The Next 122 Days

I've got a new plan, so I'm putting the household purge on hold for a bit.  Partly because it's getting to be too nice outside to be doing stuff inside.  Partly because I'm almost done.  But mostly because I have a visitor.  An old friend I haven't seen lately has decided to stop in for a while so I better give her my full attention, treat her right, and hope she sticks around.  I don't even know her name.  I just call her my muse.

I don't like to admit this but I'm a very undisciplined writer.  I write when the mood hits.  It's like moonshine of the brain -- I let a story or an idea brew for a while and when it reaches maximum potency, I write it down.  That's where I am right now.  There are people in my head who want out. They are tired of having long conversations with me while I walk the dog.  They want to meet each other and start living their lives on the page.  So I'm obligated to let them.

A lot of writers (probably all the successful ones) commit to writing x number of words or pages every day.  I've never been one of the those writers.  But I'm going to give it a try.  I'm committing the next four months to taking the novel that lives in my head and putting it down on paper (okay, on screen). I'm committing to 1,000 words per day.  Yes, I know...some days I'll write more, some less.  But by the end of September, my goal is to have the first draft finished.

That means there's going to have to be some changes around here.  Like maybe getting up earlier. Like maybe less TV.  Except for the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Even though my Leafs are out, I still love my hockey.  And there's only a few more weeks left of The Voice.  Oh, and on June 24th Stephen King's Under The Dome starts.  I can't miss that.  I mean, Steve is my idol.  All right, maybe the occasional movie.  But definitely -- no more Seinfeld reruns.  Except for the one about The Contest. That one is always worth watching for the umpteenth time.

Hmmm...Something tells me my muse is not amused.