Crazy Owl Lady
 Sometimes, the only way to make a picture look interesting is star effects. It’s still rainy. I  didn’t want to go outside. My room’s lighting is crap. But stars make everything better, right?
 Right.
 It’s day two of my resolution to write every day for a year. Look over there —> at my fancy widget! (okay, maybe a bit higher. Right below the “Mara Writes” button) I set the goal at 182,500 words because 500 words a day seems pretty easy. I know that some days, like today so far, I may not get to 500 words a day… but I also know that other days, I will exceed that goal by… possibly thousands. I’ve written 10,000 words in a day. So that could happen. I doubt it,  but it’s possible!
 Today was one of those days where I didn’t feel like writing, but after a few steps, I got an impressive 117 words penned.
One whole paragraph, baby! Oh yeah.
For those of you that are writers, who might want to do a year of writing with me, or maybe just a month of writing, or a week, or… whatever amount, here are a few things that help me when I want to write but don’t feel like writing:
- Listen to music. This is a pretty obvious one, I think, but it helps me focus. I have about twenty Pandora radio stations, and they’re all filled with different sounds– everything from classical to jazz to indie to rap (yes, you heard me, rap). I basically have a soundtrack of sorts for every story  I’ve ever tried to write.
- Take a nap. When you’re feeling sloth-like or groggy, sometimes it’s better to catch a mini-snooze before you try putting words down on paper. Me, I can only nap for about fifteen minutes or the rest goes to waste and I wake up feeling even worse than when I closed my eyes. So set your alarm for a short sleepytime segment, and you might just wake up with the energy to get some writing done.
- Read a book. I’ve heard it said time and again that good writers read lots, and I think it’s true. I feel much more inspired and challenged when I read a good book– sometimes, I only get one paragraph in before I get a jolt of inspiration for whatever I’m writing. So go find something to read, and get your brain going.
- Have a time limit. Sometimes, your muse feels more inclined to give you something when you only have so much time to put it to paper. I woke up from my nap with less than 20 minutes to write something before I have to leave. I’ve got five minutes left, and I’m using those minutes to write this blog post. I might get more writing done when I get home, but hey… 117 words is better than none!
- Shut down your computer. I have never been a big writing-by-hand person, until lately. For some reason, the little notepads at work do wonders for my imagination. I’ve got tons of little papers in my purse from writing at work, and I took a cue and got a line-less notebook that I write in when I have nothing to do at work. The no-checking-twitter/lolcats/whatever else is distracting on your computer really helps your focus.
- Drink some tea. Or coffee. Because there’s just something about sipping a hot mug of liquid that helps.
 And now, for a daily excerpt (I haven’t quite figured out how to do this gracefully yet. Oh well.)
Gently, James drew me closer to him, settling me in the crook of his arm. He had just eaten, and I could feel the slight warmth that his body gave off as he processed the blood now running through him. It was odd, these things were never mentioned in legends. The light heartbeat as we were filled with new blood, the rise in body temperature, the semblance of life, flushed cheeks, the rush of a pulse flowing a steady rhythm in your ears. These things lasted only a few precious hours, and they made us more human.
Odd, that our most violent act would bring us closer to the humanity we had once been a part of.
Excerpt, Tomorrow and Forever
I really do need to get the first chapter finished so that I can have at least one solid chapter posted. I know now that I’m not going to finish this by the end of the month (40,000 words in four days? I mean, it could be done but I do have to work. So… yeah. Not gonna happen.) But who knows! I might finish it by the end of the year, or maybe by my birthday.
Total words written today: 117.
Also, this is the most expensive outfit I’ve worn in a while.
I hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend!
13 Comments
shreejacob
The stars to make it look pretty 🙂 I find music helps me too when I try to write. Having a nap might not actually work for me because alarm or no alarm once I get into sleepy time..all bets are off I’ll be awake in 15 or 20 minutes! LOL!
Glad your day 2 is coming along great 🙂
Mara
Music is one of the biggest things that keeps me writing! It’s that extra push that gets me into the story. Haha! Yeah, some people can’t take short naps. I can’t take long ones.
Demy
Hi!! Yep, stars do make everything better! And now thanks to these pics I have this sond stuck in my head ‘Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now..wish right now..” Yeah, whatever 😛 I love the outfit, of course! You’re a crazy owl (lady) 😛 The ring is so pretty!
I’m not a writer, but all these things help me when I can’t study, all except for taking a nap, because with the lack of sleep lately I don’t think I’ll have the strength to wake up. I just can’t wait for Christmas break AH! 28 more days to go hehe!
No matter if it’s big ir small, your excerpts are always so awesome! I too can’t wait for the first chapter (and the second and third and fourth…. :P) to end! I really really like it and it’s just the beginning! 😀
Mara
Ooh, I’ve never heard that song before. I just looked it up. It’s pretty! I’m going to have it stuck in my head now, too. 😀
I totally forgot to say in my post that I was wearing my owl rainboots earlier. So I had an owl shirt, necklace, ring, and boots on, plus my owl wallet, keychain, and change purse. Definitely crazy owl lady. 😀
Yay! I can’t believe it’s so close to Christmas already!
Thank you!
Annebeth Bels
adorable retro collegiate vibe here, definitely not boring if you ask me! how did you do the starry effect, it looks AWESOME 😀
Mara
Thank you! It’s really easy– in Picnick, I used the “Space Shuttle Launch” effect (under the Seasonal Effects tab) and chose the one I liked best over the pictures. It’s one of my favorite ways to edit pictures!
Snigdha
Inspired by you, I designed book covers for three of my books. do come and see them!
I love your writings, Mara. Really do 😀
Mara
They’re awesome!
Snigdha
Thanks a ton! Means a lot when coming from someone as wonderful as yourself 🙂
and oh P.S.– wicked effects 😉
Asia Morela
That star effect is pretty cool!
Love the excerpt (and the one before, which I forgot to mention) and the way you describe being a vampire… Keep going!! 😉
Mara
Why thank you! 😉 I will do my best.
someonetookmyusername
At first, I thought you had painted your wall like that. I was going to be very jealous.
And I only wrote a paragraph today too. 🙂
Mara
That would be an AMAZING way to paint a wall! AH! Someday. Maybe for a kid’s room.