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Revisited Recap

by | May 14, 2024 | Blog Series, Revisited, Writing Update

I know I said last week was the last post of this series, but I thought after such a long time revisiting old advice, it was worth having a Revisited Recap. We’ll chat about it below.

In personal news, things are pretty wild around here. My youngest is about to graduate high school and head off to college. We get the whole summer with her, but time in the status quo is definitely running short. We’re at all the end of year and end of SENIOR year activities so it’s a lot logistically and emotionally. We couldn’t be more proud or excited for her, but, man, it’s a hard time too.

Drawing from the Well

I finished another new chapter this week! It feels good to get that behind me. I’ve got two more to go before I get back to the timeline to narrow in on a couple of points for simultaneity. We’re getting there, folks, but the road remaining is still long.

Page 324 (+3)
183,296 (+1,379) Words

Filling the Well

I didn’t finish any books this week, putting me two behind pace, but I made progress within a couple of books. I hope to catch up this week.

Full List

34/100 for #ProjectBookworm2024

Pandaria: Remix starts the day after tomorrow. This is a radical new way to level characters in World of Warcraft. I’m stoked to see it in action. Should be a lot of fun. Plus, it was just revealed that there’s a deterministic way to get the Tusks of Mannoroth, a long-sought item for many players. It’s going to be wild.

Well Chat

I just went back and looked and we’ve been in the Revisited Series for almost six months! You must all be tired of this by now, huh? Well, at least this is the finale. You can find all the posts under the Revisited Category link on the Blog page, but here’s the list in case you wanted to revisit any of the posts as well as the key ideas:

  1. Make Something Happen: This means plot OR character development (or both) and they neither can be ignored for too long.
  2. Timing Your Productivity: Find the time of day that works best for you (whatever your reasons) and lean into creating at that time as often as you’re able.
  3. Trick Yourself Into Momentum: Find your most digestible writing unit, track it, and get into flow.
  4. Refill Your Well: Everything that isn’t writing can refill your well, but my most effective is music + daydreaming.
  5. Bothersome Characters: My characters don’t so much tap me on the shoulder anymore as much as they ask me what is supposed to be present that isn’t.
  6. Awesome Moments: Moments are awesome because of the support and context that comes before them. You have to build to them.
  7. Levels of Success: I stratify my classification of the ever-elusive “success” and try to keep my goals SMART.
  8. Vonnegut: This is still all good advice. Be clear, be mean.
  9. Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome: Let your curiosity roam for a short period of time (minutes only), then wrangle it and get back to work.
  10. Straining Belief: Suspension of disbelief, even in speculative fiction, has a limit.
  11. Positive Self-Talk: If you’re blocked, work on something else for a bit, even just for fun; the block will pass and you can get back to work.
  12. More Than a Name: Names are important and whether it’s characters or locations, I try to make the name have several layers of meaning.
  13. It Really is Okay to Suck: Sucking is a time-limited activity. Let it in and then brutally wipe it out.
  14. Flow State: Flow State comes down to preparation and grace to open your mind creatively.
  15. Reflection and Why: Retrospective analysis of your work will allow you to recognize the good and bad in your work from an increasingly objective point of view.
  16. Who I Am Now: I am a relentless, ponderous plotter who loves climaxes and story feel, struggles with descriptions and settings, and will knuckle down for the hard work.

Now, that’s a lot to digest all at once. That’s why we spent six months in revisitation. 🙂

What’s it all mean? Well, the crux of it all is Revisited 15. You have to look back to see where you’ve been to figure out how to move forward. Old advice has to be reviewed in the current context or climate to see if it is still good advice. Don’t take anything as granted. Figure out what’s important to you and, as long as it stays important, honor it. Keep the sacred as sacred. Trust your instincts, but inform them, challenge them, and strengthen them as you grow. Life is a lot. You’ll never be good at it, but you always get better at it.

May the tide carry you to safer shores.

BSG