It’s almost as if nobody wants to admit that they might not be prepared to do the work it takes to love somebody. And it can be laborious. To be intimate with someone who is flawed (which is the standard) requires us to expose our own flaws. We don’t talk about the heavy responsibility of that. We don’t talk about how we’re too lazy or too cowardly sometimes. We instead accuse love of being elusive. It isn’t. It is omnipresent. It asks us to be better people. And sometimes we flat out refuse.
various things i was working on the past week for my original fiction piece, ghost towns (working title lol) when i was too tired to write - these were fun, especially when nights got late and i didn’t know what words to write down!
You know what's funny? Just after Christmas I visited a psychic for the first time on Bell Boulevard. It was just a little joke to myself, and partly book research turned field trip. I've always been prone to all this sort of spiritual stuff, from horoscopes to dream meanings and whatnot, so I've always been wary of going to one just because I didn't want to fall down the rabbit hole and end up giving her all my money. To my surprise (and maybe it's just a sign of me growing up), I was much more of a skeptic than I thought I'd be. But the one thing she did tell me that really, really got to me was this: you've been doing well, but you have to remain focused. As I left the table and made my way to the bar later that evening, that was the only thing I could really think about. Stay focused, Justine. Stay focused!
(As you can tell, this is still very much on my mind. Maybe the psychic was on to something, after all.)
So that's my New Year's Resolution for 2017. To remain focused. To be honest, this wasn't something that was always easy to follow this year. I strayed from books I swore I'd finish, didn't take down important notes I could've used for later, wasn't kind to myself when I knew I was just starting out in original fiction. I drifted in both my dreams and insecurities. I asked myself "are we there yet?" and "am I even good enough?" much too often, and wandered from my path in doing so.
I've always been good at just waiting for things to happen. I consider sitting around a pastime of mine, first to baseball and second to writing. As much as I know I've made better strides in 2016 to better myself, to stand up for the things I've created, to remove myself from people who've only brought me down, I realize there's still so much to be done. All I know is that I still have to keep writing and writing and writing, and that means setting measurable goals. Here they are, in handy dandy bulletproof form:
Read more: I am immensely guilty of not reading enough. I vow to read at least one book a month, picked from all the ones I bought this year and never ended up reading (ack!)
Write 750 words a day: my previous goal in 2016 was a thousand words a day, but I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to finish and didn't account for the reading time above.
Finalize that first novel: Pardon me for speaking in second person for this one, but, Justine, you did it! You wrote a whole heckin' book in 2016! But you can't just stop there. Revise until you're confident with it, and know when to respect the work enough to call it finished. And don't take too extended of a break after being done with it. Work on something new. Keep on writing, you lil baby.
Stop referring to writing as my hobby, or my side hustle. It's what I want to do. It's what I've been doing. Short and simple.
Keep taking notes visually: this year, I learned that I synthesize information really well by making graphs and plot charts and all that good stuff. Keep doing that!
Keep using my idea notebook: my best friend and confidante. I love you, idea notebook.
Keep attending writing group every Saturday!
Be kinder to myself and those around me.
Anyway, I wanted to keep this short. As much as I want to reflect on this bittersweet year,
and all the wins and losses I incurred in 2016, I suppose that takes away from the path ahead. So, with that said, here's to a 2017 we can all be proud of.
Peace and love 🔮
you're writing is AMAZING! i was wondering what advice you have for other writers trying to improve
Hi there! Sorry for the late response, I don't log in here a lot anymore but I'm glad you asked! I'm still trying to improve everyday, in fact, but I think it comes down to two simple things: read more, write more, and get feedback from other trusted people in your circle. (And really I'm not an expert or anything, it's just that this seems like the common line of advice...I actually only started reading more recently so it's definitely a learning process!)
blakekathryn
andulkaphoto
ellievsbear
vaporwave
romaincrisis
gummygunk
snowghoul
