A few weeks ago, I wrote a column encouraging people to push themselves to accomplish their goals and to not let them hold themselves back.
More personally, my goal was to write.
And that’s exactly what I did.
Fueled by the late Ray Bradbury’s advice and cramming in two full seasons of “Game of Thrones” in a three day period three weeks ago, I found my muse.
I began to frantically peck away at my keyboard, pumping out a few pages of a prospective novel in one night.
When I came out of my writing trance and attempted to go to sleep, my mind filled with plot ideas, battle scenes, drama and dialogue. I didn’t get much sleep that night, but I’m a college student. When do I ever get sleep?
I did, however, become obsessed with writing.
My internship superviser and I discussed Bradbury’s words, to “write everyday,” and we would attempt to stick by this newfound code.
I stayed diligent during the next few days, pushing through the exposition and slow parts of the story,
excited for the upcoming scene that would define the chapter.
I posted my work online, seeking in-depth critques from serious writers in order to improve my storytelling. For a little more than a week, I had a one-track mind after my
journalism duties.
Fast forward to now.
I now have written 22 pages of work including a prologue, two chapters and the beginning of a third. For me, that’s a record breaker.
I haven’t written 22 consecutive pages in roughly eight years.
My motivation was the feedback and desire for more from my readers. I never encountered this before, it was almost alien to me.
Motivation from my readers combined with my own fervor for writing was the best remedy for my hesitation and laziness.
While I have since slowed due to the holiday weekend, I know I must push myself, or this story, like many before it, will be left to rot in my computer, collecting digital cobwebs while my dream of being a published author slowly fades into oblivion.
I’m sick of being my own demise.
A lot of my columns in the past have had the similar message of “get up and do something,” but I think at some point everyone needs a kick in the rear to set them back on the right course.
Some, like me, might need more than others and that’s okay. As long as you stay on course and realize that for most things, self-reliance will take you a long way, you should be fine.
I also have a tendency to make column endings awkward and it has been pointed out numerous times.
But I enjoy jarring the reader so here you guys go. Here’s me hitting the keyboard:/lgcuvyx.
The end!
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