by supertwigs | Mar 21, 2011 | Goals, Parenting, Writing |
Night Mind
I’ve been reading a fair amount of non-fiction this year, from authors who have somehow made meaningful changes in their lives, or challenge you to make some yourself. Alright, you might call them “self-help” books. I’ll admit that some of them have been. And some have been good. Even really good. So there.
Anyways, one theme I keep finding is that of using your time wisely. Consensus seems to be that the wee hours of the morning, or at least the hours before noon, are the most productive. There are tons of books that recommend getting your best work done early. And I see the wisdom in that. I have used the technique myself at work. Trying to get something meaningful done at the end of a long work day is twice as hard as at the beginning.
Since becoming a mom, however, I have found that my mornings are, oh, fairly consumed. (In have, somehow, found a little 20-minute window to go running, however. Twice. Then I came down with this laryngitis/cold thing, and have been recouperating. A slow start to my march to 5K. On the bright side, I did find my running shoes! So, I’m not a total chump after all. For those of you wanting an update).
I don’t know about the rest of you parents out there, but I would hazard a guess that most of your kids rise before you do. Usually before you are willing to. And once they rise, they are on. It’s non-stop action around here from around 6am. So, at least someone in this house knows how to get things done in the morning. Unfortunately, that leaves me little time for productivity on the personal front. My solution is the only logical one. Use the evenings. Become productive after the kids go to bed.
Sometimes, I am feeling completely beat by this time, and my mind feels mushy. Like my morning oatmeal. But, somehow, just knowing I’ll get those few hours of “me” time gets me through it. When I was writing my novel (said so matter-of-factly), I used the hours from 8pm-10pm almost exclusively. And, something I found: I liked it. I really liked it.
And here’s why: at night, anything seems possible. The farther into the night you go, the more your mind seems to wander. Go there. Far away from the reasonable. The practical daytime mind. The night mind is so much more free. Less edited. Less inhibited. Have you ever had a great idea in the middle of the night? Upon waking it probably seemed insane to you. Far-fetched. Ridiculous. But, under the cover of night, you probably imagined it solving all of your problems. Forever.
At least that’s the way it works for me. So, I like writing at night. Because the darkness blocks my inner editor. It allows my mind to wander free. Explore the territory between waking and sleeping. And funny things happen then. My story opens up in a new way. Or, I find that I have written 2000 words without blinking. Or I come up with that brilliant plot twist I was looking for.
I’m curious. How does it work for you? Do you think you’d be a better writer if you wrote at night? Or would I be a better one if I wrote in the morning? And what of life’s other challenges?
Maybe I am fooling myself. But, I kind of like my nighttime mind. At least for fiction. Maybe my daytime mind should be reserved for non-fiction. Now there’s a thought…
by supertwigs | Mar 16, 2011 | Goals, Health |
My sorry excuse for a running shoe
Today was day two of my introduction to running. I can’t recall ever having set myself a running goal. I have always professed myself a non-runner. Scoffed at those who tried to tell me it was the best way to get exercise. Thought: there must be something more fun I can do. Anything is more fun than running.
Well, I’ve done it now. Actually started a running program, and followed through for not one, but two days! Here are my observations and experiences thus far:
Monday morning I woke up gung ho. Ready to go from the “Couch to 5K.” Psyched. Found my window to run at 8:30am, and headed down the stairs to shoot out the door. Only to discover that I don’t own a pair of running shoes. It was a bit of a shock to me, too. I figured they must be there, hiding in the back closet or something. No luck.
So, I chose the next best thing, a pair of sporty walking Clarks, and was off. The walk/jog combination of this particular running program appealed to me. It actually felt great to be out there, moving my body, breathing fresh air (with the cars whizzing by on my busy road, the quality of this air is in question, still…). Twenty solid minutes. I was pretty proud.
Later that day, I felt it. Not horrible, but achy. Like I had asked my body to do something new, and somewhat horrible. Which, I suppose I did.
Today, I went for my second run. I was a little less enthusiastic, having had a horrible night (babies can do that to you) and waking up with a sore throat. Still, out I went. Still no runners. I got halfway down the block when the trouble started. My pants started slipping. Apparently, I have lost weight since the last time I wore my yoga pants (I was pregnant). So, there I was, running down the street, constantly yanking on my pants. Hoping they would hold up. I think they did. I hope so. Otherwise, I pity the aforementioned cars whizzing by.
Oh, and about those non-runners. Apparently they gave me a blister. Which I burst today. While running.
But, complete with limp and droopy pants, I made it out. And I made it home. Clearly, I still have a few kinks to work out. But, the fact that I am working them out feels great. In fact, I actually enjoyed both runs. Which was a surprise. So, am I thankful that I don’t have to run tomorrow? Absolutely. But, am I looking forward to Friday’s run? You bet.
I’m as surprised as you are.
P.S. Got a pair of runners you love? This non-runner would love to know.
by supertwigs | Mar 13, 2011 | Books, Goals, Health |
I have been thinking today about positivity. Thinking and being a positive person. I spent the day feeling low. Down and void of energy. And I started to wonder how much of it was related to my post yesterday. Here I am, living in the suburbs, which I have just declared I hate. How satisfying are my days going to be if this is my attitude? Constantly looking for escape. Secretly wishing I could go and hide away in the wilderness, living in a yurt (which, albeit, would be awesome).
Instead, I think I will make the best of things. After all, that is why I started this blog. To chart my progress in accomplishing my goals. Dream big, and go for it. Maybe, today, I was coming down from the high of finishing my novel. Whatever it was, I think tomorrow I will do better. Keep that negative voice in check, and power on.
Thinking of this, I have decided to take my friend’s advice, and take the Couch to 5 K Challenge. It’s a fitness challenge that takes you from the couch to running 5 kilometres in 9 weeks. It scares me. Immensely. I have never enjoyed distance running, although I used to love sprinting. However, what scares me even more is the sedentary beast I have become these days. Being the parent of two young children, sure I am constantly moving. Hardly ever really sit. But, I hardly ever really move either. Get my heart racing. And when I do, I usually regret it. So, it’s time to put a stop to this.
I’m thinking regular exercise is going to fuel my mind and body. Energize me for what is to come. Whatever that happens to be. So, yes, I’m pretty excited. And, because I just did the unthinkable and wrote a novel in 30 days, I’m thinking I can do this, too. Now that I’ve confessed it to you. And now that I’ve set my mind to it.
Because I only have one life, and I intend to make the most of it.
—
Lastly, since this blog is also about the books I read, and how they are changing me:
Not long ago, I read a fantastic book, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. If you’ve ever been interested in running, you should read it. If you haven’t already. I never had any interest in running (actually, was a professed hater of running), but after reading that book, I found myself really wanting to run. Even fantasizing about being an ultra-runner (which is nuts, but admirable, too). It has some pretty amazing stories and facts on our bodies, and what we are capable of.
by supertwigs | Mar 11, 2011 | Goals, Writing |
It is official. I am a novelist. I am a novelist. I’d like to repeat that again, but I wouldn’t want to sound pompous.
Not that I am. Not at all. But, I DID IT!
30 days ago, I wrote about my challenge. 30 days, 50,000 words. Boo-ya! (A ridiculous expression, that I will try never to use again, but just seems fitting).
Today I wrote that last sentence. 50,013 words. I’ll be honest and say those last 400 words were the hardest. I may have added in a few extraneous sentences at the end. Just saying. And, if I’m being honest, I had written 2500 words before I posted about my challenge. So, it took me a little longer than 30 days.
But, this is what I have accomplished:
- I, Kelly Woods, have written a novel.
- From the day I decided to go for it, for real, on February 12th, it took me 30 days to finish
- For 30 days, I wrote every day, no less than 1600 words, save 1 day, when I wrote 500, and one day I took off
- I have rediscovered my love of writing
Once I have time to decompress, I’ll have to reflect on what I have learned through this journey. One thing I know, I have eaten a lot of chocolate this month. Another thing, my husband has been feeling pretty ignored.
Finally, if I may be so bold, I think I will (unapologetically) start calling myself a writer.
by supertwigs | Mar 6, 2011 | Goals, Writing |
I’m closing in on the end. 40,000 plus words. 10,000 to go. When I am finished this novel, I am going to let is simmer for awhile. Not touch it. Not think about it. And I am going to read a book. A glorious, long, indulgent book.
Then, I am going to get back at it. Edit the thing. Shiver at the horrible parts, as there will be many. Smile at the moments of beauty. The good bits. As there might be some. And strike a pen through others.
In the words of Anne Lamott (whose picture, coincidentally, has been sitting beside me through this whole process, on the cover of Writer’s Digest – somehow it has become a good luck token, a muse of sorts, making me feel like I can’t remove it until this is over):
Writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself, getting some work done, then unhypnotizing yourself and going over the material coldly.
Can I be cold? I don’t know. But, at least I know I’ll give myself the chance. Because my first draft, of my first novel is – that’s right – almost done. Ha.
by supertwigs | Mar 3, 2011 | Books, Goals, Photography, Writing |
I recently read The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin. The book chronicles one woman’s attempt to increase her own happiness levels over a year. She uses a variety of research and techniques, which are all documented very nicely on her blog, happiness-project.com. Anyone interested in starting their own Happiness Project can use the tools she provides there.
I found the format of her project particularly intriguing, namely the dividing of her year into a series of what I call, mini-challenges. You may be familiar with the mini-challenge. If you have been reading my blog, you’ll know that I have engaged in one myself, writing a novel in a month (check out Nanowrimo). This was one of Gretchen’s mini-challenges. Some might call them resolutions. Others goals. But, mini-challenges are a bit different. They are small (or sometimes large), manageable (and sometimes daunting), accomplishments that people dedicate themselves to doing. They usually have a start and end date, and they usually involve some personal fulfillment or betterment.
In The Happiness Project, Rubin refers to her book as “stunt non-fiction.” A term she borrowers from a reviewer of her book. I like it. Because I like stunt non-fiction. Reading about how someone else had set themselves some fascinating goal, and then gone about accomplishing it. A.J. Jacobs comes to mind immediately, as does Eat, Pray, Love. Mini-challenges are a big part of stunt non-fiction. Whether it be the man who tried a new job every month for a year, or the one who devoted his year to volunteering, it seems everyone wants to challenge themselves.
The blogosphere is littered with mini-challenges. My own novel in a month is one. So is my participation in a weekly photo contest (MCP Action). Wordpress’s PostADay is one. More and more people are attempting a daily photo as well.
I would like to applaud the mini-challenge. It is fun. Engaging. And, I think, it works.
Here are a few of the writing mini-challenges that I have come across:
Post A Day: Self-explainatory WordPress Fun
Script Frenzy: Write a 100 page script in a month (April)
Story a Day: Write a story a day – in May
SmithMagazine’s Six-Word Memoir: Tell your story, in six words
Six Sentences: Write a story in six sentences
What’s your favourite mini-challenge? (Or maybe you hate mini-challenges. Think they are the scourge of society. I’d like to know about that, too).
I like the mini-challenge, and, as long as I’m enjoying them, I’ll keep trying new ones, as the spirit moves me. Maybe you want to join me?
Hi! I’m Kelly Woods, writer, mother & librarian. I write about beauty, creativity, green living and lifestyle design to help others live a life of inspiration, too.