I think you're thinking of someone else.

[underused]

I've fallen into this trap of wanting everything I write to be less than 200 words. I'm writing to match my attention span, which has been waning for a decade. I love you, internet, but you've rewired me. I'm a goldfish.

I've just emerged from a week of activity. Seeing people, doing things--the family business. My sister was visiting from overseas, so all of us and our partners spent as much time together as possible.

For a person who spends so much time alone, it was borderline surreal. I'm so terribly unsocial that after a day or two of steady interaction I feel like a part of my brain shuts down. I mean, I'm there, eating, talking, making plans--and I'm happy to be there, because these are people I love--but everything seems odd and other, like watching my life through the wrong end of binoculars. At the end of it, there's an unshakeable sense I've imagined it all.

Comments

[balganwall]

Don't feel too bad about the 200-word limit your brain wants to impose. It's been happening to me for years--I also blame the internet--but I've finally come to see it as a benefit.

I'm continuing the rough draft of a novel I finally started writing nearly a year ago. I wrote the first part through NaNoWriMo, which suggests a daily word count of 1,560 to make a 50K novel. I found myself typing like mad just to get meet that goal, steadily enjoying the process less and less. It's not uncommon to find a lot of people in the forums stressing out and lamenting that they just can't write. (And the pep talks are infuriating. "You got your novel started, so you're still a winner!")

This time around, with Camp NaNoWriMo, I set my own daily word limit: 300. It's not too difficult to meet, and if I go over that limit, I feel even more accomplished. And unlike the regular NaNo, if I miss a day or two, I won't feel terrible and end up panicking and rushing to make up for lost writing time. I can easily meet 600, 900, or even over 1,000 words after a break.

I like the idea of NaNoWriMo, but the 1,560 daily word count is intimidating. I think it also ends up with a lot of unhappy writers who feel like they can't accomplish their goals. I personally prefer "chunk writing," and I feel more motivated to finish a story with this method.

[underused]

Heh, at this point, honestly, I'm freakin' thrilled when I write anything at all. ☺

There was a time when I was writing so much I had to reel myself in, but I got burnt out and "took a break" that didn't seem to end. The longer I went without writing, the scarier it felt. Imzy was great because it sort of got me into the habit of writing *something*--even just comments or the wotd posts, so I'm seeing this a positive step.

It makes me happy I'm not the only one who finds pep talks a bit underwhelming. haha.