500 Word Challenge - Day 1
For Day #1, I am supposed to announce that I am challenging myself to write 500 words for the next 31 days. I am under no illusion that this is going to be easy. The last time I posted anything on this blog was February of 2013, and I managed to write 1200 words for NaN0WriMo 2013. So obviously, though I love to write, it is not something that I have been able to focus on. I decided to do this challenge because I want to try my hand again at the NaNoWriMo. In order to be more successful that I have been the last two years, I needed to brush up my skills and get into the habit of writing every day before November.
The last two years that I have attempted the NanNoWriMo were unsuccessful. I had not really sat down to think about why I hadn’t been able to get passed the first two days. So, when I decided to try it again this year, I knew I had to change my strategy. Thinking about it, the last two years I went into November with little to no preparation, just a vague idea of what I might want to write about. The new strategy: plan ahead. Obviously I am not going to do any of the writing, but I really want to make an outline, do some research, and have everything ready to go.
So, what are my obstacles going to be? First of all, though I love to write, like many of my students, I have a hard time getting the thoughts from my head to the page. I can come up with great stories and conversations in my head, but I can’t seem to get it down on paper the same way it plays out in my head. This causes a lot of frustration and is definitely one of the reasons why I give up. But I am hoping this gets better with daily practice. Second obstacle will definitely be my love of television! I can’t blame it entirely on Netflix, but they certainly make it easy to get lost in a show. I have been told that I have an obsessive personality, which is definitely true when it comes to TV shows. I can’t just watch one episode! This has hindered my housecleaning, reading, and my writing. But I am going to stay focused and just take it one day at a time.
A fourth paragraph brings me to 400 words and I am struggling to come up with 100 more words meet the challenge. I guess I could talk about how in order to make this as successful as possible, I created a new writing space. Considering I have already admitted that television is a weakness, I find it awkward to mention that my desk faces a television. So maybe I didn’t think through it all the way. Anyway, I am hoping that by starting this challenge on my vacation will give me a couple of days to get in the habit of writing before jumping back into work.
WC: 516