Hi y’all!
November is a hectic month! I hope you all have been able to keep up with your writing! It has become very clear to me that National Novel Writing Month was not intended for college students and if you are a college student and complete the challenge, you can color me impressed!
I think it is important to remember, especially during this time of year, that writing can take the form of many different things. It is not just a word count, even though marking words on a page is really important. Writing can be as simple as listening to conversations at a coffee shop or listening to your new favorite song on repeat. Writing is falling in love with a word, its texture and look on a page. It’s trying to fit that word in what you are working on. Sometimes, for me at least, writing is staring out into space, daydreaming. Some of my best idea’s have come from something as simple as watching a movie and talking about it with friends. Sitting down and creating a work of art has to come from inspiration, making room for being inspired is so important.
I realize that what I have just said makes writing sound very romantic, but sometimes writing is dirty and hard. Revision is really difficult, and probably the worst part of writing, at least in my humble opinion. This is followed closely by getting feedback from readers. This is writing too and it is just as, if not more, important than creating a word count. During workshop, sometimes it is really tough to hear what people have to say about my narrative, but I have gotten some really good idea’s from that. It is all about improving what you have and growing as an individual. Understanding what your audience see’s is essential to the craft.
Now it the time where I would usually share some of my writing, but instead I’m going to so list some of the things that have lead to new idea’s for my narratives or completely new stories.
- Watching my cat play with a mouse toy-rather lazily
- Talking to a friend about the news
- Listening to feedback on the ending of a narrative
- Listening to a Kesha song
- Watching Deadpool
- Giving feedback on someone else’s story
Writing encompasses many, many things other than the physical act of writing. That is why it is art!
Good luck with your writing this week! Please share your favorite writing habits!
Kayla
I loved your very well written post and good luck with your NaNoWri challenge this November 😍