Z is for Zounds!

So, I've been doing a lot of self-reflection this month. You know that old adage that you can't know what you think until you see what you write? Well, writing about myself all month--and some self-reflection on the side--has helped me realize a few things:

Sometimes Inspiration is Ugly

Realization #1: I'm not naturally gifted at this writing thing. 
Don't get me wrong--I think I can do a lot of it well. Putting words together into sentences. Knowing what elements to include to make things exciting. That sort of thing. But I'm not as good as I thought I was when I started out... and I'm not going to get better at it by wishing it was so. Or by staring off into space and daydreaming about how and why I got stuck in my most recent WIP. I read over a hundred books a year, but that doesn't make me an expert at plotting or at clearly expressing my ideas.

The related realization, of course, is that I need to get educated. Mostly, I want to learn how to outline--at least to do outline beats. You can expect to see me outlining the plots of some bestselling books here soon, as I try to figure it out. I'm also going to write several outlines for my WIP--I've been stuck because I know there's not just one right plot, and I haven't been able to choose the best alternates. I'm hoping that drawing out several different plots will give me the clear options I need to make a definite choice.

I'm also going to make a point of reading more books about writing. Recommendations are appreciated.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Realization #2: I'm not quitting anytime soon.
Not that I really thought about it. I've actually been bummed at times because so many authors talk about how their break came just after they decided it was never going to happen. It's going to be years before I reach that point. I've been doing this long enough and have tasted enough rejection that I know most of the pitfalls and heartaches (well, the pre-agent, pre-publication ones, anyway). I can take 'em. Pain don't hurt. At least, it don't hurt enough to abandon my dream before I've really given it a fair shot.

So, I'm going to write, polish, and query at least five books before I decide it's not going to happen for me. If Brandon Sanderson can write more than that many epic fantasy books before his day came, I can do at least five. Right now I have 1.4.

I've got some writing to do.

Realization #3: I've got some writing to do...
... and daily blogging takes more time than I can spare. It's not that I haven't enjoyed this challenge, but the hours and hours that I've spent on this challenge have made a huge dent in what I could have accomplished on my WIP. It's not that it was wasted time--I've had some important realizations, after all--but maybe if I'd spent that time writing instead of blogging, I'd have gotten there sooner.

So I'm going to try using blogging as a tool or as a carrot. If I can write a post using the exercises I do while I learn outlining, etc, I'll do that. Or, if I'm caught up on my writing goals, I can do a blog post. But no more using my only hour of writing to do a blog post. Writing has to come first--or what's the point of having a writing blog?


In other news, I'm going to be at LDStorymakers at the end of this week. Who's going to be there with me?

What do you have to change to become the writer you want to be?