Write a Story a Week
I just read two articles which have inspired me. The first is by Toni Morrison, "No Place for Self-Pity, No Place for Fear." She said "In times of dread, artists must never choose to remain silent." I agree. Now, more than ever, writers, artists, comedians, and others must speak their truth.
I also read an article titled "How to Write a Story a Week." That seems like a huge challenge, especially for me, a fairly slow writer. But, now that I'm retired, I have no excuse. I'm ready for the challenge, and I need to push myself. Each week of 2017, I will write one complete short story or one complete essay, depending on my muse and what I need to express, sometimes writing for myself, sometimes writing for social justice, often overlapping and writing for both.
A couple caveats:
The article about writing short stories calls for outlining, and I never outline. It's not how I write, and I'm not going to start now. I'll just keep plowing through the draft until it's finished.
Also, I take most of my writing to my teacher and/or one of my two fabulous critique groups for feedback. I'll finish each piece in a week, but I may (probably will) need to make additional revisions based on my group's feedback. I nearly always need outside eyes to get my writing where I want it to be.
This year I joined the Goodreads Reading Challenge, and I challenged myself to read 50 books in 2016. As of today, I've read 52 books with only a little cheating. (One book I started in 2015 and finished in January, 2016. and audio books on trips.) The reading challenge was fun, and I felt I accomplished something worthwhile as I documented each book.
For 2017, I'm giving myself another reading challenge, but also the writing challenge. Fifty books read and fifty stories written.
I'll document the progress of my stories/essays here, throughout 2017. Hopefully, I'll stick with it. Writing 50 stories is much more difficult than reading 50 books, but right now, I feel determined. I want to do my part Here's to 2017, reading, writing, and working for social justice.
I also read an article titled "How to Write a Story a Week." That seems like a huge challenge, especially for me, a fairly slow writer. But, now that I'm retired, I have no excuse. I'm ready for the challenge, and I need to push myself. Each week of 2017, I will write one complete short story or one complete essay, depending on my muse and what I need to express, sometimes writing for myself, sometimes writing for social justice, often overlapping and writing for both.
A couple caveats:
The article about writing short stories calls for outlining, and I never outline. It's not how I write, and I'm not going to start now. I'll just keep plowing through the draft until it's finished.
Also, I take most of my writing to my teacher and/or one of my two fabulous critique groups for feedback. I'll finish each piece in a week, but I may (probably will) need to make additional revisions based on my group's feedback. I nearly always need outside eyes to get my writing where I want it to be.
This year I joined the Goodreads Reading Challenge, and I challenged myself to read 50 books in 2016. As of today, I've read 52 books with only a little cheating. (One book I started in 2015 and finished in January, 2016. and audio books on trips.) The reading challenge was fun, and I felt I accomplished something worthwhile as I documented each book.
For 2017, I'm giving myself another reading challenge, but also the writing challenge. Fifty books read and fifty stories written.
I'll document the progress of my stories/essays here, throughout 2017. Hopefully, I'll stick with it. Writing 50 stories is much more difficult than reading 50 books, but right now, I feel determined. I want to do my part Here's to 2017, reading, writing, and working for social justice.
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