Things at work have been rather unconventional for me lately. I don’t actually have a desk. Or a title. Or a real job, for that matter. I mean, I’m still getting paid, but I’m in that strange flux period where I’m in between things. I was getting frustrated for a while; I have lots to do, after all, with new production projects coming in each day, and no real production office to do them from.
BUT, but then I realized (with John’s help, who quite kindly told me to shut up with my whining about having to stay home with a PS3 and a dog) that this meant I was somewhat free to stay home and write (and, of course, doing the work when it came in).
Why didn’t I think of this?
So today JS insisted I try this new work regime out. I stayed home. I answered my work emails, and outlined a few production schedules. I did laundry and walked the dog. I found an inexpensive and yummy sounding recipe for dinner.
And then? Then I wrote an 8 page outline for my thesis. It’s amazing. I hadn’t planned on writing so much. I mean, sure, I always idealistically think I’ll write when I have the time, but today I actually did it! It’s not perfect. The end of the outline gets a little plot heavy and character light, which is the opposite of what I’m going for. But overall, I’m very pleased. I like my story idea. I like my characters - they seem real to me. Some of the other stories I’ve written, even if I liked my characters, they never seemed like more than that to me: characters. The people I wrote about today are people I’d be friends with.
I technically have until October to finish the first draft of my thesis, before I am no longer an “In Progress” student and am forced to re-enroll in the class (and thus have to forfeit the student loan deferment I’ve been enjoying). But I’d like to finish sooner. I’d like to be completely done by Christmas. That doesn’t mean that my novel will be ready for a publisher by then, it just means that I will have gone as far as I can in the confines of the class. That and it means I’ll will have still graduated in 2008, which was my goal before all the shit with my parents and the non-baby went down.
And speaking of writing. I should hear within the next week about the Squaw Valley Writer’s Conference. I’ve suddenly become convinced that I’m not going to get in (which is a real possibility, as there’s less than 100 people accepted). So, if you can spare a positive thought, send it my way. It’d do wonders if I could get in and even glean an iota of knowledge from those people…especially Anne Lamott.
By “glean a lot of knowledge from” Anne Lamott I assume you mean “kidnap.”
Your outline IS great, and I am thrilled that you are back in the writing saddle. It’s difficult enough to make yourself write when you fear failure and get writer’s block and KFKD, but it gets even harder when things in life keep cropping up as well.
Still, those things probably make us better writers. If the outline I read is any indication, it has certainly strengthened your talent.
[…] I told y’all about the outline I’ve done. It just so happens that I still like my story idea. This doesn’t happen […]