I’m dedicating myself to one prime resolution: I will write one hour a day on my novel until it is completed (and move on to the next once done). I am pledging 365 hours minimum to the craft. I need this pledge and I need to follow through the way I have followed through with the 10 minute rule. I have in me the capacity to tell great stories, but the effort has not been extensive. I have, in a phrase, wasted my talents. That can no longer stand.
Part of the new position is me moving more squarely into the life of a writer. I’ve decided to (largely) give up coaching. I won’t be at every practice. I won’t see every game my kids play. This is a major transition away from a certain kind of life, but it only has value if I am moving towards something great. I should not give up something that matters in order to fill the space with something that does not matter. Instead I ought to be using my time to be with the woman I love and the words I claim to love. I need to make good on the latter, because the claim is little more than that unless I actually put in the work.
So, I’m scolding myself here. I am showing myself to be a person who is not dedicated to the craft and, especially in the role I am in, I need to be dedicated to the craft. I turned down the opportunity to write some pieces over the next few months in an effort to gather myself and move boldly into this new phase. I need to have work product to show for that.
Therefore tomorrow begins a new day, a new year, and a new schedule for how I will be producing work and how long I will be spending time on the words daily. I must give myself over to that goal and complete it with all the energy and zeal of a man who has a time limit, because in the end I am exactly that man.
Some Thoughts:
- Once the Shadowrun novel is done I want to turn my attentions back to fantasy. I think I have something good there as well. I believe that story I am creating has solid legs and a mythos that will resonate with readers. Most importantly, it is a story I want to tell. I want to learn about these characters and this world that has orbited into my writing soul.
- I believe that, as a result of these desires, I am becoming bored of the video games I play. I cannot play all day and the time I do play grows less and less. I know there are other things that require my time and energy and I’ve made my peace with that.
- The seeds are being planted for an amazing September.
- No, I’m not ready to explain that here…