I discovered yesterday that finding a place outside of my house to sit and write works really well to get more done. It was Panara Bread yesterday, but I decided it might work nicely today to pair my morning walk with my writing session. However, I don’t really want to spend money on food or coffee every time I write, as that would get expensive. So I decided I’d drive to the library and walk from there and when I got back I could go inside and find a corner to sit and write. Unfortunately, I usually walk right after the kids get on the bus, which is at 7:30ish. The library doesn’t open until 10:00. And I don’t generally walk for 2 hours.
So what did I end up doing? Walking near the library, but going into a local restaurant to grab breakfast tacos and finish listening to my podcast while I waited for the library to open. Kind of defeated that purpose, but I will keep tweaking to get this to work. To add to that, I had to pack up and move locations in the middle of this post to move to the library. I would have just stayed at the restaurant, except my daughter asked me to grab a couple of books for her while I’m here, so I still had to go.
I am now sitting at a study carol (that’s what they are called, right?). It’s kind of cool because there are these blinders on three sides that hide the distractions around me. Of course, they do nothing for the distraction of the internet. The only reason I connected to the wifi was to be able to write this post. Perhaps I should have written it offline in a Word document and waited until it was done to copy/paste/post, but what’s done is done.
Yesterday I finished the short story I was writing and I need to start another one or work on the idea I have for a novel. However, there’s something super daunting about a blank canvas. I went through a Writer’s Block pre-recorded workshop last week that talked about this very thing. Something about the blank document being full of potential and the fear of not doing the ideas in your head justice. But the only way to get through it is to prove that fear wrong. Write even when you don’t have anything to say. That’s kind of what I’m trying to do right now.
I have another StoryAWeek prompt I can work with, so I at least have a jumping off point. But I still feel stuck. However, I’ve set a goal for myself. I don’t have to write anything good I just have to write something. I’ve managed to write fiction for 9 days in a row. That’s not too shabby, considering how long I went without writing any out of fear.
I am working on telling my Inner Critic that I appreciate it trying to keep me safe, but I’ve got this. I may not write the next Great American Novel, but I can write something for me and still be happy. At this point, while it would be exciting to be traditionally published, that’s putting the cart before the horse and I may discover that’s not even what I want anyway.
Okay, that’s enough procrastinating. Time to work on writing some fiction.
If I’m being honest, that was pretty fun… This week’s prompt was to write something with a hidden message. Meaning, to hide a word or phrase into what you write (ex: first letter of each sentence spells out your message). I ended up writing three different micro stories with three very different feels. And because I had so much fun with them and have no intention of taking them any further than where they are right now, I have decided to share them here. See if you can find the messages in each one. I’ll give the answers in a comment, so wait to read that if you want to figure it out on your own. (Just a hint, I used a different tactic for each story.)
Story 1:
How do I love thee?
Oh, let me count the ways…
My heart beats faster when I see you down the hall.
Every smile you send my way fills me with sunshine.
Can you feel the sparks between us?
Overcoming my fear of rejection
May be the biggest mountain I’ve ever climbed.
I feel the urge to say something, but
Never find the exact right words.
Give me strength to face my tomorrow and say yes!
Story 2:
How do I quiet the Inner Critic?
Every step forward feels like climbing a boulder.
It’s hard to see how far I’ve come when there is so much ahead of me.
When others make me feel I must meet a prescribed quota,
It can be enough to make me give up in defeat.
But if I can push through, perhaps I’ll find I’ve created my Masterpiece.
Story 3:
Heavy winds and rain have started.
Buy provisions; water, food, batteries.
Hurry to helter; will it be safe?
Do I ride out the storm?
Will I make the right choice?
How accurate are the predictions?
Will we arrive before it hits?
There is no way to know the right thing to do.
All there ever will be is hope.
The third story will probably be the trickiest to decipher. But I had fun figuring it out. How did you do? Don’t read my answers in the comments until you’ve tried on your own first!
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