Writing again

After months of busyness at work, I'm trying to get back in the writing saddle. I've written newsletters for work, scraps of scripts, etc but not just the fun writing I do for myself. It's really been since January also since I've worked on the in depth scripts for work. I write much better when I'm in the habit and I have to jump start my habit now.

To ease into it, last Friday I edited/read outloud a short story, wrote a cover letter and submitted it to a magazine. I got a fairly favorable response already, asking for a rewrite of the ending which is much better than a flat out rejection. I had a crudy day at work and had such a hard time even facing the idea of trying to sit at the computer, much less rewrite the end of my story.

I sat down sullen and not in the mood, but there's a certain beauty to just simply making yourself do it. I think writing is 99 percent about making yourself just sit down and try, and maybe 1 percent inspiration or mood. Tonight was hard because usually I'm just lazy and making myself do something, this was actually a rough day, an uneasy state of mind to overcome.

If it's mostly about getting words on "paper" (or screen), then I managed it. I'm not happy with a couple sentences and I think it needs some more work, but there's something there that wasn't before. It may not be great but it's a place to start, or end I guess in this case.

I will have my Thursday to do some stuff for work. Again, I'm not in the writing habit, and in the case of this project, I need to do research before I can write, so Thursday may just be research. And we'll be traveling Friday so I'll probably not have time. Next week, I have to be in the editing suite again, so I don't know when my next opportunity will come. I want to get more disciplined about using evening times but I can see the challenge of today. I've used a lot of my mental energy before I can get to it. I've read lots of stories of writers who have become big -- they had to want it really badly. Getting up at 5 am to write and that sort of thing. I guess I'm not wanting it that badly yet, although I did sit down tonight and make some progress under less than perfect circumstances, so I'll take that as a good sign.

Catching up

Wow! Did you think I disappeared off the planet too? I feel like I have. The last couple weeks I have been buried in the editing suite in the basement of the offices. I'm feeling a little like a mushroom, if you know what I mean, both because of the location and the work.

This Saturday I get to work again (last Sunday there was some tweeking on a promo-video). This is the same promo video but getting it ready for a missions trip group that is here working on construction of the new building. Nevermind we have two weeks to the deadline to get the big project "Path" done. It's insane here right now. No one seems to know where all the pieces of Path are at in the production process and the left hand definitely doesn't know what the right is doing. There are several nice people who keep saying "sure I can do that" to the producer (not me). It's nice that they are willing but they need to also add - that is redoing work I've done the last two weeks - are you okay with that?

Chances aren't looking real good that we'll make this deadline. It is not the end of the world as it is for a catalog that goes to the English speaking world but it does give some kind of connections (that are unclear to me) to broadcasters too, like Australia for instance. So if we don't make it, we can be in next year's catalog, but it is a shame to be so close and yet so far. Maybe they'll have mercy on us.

In the midst of this, the energy seems to be being sucked out of everyone by the building project going on next store for the office. It's odd and tense, but somehow we will get through this in the next few weeks and then it will be time to pack for the move to the new building. Maybe, that's not on schedule either.