Back After a Long absence

It's been awhile since I've posted anything and here is the reason (not that anyone is reading). I'm decided to put myself on a strict writing program at work and I wont access this blog from my work computer because I'd like to be able to badmouth work on this page without risking being fired.

My writing program is as follows: Any time that I would spend at work being bored tooling around on the internet will now be devoted to writing. I need to do at least 3 free writes a week (30 minutes consecutive writing, any topic), and I have regular assignments to complete. I even put together a syllabus. The end result, if I follow it all the way through, is that I'll have two more short stories, a host of short pieces written and some ideas for a full length novel. My long term aim is the modest goal of getting something published. So far it's gone well. I've averaged about 45 minutes of writing a day and I've managed 30 minutes of uninterrupted writing nearly every day for the past two weeks.

My only concern is staying focused on the short term stuff. I really need to rebuild my writing skills but naturally I want to jump into writing something long and complicated. Today was a good example. I wasted about an hour on an story idea that would be long, complicated, research intensive, and pretty much guaranteed to piss of any evangelical Christian friends I have. Hmmm, maybe I should shore up my grammar first, then assault people's belief systems. On the plus side I think the idea might be pretty good.

So why has that stopped me from posting here? For one thing, my wife is the only person reading this page and I don't like her to see any of my creative writing until it's a rough draft. For another, I've been as busy as hell and trying to keep up with my running. Lastly, I cant right all the time. I need to talk to people and be social, informed, and whatnot. Otherwise, what the hell am I going to write about?

A final note on why so much fervor for creative writing all of a sudden. The truth is the fervor has been there for the past ten years but I've been putting it off. For the same reason that people put off taking that trip they've always wanted to take or talking to that person they've always wanted to talk to. I was lazy and scared. Life throws so much shit at you that there's always an excuse. It's much easier to say I could have been a great writer than it is to say I've tried and I just don't have. I'm finally tired of talking about what could have been. I'm going to try now. Wish me luck.

Cheers

So I've taken the gloves off and thrown myself a Challenge. I cant decide if I'm being too hard or too easy on myself. I've put together a 20 week course for myself. My goal is to rediscover creative writing once and for all or learn once and for all that it wasn't meant to be.

8 years ago I took a course in creative writing. It was a throw away course for some extra credits on the way out the door with my undergrad degree. It was also the most enjoyable class I took at BU. Ever since, I've promised myself that I would continue the creative writing and much to my own disappointment, I haven't been keeping that promise. The occassional freewrite notwithstanding, I've buried my creativity while working at a bank, getting my MBA, starting a family, working for a big company, etc. etc.

The whole life reevaluation process that I've been going through right now has convinced me not to put this off any longer. As hookey as it sounds I've actually put together a complete syllabus with assignments, due dates and major projects. After 20 weeks I want to rediscover that drive to write if it really was there in the first place. I also want to have something I can publish and something I can work on to further my goals in creative writing. So my major assignments are 2 short stories and I want to have several novel ideas, complete with some kind of synopsis, to follow up with after the completion of my "course". Why do all this? because I'm a hopeless procrastinator. I really only put forth my best effort when there's a literal or figurative gun to my head. I am what I am I guess.