What gets better with age?
Experiences, memory.
The memory seems to hold steadier as I grow older. Experiences become more plentiful, or at least that’s how it all seems like.
I’ve learned over these years (8+) that life does not end in high school; it is only just beginning.
I have thought about meditation a lot this month. My sister-in-law wants us to take a class/workshop together on how to properly meditate. So far, we haven’t found anything short-term.
Why do I feel I need meditation? Well, don’t we all need it to stay centered in our lives? I’ve researched online programs for meditation and…well, just need another outlet for my emotions. I’ve read in articles how meditation and prayer have a subtle difference; I wish to discover this difference for myself.
Another week down, another week closer to rewriting Novel 1.
I refer to my first novel as simply “Novel 1” not because I don’t have a title for it, but more because it’s just easier. The working title is “Writing the Past” but something about the simplicity of the title bothers me; I’m not sure if that’s the kind of title I want the public to use.
Anyway, aside from that tangent–there was some shuffling of cards/plot (see previous post’s picture) and I think I have decided upon a new, re-structured plot to work with for revision. There are still many plot holes to fill in and also some character development to work on; throughout this process over the past three weeks, I have noticed some areas I need to improve upon regarding my writing.
One area I know I need to improve upon is how to end stories with a resolved, (relatively) satisfied feeling. I have been practicing writing some short stories/flash prose and, even though everything starts out with a huge force of momentum, the speed slows down by the end and suddenly things just stop. That, or they flop down in a lackluster fashion. Is the only way to improve in this area just through practice, practice, practice?
I finished reading How NOT to Write a Novel on Thursday; it was an easy, hilarious read, but it also gave me a lot of insight into what I have been doing wrong with my manuscripts and writing in general. I can’t expect to be perfect from the beginning, so I feel very grateful to have been able to secure a copy of this book early on in my career. A lot of the mistakes pointed out in the book were quite eye-opening to me: although I already knew I had horrible plot holes and strange characters in Novels 2 & 3, the advice given in How NOT to Write a Novel helped me figure out what I can do to improve on those aspects in my novels.
My beta readers gave me some feedback on my plot synopsis for Novel 1, so that helped me figure out which areas to expand upon for revision. The next tasks I have in mind are to do some research on certain topics mentioned in the novel, and to also just decide on how to develop the characters more.
This weekend and the next may not give me as much time as the previous weekends (due to Chinese New Year and birthday plans), so I will have to try my best to get some writing/revision time in during weekday mornings. So far, the journey has been very enjoyable, and I hope for the most part it stays that way.
I went a little “crazy” at the SFPL today with writing books. I had intended on sitting down and skimming through the books, but the library was buzzing with people and there weren’t many convenient places to sit at. So, I simply checked out all the books and brought them home with me. I spent a good 3-4 hours at the library in the morning: perused through a couple issues of Writer’s Digest and The Writer to get some tips and write down some notes. In all honesty, it was the first time for me to look at the magazines, and I was pleasantly surprised to find so much information in both of them. I got a lot more ideas for promoting my works and, in general, improving upon my craft.
Tonight, I read through a few of my shorter works from last year; having trouble trying to edit them since I am all too familiar with the plots (or lack thereof). Also, I keep finding myself feeling stumped by the differences between novella vs. short story vs. flash fiction. Does anyone have an answer? I feel like I need some enlightenment in that area.
If you don’t learn from your own mistakes,
Then what good are they in your life?
I have realized that by understanding and learning from my past mistakes, I in turn put extra effort into correcting any future processes and preventing the same mistakes from happening again.
It should all count for something, right?