Lessons From My Blog

The countdown continues and my celebrations await...
But before I go and pat myself on the back on a year-well-done, here are some reflections on what I've learned from this lil' year long creative experiment:

1. Daily rituals are where it's at.
When I was sixteen, I formed myself a daily rule to encourage myself to write and paint (Yes, I used to paint then too. The writing persisted, the painting... not so much). This daily ritual was called 'The One Line Rule.' And it consisted of writing at least ONE LINE a day, and painting at least ONE LINE a day. Most days I did much more than one line, honestly. A start usually leads one somewhere, and that was the gist behind this rule of mine. That, and the DAILY following of it. Today I have a streak of daily rituals - and I believe it's actually far easier for me to do something when I do it every day, then when I do it, say, a few times a week for example. 

2. When I commit to something - I fu$$ing do it!
Some people need accountability buddies. Or some need accountability groups. Or some need a coach or a trainer to get them off their a$$ to do their creative work. I don't. I need to keep a word with MYSELF and that is the solid way for me to actually do the thing I plan to do. It's an inner dialogue with myself, and between me and myself - my word is SOLID.

​3. Perfectionism is a drag.
A year ago, when I decided to post my in-progress works on this blog, I did it as a an exercise in meeting my perfectionism. My perfectionism was an equal opponent at the time, and I had to battle it pretty hard. I am happy to report that today I suddenly notice that little miss perfectionism of mine has shrunk to about a third of her size. She's not nearly as much of a threat now. And with everything I've learned about myself through writing this year? Perfectionism has nothing on me. I can take her down!

4. I can only cheat MYSELF.
On those days that I 'phone it in' up here... the days where it's one in the morning... and I haven't written a thing yet... and I'm EXHAUSTED... yeah those days when I retreat to writing something 'simple' or box my post in a 'word of a day' type of an entry... I usually still find something there. It may be unexpected and I may be too tired to notice, but the day after - I may find a gem in there. And if I don't? Well, nobody will throw me to the fire here. The only one missing out really - is just me. 

5. I still don't know my sweet spot, AND THAT'S OKAY.
There you have it. A year of creative writing down, and I STILL don't know what's my sweet spot in this grand exploration of the world of words... sure, in my writing life outside of my blog - my sweet spot is screenwriting. Simply because it's the industry I live and breathe. But in the creative writing of 'you can write anything' blog world... I tip toe between melancholic poems, short stories that I wouldn't know how to sum up if you paid me, lists such as this one, random personal blurbs, comedic dialogues and personal memoir type writings. I still don't know my sweet spot, and I may never will, and that's totally, like TOTALLY okay.