Progress - Day 4

I broke my rule this morning about not going back over what I'd already written because I woke with a solution to a problem I'd been trying to solve. It didn't involve too much back-tracking and I'm pleased with the result because it reads much better now. Don't get me wrong, I love rules, especially mine when I can can break then anytime I want. However, I'm not as cavalier with them as I seem to be. Having rules does help structure my writing as well as my day and I recommend then to anyone new to writing. Read as much as you can about what other writers do, try out some of their tactics and see what works for you. Then devise your own rules to be compatible with what you know about yourself.

For instance, I know I like to be spontaneous and hate being confined. But I also know that without deadlines I can take forever to do something. So in order to achieve anything, be it a poem, short story or novel, I have to set myself deadlines and come up with the goods. It really doesn't matter all that much if I don't, because they're self-imposed deadlines and the only person I'm letting down is me. But on the other hand I have to value myself as much as I value other people, so if I wouldn't let someone else down, then I have to try very hard not to let myself down either.

I also know that I'm greedy. If I find something I like then I have to have it all, not just a piece. If I buy a large bar of chocolate I go to extraordinary lengths to try to control myself and only eat a few squares. Ridiculously I try to hide the bar from myself in cupboards or the fridge but always go back to it again and again until it's finished. I may just as well eat the whole damn lot and be done with it, instead of pretending to myself I can leave some for another day. I know this about myself but I keep pretending it won't happen this time, that I've got enough will power. The only way I can exercise will power is not to buy the bar in the first place and for that I have to avoid looking at the display at the check-out where all the sweets are stashed in order to tempt you while you're waiting to be served.

So what has all this to do with writing? I suppose knowing about yourself is like getting to know your characters, the lengths they go to, their self-deceptions, addictions, self images, strengths and weaknesses. I know the depths of my own character based on experiences I've had so far, but there's probably still a lot I don't know because I've not been challenged or tested in that particular area. Expect to be surprised now and again by yourself and your characters. It's what makes you, and them, interesting.

And the good news is, I'm up to 4706 words - ahead of target!