Success only flourishes in perseverance -- ceaseless, restless perseverance.
--Baron Manfred Von Richtofen

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Enthusiasm!

I've been participating in a writing challenge this month. I challenged myself to write a hundred pages in the March. Not an easy task! Last week I failed miserably. I wrote only nine pages! I felt bad at failing yet again, but I decided to keep trying. I figured if I could write five every day (except Sunday), I could still make the goal.

You know what? I have totally shocked myself by writing five pages every day this week! Yesterday, I did it in spite of the fact that I didn't start at all until about 10:30pm. And I still got to bed before midnight! It feels like some sort of miracle. Like I'm Peter walking on the water and any minute I'm going to start doubting I can write five pages a day, and I'll start sinking. But no. I can do this. I have faith.

A couple things I think have made a difference for me this week. The first is that when I sit down to write, I leave my iPad in another room. This has made a HUGE difference.

Second, I have been working on the enthusiasm side of Rachel Aaron's writing triangle. Not only my enthusiasm for writing itself, but my enthusiasm for the scenes I am writing. Take yesterday. I had come to a new scene and I wasn't sure exactly where I wanted to go. I kept trying to make the character fit into the plan I had made for him. Wasn't working. Finally, I just let my imagination wander. What else might he do? I hit on a possibility that took him in the exact opposite direction I intended. It totally worked. I was excited about it. And bingo! I got my five pages in just over an hour.

I think we all need to write what we are excited about. What we can get enthusiastic over. Because, after all, if we don't love it, neither will anyone else!

Here's hoping for some more enthusiasm today!

9 comments:

T. M. Hunter said...

Good luck! Myself, my enthusiasm has been shot to crap for a long time... :-\

Angie said...

Yeah, Todd. I've been the same way. I feel like I'm finally coming out of a fog. Hang in there and just keep writing!

Anonymous said...

Awesome! Keep going! I think you can reach your goal. :)

Anonymous said...

Awesome! Keep going! I think you can reach your goal. :)

Angie said...

Thanks, Alexandra!

Jewel Allen said...

Great job, Angie! Keep up the good work. :-)

Carolyn V said...

Great comment! I totally agree. I think we have to love what we write. ;)

Jackee said...

There's nothing better than enthusiasm for what one does. Yay for exciting new scenes and meeting big goals! <3

Tyrean Martinson said...

I agree! We need to write what we are excited about. I had the same kind of dilemma with my 2nd draft of Champion in Flight. I knew I needed to write a whole new first chapter, but I was stuck. I didn't actually know what one character was going to reveal to another . . .I knew it was something big, but I didn't want a "Luke I am your Father" moment because that really didn't fit. I had to just let myself daydream, and finally, I had an idea that I realy liked.