Procrastination is a b*tch. And so is anxiety, insecurity, depression, and loss of motivation. Many times you can find a thousand more reasons not to do something, than to actually summon up the courage to do it.

Last year started out pretty great, with some great goals up ahead of me, which I really pushed hard to get closer to. In the beginning, at least. I did a good deal of writing, tried to make it a daily ritual, and did a good deal of thinking too. A lot of things seemed to spark something in my imagination, and a lot of times I followed the light to its source, trying to see what it wanted to show me. It was a wonderful adventure.

But as time went on, my ambition slackened, and it became harder and harder to keep the habit. First the writing started to lessen, even when I had devised penalties for the days I did not write. And then the wanderings became less frequent, and I felt myself close up once more. As if the tide had turned on my sea of curiosity, and it had retreated back into itself out of fear, worry, and pessimism.

I think it’s safe to say that I have placed my goals too high. It’s a good thing to dream big, but it still has to be achievable. And I do think that someday I will get there, but the time I have allotted myself was much too little. And the frustrating thing is that I am perfectly aware of my limitations, and yet I always expect more of myself. So I have made a new plan.

The biggest issue, probably, is that I have lost sight of a very important part of writing: having fun. Following a story to see where it leads, getting to know the characters that just popped into existence, all of this wonder of spinning a yarn out of thin air. The mystery, the adventure, the joy, the thrill. It is indeed serious work, and you have to improve yourself every chance you get, but this, the reward, is so worth it.

Sometimes the stories just want to tell themselves. The one who writes it down is merely a chronicler, listening in awe to the very first time it is told. I want to experience that again.

I’ve decided to play a game, just for the fun of it. A game without consequences, without expectations, just something to play around with, maybe ruffle up the dusty parts of my imagination. A game of creativity, if you will. I call it “building-block story”, and it goes something like this:

Using some kind of word randomizer, I select a noun. That noun, be whatever it may, shall be my protagonist. Next, I select a random adjective, this will be my protagonist’s most characteristic feature. This is followed by a random location, to set the scene for my story. And normally, that would be it. But if I’m feeling more adventurous, I can continue with other random things: friends, enemies, disputes, belongings, and the list goes on. The main thing is to have fun.

And for my first attempt, here is my selection: sword, silent, museum. Let’s see where this will take us!