Thursday, 25 October 2007 01:09 pm
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deckardcanineI'm feeling two conflicts right now. First, at no obvious prompting, I started thinking about a prospect I've rarely taken seriously: grad school. My job and living conditions are comfortable, but I don't want stasis for the next seven years. The trouble is that I have little idea what to study. My mom keeps suggesting Web design. I agree that it's practical, except that the idea always bores me. Whatever I study, if I do, it will be night classes. I don't want to quit my job for something on which I may well change my mind.
The other conflict is much nearer-term: NaNoWriMo. Every year since I've heard of it, I've shied away. The longest thing I've ever written, short of my company's style guide, is less than a tenth of the requisite 50,000. I'd be taking huge chunks of time for 30 days, to the detriment of "Downscale" and other routines, with no chance of an actual prize. On the other hand, my childhood featured plenty of ambition to become a professional writer. The bulk of my creative effort in adulthood has been devoted to LJ-ing, posting on forums, cartooning, and occasionally making puzzles and games. If I always say no to the NaNoWriMo challenge, I don't know when I'll be motivated to write in earnest again. Maybe the trick is to shelve my off-the-job perfectionism until after November 30th.
I welcome advice on the first of these conflicts. I can already guess what people will say to the second.
The other conflict is much nearer-term: NaNoWriMo. Every year since I've heard of it, I've shied away. The longest thing I've ever written, short of my company's style guide, is less than a tenth of the requisite 50,000. I'd be taking huge chunks of time for 30 days, to the detriment of "Downscale" and other routines, with no chance of an actual prize. On the other hand, my childhood featured plenty of ambition to become a professional writer. The bulk of my creative effort in adulthood has been devoted to LJ-ing, posting on forums, cartooning, and occasionally making puzzles and games. If I always say no to the NaNoWriMo challenge, I don't know when I'll be motivated to write in earnest again. Maybe the trick is to shelve my off-the-job perfectionism until after November 30th.
I welcome advice on the first of these conflicts. I can already guess what people will say to the second.
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I'll be using November as a writing month, even though I won't hit 50k words. I'm working on a novel and it's good motivation to write. Nobody will come to your house and kneecap you if you don't reach the goal, so give it a try. :)
Best career advice ever