The End Of January, The Beginning Of The Weekend
Dear Hearts,
Here we are on the cusp of another weekend, and I must admit I’m quite glad that it is Friday today.
I’m also very glad that January is over. It’s weird, I always love the thought of the new year, but then January comes along and all of the hope and promise kind of gets swamped by the post holiday, deep winter, sucky weather blues.
This January has been spectacularly unproductive, due in large part to my ongoing sickness. It’s more than that, though. I think a lot of it has to do with how much I pushed myself in December.
In December, I transcribed a novel, finished Series One of 5G{hosts}, plotted Series Two of 5G{hosts}, dictated a novel and did another deep edit of my contemporary YA novel.
This sounds like a lot, and it was. I was very pleased with how productive I was able to be.
But, this amount of productivity comes at a cost, and I think for me, that cost has been burn out.
I’m not sorry that I did so much, but it has sharpened my awareness of my limitations. It has also forced me to think about processes in my writing that work, and processes that don’t.
For example, I have found that while dictation really works in terms of getting words out. It does mean that I’m going to have to do a far deeper edit to add in the things that I missed out in the dictation process.
I think the key thing that I’m having to learn is that in my writing, I need to take some time and work out which method of writing will work the best.
I guess in the same way as with baking. You can make fries in several different ways, but one of those ways will make the better fries.
I’m rambling, I know, but I wanted to share a few of my thinkings around writing and my process.
The thing is, as writers, I think we are always growing and developing. We are always honing our skill and adjusting it so that it works in the best way for us.
And I’m learning that’s okay.
It’s a sign of strength to be able to say that something isn’t working and to change it. Sure, it’s a risk, but if it means becoming a better writer, then it’s a risk I’m willing to take.
Love, Li. xoxo
