As I said in a previous post, NaNoWriMo is approaching. It’s the month when participating writers aim to write a novel of 50,000 words in 30 days.
I’ve done it before. It’s loads of fun. But as I eye it off this year, I’m wondering if it’s the right time for me to participate.
Another thing that’s been on my radar since the beginning of the month is Victober, the event where participants read Victorian fiction for the whole month of October. I participated two years ago while on holiday and ploughed through a Dickens novel I’d never even heard of but enjoyed immensely. But this year…this year felt different…
And then there’s the fact that my library app has several courses from Masterclass and The Great Courses by writers I want to learn from. I know there’s heaps of goodness in those videos and I can’t wait to watch them…except, well, I haven’t managed to watch them.
Yet.
I know there are so many good things to watch and participate in, but how do I choose what’s right for me?
I guess my Creativity will have some things to say on the topic. So I will hand over to her.
First of all, Creativities usually want to do ALL THE THINGS! But not necessarily all the things you’re thinking of. (The semantics of what “all” means could be debated at this point, but I would much rather face down a charging hippopotamus with raging indigestion than get into the weeds of semantics. Do I mean semantics? Or do I mean schematics?)
A healthy Creativity is just buzzing with ideas and any or all of those ideas could grow if you’re willing to pay attention to them and get them out of your head and onto paper, canvas, musical staff paper, pavement/sidewalk, hot air balloon, small rabbit—basically whatever medium and substrate you choose. (Not that my choice of rabbit as a substrate in any way condones animal testing, of course. But I imagine there must be a rabbit or two out there who yearn to meet an artist and be painted camouflage so they disappear into their scenery. No, wait, I live in Australia. That’s a terrible idea! Moving on!)
Where was I pre-rabbit?
Right, your Creativity’s ideas. The thing to remember is that ideas need to be fed. And the feeding of ideas is beyond your Creativity’s abilities. We’re a part of your mind, remember? And feeding requires outside work to bring in inspiration, delve into research, improve a skill, spend time in front of the page/canvas/hot air balloon, and consume muffins. Lots and lots of muffins, so Jessica tells me. Or rather banana bread, but muffins sounds funnier, doesn’t it?
So when you’re choosing to participate in activities that are designed to increase your enjoyment and creativity (using the lower case because we’re talking about the common noun, not the proper noun. What? I can grammar) you want to figure out what your Creativity (proper noun, see?) and the idea you’re bringing to life need.
Do they need to read something Victorian? Or do they need Edwardian? Do they need you to start a brand new novel in November, or do they need you to finish something else before you contemplate a new beginning? Do they need you to take in even more instruction on how to do the thing, or do they need you to JUST DO THE THING?! (Can you tell this is currently a point of contention? It feels good to get it off my chest and out my pigtails.)
I could go on, but I do believe I’ve made my point! Now, I’m off to track down a rabbit in need of an artistic flourish.
So, to boil down Creativity’s ramblings, before you decide on whether to participate in an activity, check in with your Creativity. What do they need you to do? What will feed your current crop of promising ideas?
For me, I don’t feel I need the goal of 50,000 words in a month. I’m still gently returning myself to a writing routine. 1,667 words a day for 30 days is not the goal I need. The goal I need is to write something, even something small, each day for 30 days. That will pull me to my writing rather than push me to do more. (For more on that, see my post about goals.) Too much of a push could do me more harm than good a this point. Gently does it. There’s always next November.
I also don’t need Dickens. What I need is science-fiction. I’m greatly enjoying a sci-fi short story collection and after that I really want to read a sci-fi classic that will prime me to a future writing project. I’m also gently returning to my love of reading so I’m trying to follow closely where my reading desires take me to ensure I properly return to the practice.
And yes, as you’ve seen from Creativity’s outburst above, I need to do the thing rather than just learn about the thing. I’ve recently done quite a bit of reading about writing (including a whole book on writing unforgettable characters [most of which I have forgotten, ironically enough, though that has more to do with the speed I read rather than the book]). I felt it was important to get some good advice in me before I reinstated my writing routine. But there is such a thing as too much advice.
Ideally one wants to learn something and then use it in the next thing one writes. I have read too many things too quickly. I needed the boost, but now I need to go back and start actually using the advice. (Thank goodness Kindle has a highlight function.) So it’s more about review and practice at this point. I get the point, Creativity! Or rather, I concede the point…
So what about you? What activities have you been tempted to participate in? How have you decided whether or not to do the activity?