I've decided that whenever I have my own house I want bookshelves to be one of the first things visitors see upon arriving. I'm sure I'll go through lots of decoration ideas and my own funky version of feng shui with furniture and layouts but bookshelves will be a must. You can generally tell a lot about someone when you first walk into their house and I love the feeling when I go over to someone else's place and see bookshelves stuffed full fit to bursting with books. Even if I don't know the titles on them or have a particular fondness for ones I do. Books have a way of making a home feel more welcome and cozy. But maybe that's just me, haha.
It's already the seventh of November and I can't believe it. It's honestly like October didn't even happen. Part of me wishes I'd tackled NaNoWriMo this year but 50,000 words in a month seemed a little to ambitious with where my story currently stands. Some people can just write away without creating a framework first, of any kind, and I am in awe of those writers but that's not really me, not at this point anyway.
Which begs a question. I know that, as writers, our procedures and styles will change a little over the years as we grow into our craft and our voices but how much change really occurs? Has anyone ever started out as a super structured writer and then shifted to a more free-flowing, spontaneous style of writing? I think sometimes we aspire to be a certain kind of writer, from one of these schools of thought or one of the countless in between. Can we teach ourselves to write a certain way. I mean, to make that form of writing feel natural for us. Even if order and planning isn't our natural strong-suit, could we practice long enough that writing with that kind of discipline feels more natural, comfortable, and inspiring that anything else? I'm not sure. I think one of the hardest things is to find what your natural style and pace is. None of them are bad but you need to know what your groove is before you can get it on.
I don't think I've nailed down my writing style to a tee yet but I know certain things like: I write better on paper than a word processor and I usually need an environment with minimal distractions directed at me at least to get started. You'd think I would have realized stuff like this right off but I can't tell you how many times I have tried to make myself write on a word processor instead of by hand, largely because, for whatever reason, I though that was the "better" way to do it. Don't get me wrong, word processors are amazing and once I have a first draft of something I'm happy with I'll take it to the computer [esp. Ommwriter] but there's just something about doing the roughest rough draft long hand that I connect better with. The thing to remember, if you're working on your style, is that there is no "better." I have read a lot of interviews and articles about big name authors and how they go about their writing process and each is so unique. Some I honestly don't understand how they could possibly be helpful or productive but it works for them. So if trying to arrange the "perfect" writing procedure is keeping you from writing then maybe it's time to take a break and just try it however you feel comfortable. No one's watching you :)
In other random news, I've decided to try yoga in the mornings in an effort to put some semblance of physical activity into my life. A friend recommended a youtube channel done by a woman who's not the creepy-intense kind of yogi and I tried a few videos for the first time yesterday. I felt pretty silly sitting on my living room floor and doing stretches and such but it felt good to be doing something. It's too early to tell if this new morning routine will have that much of an impact on my physical well being but I feel a little less guilty for being genetically twiggy if I'm not just sitting around my house.
Isn't it interesting how different people have such different reactions to the same thing? You could collect a room full of girls with my body type and I know that each of us would feel differently about it. Some may never have really thought about how genetics have blessed them while others might be upfront in gloating about it and showing off their effortless figures. I would be in the weird group of girls who feel almost apologetic for what they couldn't help but inherit from their parents. I can't tell you how many times I have censured myself in conversations with other people because I though that something I might say could potentially offend someone because it came from a skinny girl. I suppose high school has that sort of conditioning effect, the place where girls learn to be harsh and disapproving of anyone - how to give and assume offense in the weirdest places. Girls that are naturally skinny may not have to worry about exercising to moderate their weight but they run the risk of offending people just by being what they are as much as girls who struggle with their weight feel they do. That, right there, is something I would never have said in high school. My point [you didn't think I had one, did you?] is that it is utterly fascinating how one actuality, problem, or trigger can result in a myriad of reactions and some more complex than you might think.
Think about how you react to certain things in your life. Why do you react that way? How do your characters react to things? Do their reactions feel real and specific to them with all their complexities? When people talk about how important it is to build your character's background even if none of it is in the story, this is what it's for. So you know how they will respond to different things and why, how their history makes their responses unique and maybe even somewhat unpredictable.
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