Oh Yeah!
As followers of my facebook page would know, on Monday I hit the legendary 50,000 words in my NaNoWriMo novel. As awesome as that is, in my plotting I projected the novel would actually be 100,000 to 120,000 long, typical epic fantasy stand-alone length, so I’m barely half way through, so I’ve got to keep up the momentum.
The other day, on The Vixen Gamer’s facebook profile I found the following task set by Ray Bradbury for writers. He suggests you write down ten things you love about writing and ten things you don’t really love. Here’s mine:
I like:
1 – The feeling when the story just flows and I can write for ages almost without pause. My husband says I can write faster than he reads and that makes me grin so much there’s no space left on my face for my cheeks,
2 – The way that even if I have to drive a long distance by myself, my characters and scenarios just play in my head and keep me company, also works for boring periods at work and menial tasks around the house,
3 – The feeling when you write a sentence that sings, and you didn’t even try!
4 – Re-reading my work and getting wrapped up, excited and emotional – even though I know what’s going to happen
5 – Creating characters and making all their scars, complexities, dreams and fears, even though I don’t get to share it all with the reader – those bits are my little secret *Cheshire cat-style grin*.
6 – I write far better than I speak, I’m more articulate and communicate more easily,
7 – The swell of excitement I get when I write a new idea down for the first time and it just keeps expanding on itself,
8 – Being able to write a character that may make a real person feel good about themselves or smile when they identify with them,
9 – Making magic systems, races, cultures, creatures, entire worlds – I must have a god complex,
10 – Having an awesome excuse to research fun things (like medieval inventions and Greek mythology) and calling it work.
Dislike:
1 – Stopping at ten for the ‘like’ list,
2 – The fear that people will be enraged or full of hate (for me or the character) at my portrayal of ‘different’ characters,
3 – When I desperately want to keep writing, but either my son needs me or the housework is overdue to be done or I have to go to work >.< also the guilt that follows the ‘I’d rather be writing’ feeling,
4 – When my personal mood differs from that in the passage I am writing and that feeling begins to seep into the scene but doesn’t fit at all
5 – When I NEED to stick to the current story but another idea just keeps banging on the door like a salesman that just won’t give up,
6 – Pressure to live up to the expectations of certain people who seem to think one book published and I’ll be JK Rowling or Stephen King,
7 – Writing ‘rules’ that make you second guess yourself,
8 – That there is never enough time to write everything I want
9 –?
10 – ?
I couldn’t quite come up with ten dislikes. Oh well, a good sign I guess.
Any you agree/disagree with? Anything you might add? Are there ten pros and cons for your dream job?
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