Today I spent a lovely few hours relaxing with my family at a peaceful spot in the Morton National Park called Yadboro. There’s not much there apart from a rustic camp area, a pebble strewn river and beautiful shady gums. The perfect place to hang out and ponder.
Of course I was enjoying the company and my surroundings but I was also considering how I’m going to organise my time and exactly what I’m going to be working on for the writing challenge I’ve set up for January. Before the 1st of the month it’s a good idea to make a list of what you want to be doing each day, what you hope to accomplish each week and what your overall goals are for the end of the month.
The Huffington Post recently published an excellent article on new year resolutions which applies to writing and other goals:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-caprino/new-years-resolution_b_2360153.html
One of the things I want to do is get back into morning pages. Writing three pages by hand first thing each morning is a great way to declutter your brain and allow your stream of consciousness to conjure up new ideas. Read more about morning pages in a previous post here: http://wp.me/pVnoP-6v
I also plan to work on the nano novel I started (but didn’t finish)in November and might even do more outlining on a sequel for Blackwattle Lake.
I’ll have a concrete list established by New Year’s Eve and will be posting daily tips on how to keep yourself writing. And I’ll be writing that list down rather than just having a vague notion of it in my head. Seeing things in front of you in black and white makes them more real and means you’re more likely to commit.
Remember to share what you’re writing and pass along any tips you might have yourself. Looking forward to hearing what you will be writing this January and beyone.
How lovely Yadboro sounds, Pamela. Thanks for sharing this sublime image of it.
Since I’ll be commenting throughout January, I’ve decided to offer a little background here, for others who are taking up the challenge.
Writing three morning pages had been the first activity of every day of my life for about seven years, until I suffered a stroke on 23 February this year. Many months later, advanced scans showed it had been a brain stem stroke, so I count myself incredibly lucky to be alive and reasonably capable. I have, though, been left with cognitive and physical impairments, and am no longer able to read for more than about 15 minutes at a stretch, nor to write at any length.
For the nine days in hospital, I wasn’t able to write morning pages. But once I was home again, I returned to this anchoring, creative start to my days. I’m not able to write three pages – I started out just writing a few sentences each morning. Now, ten and a half months post-stroke, I write a page or a bit more each morning.
In August, a friend suggested I try writing haiku, since I’m not capable at the moment of working on the umpteenth draft of my first novel. I started posting haiku to my blog, and sometimes added a short post, talking about my recovery.
Writing – the morning pages, the haiku and the blog posts – has been a core aspect of my rehabilitation, and I suspect I might have been lost without it.
Like you, Pamela, I’m considering my goals for January, and will offer more comments as the days unfold.
Great to be part of this writerly community – thank you!
Thanks so much for sharing your story Desney – I wasn’t aware of the severity of your stroke. Wonderful to hear of your rehabilitation and the way writing has provided an anchor for it. It sounds like you’re making strong progress. And thank you for joining in on the challenge and sharing your writing wisdom.