Étiquette : Writing diary

Diary of a writing project. Day 89-90-91: Roasting on an ​open fire

Word count goal for this week: 62 500 words. Words wrote: iiiissssshhhhh.

A week from now, it will be Christmas.

The fire is slowly dying. It’s getting late. Everything is quiet in my quiet in the little house near the river, sleeping in a little nordic town.

I should’ve wrapped a bunch of presents, plus get some writing done before even thinking of sitting here on that couch.
Neither of those happy tasks were accomplished.

A week from now, it will be Christmas. And it depresses me to no end.

Open Fire

I used to LOVE Christmas. Still, come November and the first snow, I can’t wait to put up the Christmas tree every year, listening to music, bake cookies and eat too many clementines.

But the buying of presents. But the several gatherings. But the too much foooood (we are a mixed-faith family celebrating both Christmas and Hannuakh).

This year, oh joy beyond compare: no mega big family gathering thought.

Just us… which still means a good bunch of people, but at least this year, we’ll only have to add 1 table in the dining room.

It used to be an occasion to celebrate. To talk about the last movie we saw, the last tv show, the last music festival we went to…

Now, it’s an occasion to make awkward small talk about the weather, pretend another drink is needed or that the kids need help with something, and get the hell out of the tiny living room for as long as possible, before having to go back in the open fire.
Because, you know, it’s the social requirement.

Roasting

Sometimes, feeling down actually helps me write. I write myself up a pretty little scene, or I take notes for a future writing project.
The blue feelings morph into feelings of accomplishment or excitement and joy.
Writing is my very best friend (it makes sense of a metaphoric level, right?).

Being depressed is a bit different, as you may well know.

Finding the willpower to move is exhausting when a feeling of depression overcomes me.
I can’t bare the outside world, as I can barely see the happiness of my own home.
And beauty itself makes me sad.

Not much left to do then sleep, take it over-easy, and wish for a white Christmas and happier writing times.

Tomorrow will be better. Bonus, I don’t have to pack, drive three hours, act as responsable-put-together-adult until bedtime tomorrow.

Gotta look for the bright side of things!

Dear writer friends, thanks for reading, and until next time.

Diary of a writing project. Day 83-84-85: Christmas mood

Word count goal this week: still 62 500 words
Word count so far: 44 731 words

Snow.

Lights.

Decorations, food, playing outside until our cheeks are all red with the cold, our heads fill with joys, our tummies rumbling for some hot chocolate.

A whole month of cozy and warm, baking cookies and cracking open that « Coureur des bois » bottle, a creamy maple sirupy liquor that goes down like melted ice cream.

And reading books and watching movies and listening to kiddo singing Christmas songs!

In December, I stay from many things. The news, the noisy social media monsters, the malls.
And if I could, believe you me, stay away from the all the fudgeonsofticecream family-friends gatherings without causing a year-long scandal, oh man, I would.

Anyway, I simply choose to not dwell on the grown-ups responsibilities too much and simply enjoy our little family time… while my kiddo can still bare the thoughts of us, the parents.
Only too soon, kiddo might feel the same way I do about having to crawl on icy roads among crazy stress out drivers, then spend hours avoiding every possible topics that might cause a big drama… ergo, spend hours talking about the weather….

I’m not dwelling, I’m just… acknowledging… things…

Huh, is this a writing blog or what?

The manuscript is happening, slowly but surely.

So many to do these. All my energy is dedicated to get everything ready so… I can write more.

No matters how many to-do’s list I go through, there’s always a new thing, or a old thing I forgot on the previous list.
Therefore, I am left with less time in the evenings to write.
Less time and way, way less motivation and energy.

Example: one day, I had to go out three times before finally buying the dish soap I went out to buy in the first place.
By that time, the kitchen had become a nightmare of smelly dirty dishes, pots and glasses. A nightmare I could not possibly leave there.

And there’s also the Christmas mood.

I feel like reading by candlelight all night, sipping tea, wrapped in a soft blanket.
Or, like tonight, listening to the wind storm out there while writing my diary before getting back to a videogame, and pray we don’t lose power. It supposed to get down to -27Celsius tonight out here. To think that yesterday only, it was +3 Celsius and raining non-stop…

Dear writer friends, I do hope everything is going good with your manuscript, and your motivation, and life.
Thanks for tagging along.

Until next time!

Diary of a writing project. Day 79-80-81: Cold

This week word count goal: 62 500 words

Day 79
Word count so far: 42 923 words

I love rainy days… except in December.

I grew up with snowy December, see. Building snow fort and snowman, going down a snowy little hill side on a crazy carpet, we called them.

The little town we choose to raise our kids is more to the South, so of course, less snow. But still, I live in Canada. And in December, in Canada, snow is supposed to be happening. Not rain.

Nevertheless, when its time to write, I find rain very soothing, very inspiring. It quiets down everything else and words find their way with a little more ease.

Not that I’m hoping for more rainy December days, non! But if I could capture that mood and use it every time it’s time to write, maybe I could catch up on my deadline…

Day 80
Word count so far: 43 678 words

Chinook

Chinook is a wind. It leaves on the East side of the Rocky Mountains.

When the Chinook blows, the snow melts and winter coats are not needed anymore. It feels, I am told, like spring, even in the middle of the coldest of winter’s.

Today, a little cousin of that friend came by, dragging clouds and wet leafs all over the place.

It was a windy, weird evening. A perfect evening to cozy up with a good manuscript about ghosts and mystries to finish!

Day 81
Word count so far: 44 513 words

It’s back to revising what has been written. I looove revising, refining everything, working on the sentences until it sounds better…

Oh yes, I’m perfectly aware that some of those very early revisions might end up in the trash. But certainly not all of it.

At least, I’m getting some work done this week. It’s slow, but way better than the past few weeks combine I think.

Too early to tell if the writing motivation is fully back on track.

One thing is sure, Christmas is coming and with it, a whirlwind of family obligations (yeah, that’s the exact right word, obligations).
The writing routine will suffer a little, but for my own sanity, I will certainly keep it up.
Count on my side of the family to make me want to escape in the wonderful world of words…

Dear writer friends, until next time…

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