Song for the day is Game Plan by Busby Marou, an Australian duo whose acoustic guitar rifts alone make them one to listen to let alone their sweet blues pop melodies.
At the start of the year I posted about how I had a grand plan where I would acquire a yearly calendar and put a cross on everyday I wrote with the aim of getting long chains of crosses which would then work as motivation, because a long chain is a pretty chain and I don’t want to break something pretty.
It’s worked, to a degree. I’m still marking crosses and I have more days than not with crosses on them, but I haven’t created any really impressive chains yet (I would post a photo of my calendar here but I’m writing this at work so you’ll just have to use your imagination). The good thing about the calendar system is that you can see where you’re coming up short and for me it’s the weekends where I’m most often breaking. This is surprising. If you had asked me before I started I would have thought the weekends were a lock as they’re when I have the most free time and logically I should be using this free time to write. However, also logically, being flat out during the work week the weekends are also when I want to sleep in, read books, and be lazy; not to mention social commitments and getting things done around the house that I don’t have the time for during the workweek. Also, it just goes to show how useful structure and routine is. I rarely break on a weekday because I’ve got it programmed into my schedule that I’ll get at least half an hour writing done before I leave for work, and if I have any free time during my work day (like right now for instance) I will definitely use that time to write as reading a book, being lazy, or sleeping just aren’t as easy to get away with.
So, I’ve located the problem and while I’m mostly happy with the amount I’m writing at the moment I wouldn’t mind trying to increase it and get myself one of those long beautiful sexy chains. That’d be sweet. Last year I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where I wrote roughly 2,500 words every day for a month. It was tough and the writing wasn’t my best but it clearly showed me just how much writing I can get done if I commit to it, so I’m planning on trying to replicate this. I won’t aim to write quite so much and the goal isn’t to try and write a novel, it’s more Write Every Day For A Month (or WriEvDaFoAM, not as catchy admittedly). April will be my month and my goal will be simply to write 600 words every day. Why 600? Because I said so and because it’s 100 more than 500 and I don’t really have a reason, it just seems doable. Traditionally NaNoWriMo takes place in November but if people can have Christmas in July then I think I can get away with this. Hopefully by the end of the month I’ll have a chain of crosses so beautiful the crippling pressure not to break it will keep me writing indefinitely. Wish me luck!
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Keeping things still on the writing front, I recently came across the blog of writer Chuck Wendig. He’s an American author of just a crazy amount of books, a number of which are about writing. Admittedly, I haven’t read any of his books…yet. His blog on the other hand I can’t get enough of. It’s equal parts writing advice, writing challengers, personal journal, and mysterious macro photos. Across all of these his ability to write well and his ability to write humorously is extremely evident. Like I said he’s exceptionally prolific when it comes to churning out books, which alone makes me interested in anything he has to say when it comes to writing advice. The fact that he writes well and is incredibly successful doesn’t hurt either. Sometimes his writing advice is spot on, hitting marks on the act of writing itself, to how to stay motivated, to how to navigate the industry. Sometimes it’s pure nonsense, in the best way. I’m not sure which one I prefer. The latter can tickle my funny bone so well I have no option but to laugh out loud, like I did with this post which I read in a quiet office block, earning me a few looks.
If you’re into blogs, into writing, or into having a chuckle I suggest you check it out.
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Remember, everyone’s a little bit weird but we’re all trying our best.
Talk soon
Damian
Damian Robb 
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