yes, it took me from 6 am to 2 am, for a 20 hour day. No, I didn’t staple myself to a chair. In between articles, blog posts, speeches and web content, I took lots of little play breaks, nosh times and family bonding sessions. That’s not the typical day, thank the powers that be, but it made me wonder. How much do writers, specifically us for hire writers, actually write? After all, our days are not solely made up of writing for clients. Every day I have a billion different tasks related to writing that I have to accomplish. All of these involve writing in some aspect. Here’s me throwing my balls in the air. Catch!
Blogging
Hands up to how many writers have their own blogs? Keep them raised for those of you who have kept it going? Kudos for those of you with hands still sailing. I have to admit, cowering towards the corner, that I regularly draft blog posts that will never see the light of day on my blog. I get these great ideas, typically as I’m trying to get some shuteye, that I dictate into my phone’s notes and there they die. It’s a crying shame, I know, but I have this awful blogger’s block thing going. “Cry me a river,” I know.
Journaling
As a writer with fictional dreams I do one of those every day journals that you keep for 5 years. It’s easy peasy lemon squeezy, just write five succinct lines a day that highlight your activities. Now, this is my type, hehehe, of writing! I fill out those few lines at some point and it stimulates my reflective tendencies, helping me to feel grateful and appreciative of getting to experience said experiences. Highly recommended.
750words
Back when 750words was a free online journaling site, I was smashing out 750 words a day often enough to rake in most of those uber awesome badges they offer. Now it costs newbies $5 a month to join, but in my opinion donations of any sort keep you “owing” the site your morning pages. The site was started after the developers read “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron, which I’d recommend to anyone trying to kick their creatives in high gear.
Fiction Writing
I have one novel in revision status, and I’m writing the first draft of another. Both are fantasy fiction, both involve a female protagonist and female antagonist, and both are, in my humble opinion, the bee’s knees. What? You wouldn’t expect me to say anything less, right? Every week I have a few hours carved out where I take flight to a local coffee shop to work on said stories. I’m using the three-act structure for the latest draft, so I’m having to read and learn about this method of outlining as I go. However, as a former pantser, this whole outlining with purpose is totally doing it for me. Another, highly recommended.
Ode to the Lists
I could not survive without lists. Every day I write at least one list. In pen. On paper. Sometimes I use my phone’s notes, but not often since these notes tragically “disappeared” a few months ago. Who knows. Anyway these lists range from your typical grocery list to lists for box stores, clothing stores, and online stores. Lots of shopping wish and want lists. Then there are the book lists. I have an ongoing list of books I’ve completed, and those I’ve started but had to return to the library before I could finish so hope to return to in the future. There’s the list of books that I want to buy, want to read and need to read. There’s a list for my favorite quotes and a list of my favorite characters and a list of my favorite phrases. Oh, I also keep a list of the movies I’ve watched, listing only those that I want to remember when I’m 80.
As you can see, I haven’t even touched on writing on social media, where words are fleeting, and emails, letters and other correspondence. The point is, we writers write way, way, way more than we realize. And those who are not writers, you write too, even if you don’t consider it writing. Now, that’s a lot of writing being juggled in this world!
Miranda B writes, writes, writes, and then she reads, reads, reads so she can write even better, or at least that is the hope!
