Well, the whole "document my Nano Journey" thing went down in flames, although the important bit, the novel, did not. That is a good thing, to channel Martha Stewart. I managed to finish a major goal without giving in to several illnesses, a truly frustrating job search, the pressures of holidays with family, and a hefty teaching load with a bunch of students who truly want a boot up the bum. Hurrah to me, and if the smaller goal of documentation fell to the wayside, then so what?
I learned a lot both about writing and about myself this November. I learned that I thrive with a clear creative project underway. I learned that the real complexities of research only present themselves during the act of writing. I learn that being honest on the page isn't as easy as it sounds. I learned that I have dwindling patience for sad-sack excuses from young folk who spend their entire day socializing and pissing around in the commons instead of reading and working. Now what to do with all that knowledge....
1) The Novel Itself: I'm letting it lie fallow for about a month, just for mental health purposes. After that, I'm going to tuck into some of the research problems, plotting messes, and messy honesty stuff that made the end half so painful.
2) I am going to keep writing daily: This month the goal is 500 words a day, and save for yesterday's day off for knitting Christmas presents, I've kept to it moderately well.
3)Work: I'm starting to look outside teaching for career options. Objectively, I know I am fairly talented as an instructor, but right now the work balance seems to be falling towards life taking. I need some kind of work that a) pays the damn bills, and b) doesn't leave me depressed at the end of each day.
On several unrelated notes, I am working on transitioning to a Vegan lifestyle. Mainly this is for ethical reasons; even casual research into factory farming reveals a level of barbarity impossible to accept. The transition is going fairly well. I have managed a week without slipping, and I find the food is enjoyable and my overall energy level is just a lot better. Of course, not working myself half to death on a daily basis likely has something to do with that as well.
Also, last night I made my first t-shirt necklace. Rather early this morning. (There is a snorer in the house. Best not to talk about it) The results were satisfactory; though the shirt I chose was old and brittle in the seams and could not be stretched quite as vigorously as one would prefer. The concept of recycling old clothing to make new things really appeals to me. Why should so much stuff end up in a landfill just because its original purpose has been fulfilled? It's just wasteful. I am thinking of keeping these projects up. Maybe selling them. Anyway, here is a picture of my first shot at a t-shirt necklace:
I learned a lot both about writing and about myself this November. I learned that I thrive with a clear creative project underway. I learned that the real complexities of research only present themselves during the act of writing. I learn that being honest on the page isn't as easy as it sounds. I learned that I have dwindling patience for sad-sack excuses from young folk who spend their entire day socializing and pissing around in the commons instead of reading and working. Now what to do with all that knowledge....
1) The Novel Itself: I'm letting it lie fallow for about a month, just for mental health purposes. After that, I'm going to tuck into some of the research problems, plotting messes, and messy honesty stuff that made the end half so painful.
2) I am going to keep writing daily: This month the goal is 500 words a day, and save for yesterday's day off for knitting Christmas presents, I've kept to it moderately well.
3)Work: I'm starting to look outside teaching for career options. Objectively, I know I am fairly talented as an instructor, but right now the work balance seems to be falling towards life taking. I need some kind of work that a) pays the damn bills, and b) doesn't leave me depressed at the end of each day.
On several unrelated notes, I am working on transitioning to a Vegan lifestyle. Mainly this is for ethical reasons; even casual research into factory farming reveals a level of barbarity impossible to accept. The transition is going fairly well. I have managed a week without slipping, and I find the food is enjoyable and my overall energy level is just a lot better. Of course, not working myself half to death on a daily basis likely has something to do with that as well.
Also, last night I made my first t-shirt necklace. Rather early this morning. (There is a snorer in the house. Best not to talk about it) The results were satisfactory; though the shirt I chose was old and brittle in the seams and could not be stretched quite as vigorously as one would prefer. The concept of recycling old clothing to make new things really appeals to me. Why should so much stuff end up in a landfill just because its original purpose has been fulfilled? It's just wasteful. I am thinking of keeping these projects up. Maybe selling them. Anyway, here is a picture of my first shot at a t-shirt necklace:
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