I have lost track of any variation of a goal recently, so I have returned back to paper.

Why do I have continual goal resets? That is a story for another day. One that demands my brain to chill out for more than twenty-four hours. It almost feels like a survival switch that keeps flipping at the wrong time. Thus why I continue to blog about writing. If I keep myself moving forward, perhaps my brain will eventually catch up. Till then, I have to keep goal setting and resetting when I have the CPU for it.

I am limiting myself to two projects. One for output, the other for input.

Output

Some thoughts have to get out before I can return to my main project. Sometimes it is a sporadic song or poem that helps as a jumpstart. But that just is not working right now.

Enter another side project! One that fits my frantic, jumpy energy. Script with a creepy edge to it? Sounds great!

It is an exercise in pacing of a story. Can I chop 75 pages into segments? Where am I expecting to drop reality between paranoid shadows? And how long can I write dialouge before I get bored and trickle hints in.

In regards to SMART goals, it is realistic for me to give myself a deadline for the end of the February break. I like descending writing sprints: first sprint 15 minutes, second 14, third 12, ect. Fit in chores and responsibilities around that, and the weekend is set. There are thirty four empty pages left, and I tend to average five pages for a days work. For re-attempting scripts I’m impressed I get that much. That is 6.8 days of dedicated time.

Additionally there are already markings for act shifts and plot points. It is eight pages away from the beginning of the end. Twenty two from penultimate conflict and the point of no return. Already I know the pacing notations are off and will have to adjust. It’s surprising how much I need to readjust my scene placements. Makes me want to pull out index cards and draw out the images I want for the main beats, just to have them out before I forget. That might be my initial goal before jumping back to writing. Mapping is a writer’s best friend. Even if you are flying by the seat of your pants, it helps to at least know what vision you want.

Writing is tracing your fingerprints one line at a time. How you draft and plot says more about your learning process. I am totally fine if this script comes to nothing. Exploring a project that I’m not as emotionally tied to allows for more freedom. It can be bizarre, I can have the audacity to play with tropes. I’m just borrowing toys and returning them. Just exorcise my little shadow demons, then I can move on.

Input

There is too much Input energy in general. Now I’m trying to funnel the stream down, so that means I need to drop the other tabs and focus on two things. Those are

• finishing two library books before the librarians put a ninja on me
• converting typed pages into handwriting

Will I retain the information about volcanos and geoengineering? Who knows! It’s already been a delightful diversion. The biggest revelation is that I am insanely attracted to science books that are not textbooks. I worry that maybe secretly I want to keep them, but there simply is no room for that! Do I eye every other science book I come across? Yes, like I said, I have a problem. A very fun, informative problem. And reading them as I transfer over my writing helps me plan ahead.

Writing fiction is a study of the Three C’s: Character, Context and Consequence. Characters are the agents in play. Context is the environment you place them in, noting the variables, both controlled and uncontrolled. Consequence is the collection of results and resulting interactions within the study.

I’m sorry, did I say fiction? That all sounds like a research project with imaginary thoughts.

Absolutely it does. Which has been my goal all along – to imbibe as much of reality, to piece together enough of modern science to make magic feel real. Studying the world around us can help inform our writing. By mixing my re-integration into fantasy with non-fiction, I allow for a more mindful approach to the material.

There is still a good amount to transfer over, so I’ll be back to check in next week. Till then, tootle-loo!