Reflections on my year of writing
With the end of 2006 just around the corner, it is time for a little reflection on this year. It was a year of highlights and lowlights.
Highlights of 2006:
- Trekking the Himalayas in January – simply awesome.
- Getting serious about blogging and being able to write over 800 articles on my three blogs.
- Writing over a quarter of a million words this year, more than double my previous best year.
- Achieving almost 1400 hours of writing, nearly double my previous best year. This figure equates to a average just on four hours per day which is very pleasing seeing there have been quite a few days where I did no writing at all.
- Spending several weeks on holiday with my son and daughter in law in Sydney.
Lowlights of 2006:
- Being diagnosed as diabetic and having to come to terms with managing this condition.
- Supporting my wife through some serious health issues, including several operations.
Over all, however, it has been a productive, though challenging year. I’ve learned a great deal about the writing life, and the blogger’s life in particular and this should help me get off to a flying start next year.
Looking forward to 2007:
- Next year I plan to keep going on my three blogs. I see great potential in blogging, at least in the immediate future.
- I also plan to get really serious about submitting to print publishers. I have quite a collection of manuscripts of novels and picture book texts which need to be submitted for possible publication.
That is the big challenge ahead for me in 2007.
Are you afraid to write?
I’d never thought about being afraid of writing until I read an article on Angela Booth’s Writing Blog. But when I thought about it there is quite a deal of anxiety surrounding the writer’s life.
Some of these fears could include:
- Fear of starting – call it writer’s block, procrastination or whatever, this fear plagues so many writers.
- Fear of finishing – never sure that the written piece is good enough to be thought worthy of being published, constant revising being the symptom.
- Fear of rejection – never sending any manuscripts off to publishers because you might be rejected.
- Fear of ridicule – putting out some of your writing into the public arena is like undressing in a shopping mall; people will see you for what you really are, warts and all.
- Fear of Success – perverse as it might seem this is a very real fear. Some people are genuinely afraid of the demands of being in the spotlight, of being public property and being seen as a role model. It is the same kind of fear that makes strong men shake in terror when a microphone is placed in their hands.
Links:
- Fear of Writing – five tips to calm you down from Angela Booth’s Writing Blog.
Related articles worth reading:
- Overcoming writer’s block – some hints
- Maintaining Motivation as a writer and blogger – some more tips.
- Procrastination and the writer – further hints.
How do you use words?
Writers and bloggers need to be mindful of the words they use. It is so easy to slip into the usual ways of expressing oneself and not really thinking about the words chosen. Those who write for printed publication have learned to craft out every word carefully, editing out superfluous parts of their prose. Writers learn how to edit their writing until it shines like a new bike on Christmas morning.
Bloggers are a different breed. Often there is little thought given to the words used, there is little in the way of spell checking and editing. Coming straight from very muddled minds it results in muddled writing. This should not be so.
Words can be used so carelessly that they can become almost meaningless. They can become overused, misused or just plainly abused.
Think before using words too frequently – and edit your writing several times – as many times as it is necessary to get it right. It doesn’t matter whether you are a casual blogger or a professional writer. You owe it to your readers. You owe to yourself.
Liz Strauss has more to say on this topic on her Successful Blog. Click on the link below.
- Words in a Safety Box – by Liz Strauss
Re-introducing Trevor’s Writing blog
Observant regular readers of this blog will notice a small but significant change to the title of this blog. The blog hasn’t changed, nor has the content or direction of it. The URL remains the same too, so no need to panic.
Since starting this blog in March of this year I have never been totally happy with the title. My son, who does all the technical stuff in maintaining my three blogs, came to visit this week for my birthday. While he was here we did a lot of talking about blogging and where we are heading with my three blogs. He also spent a little time tweaking various aspects of the blogs.
To rename this blog Trevor’s Writing better reflects what this blog is all about. I will continue to share some of my poetry, short stories and ideas about writing and blogging. I will continue to share more thoughts about the writer’s life, writing hints and observations on life as they relate to writing, blogging, books and literature.
This name change also brings a quirky consistency in the names of my blogs. They are as follows:
- Trevor’s Writing – this blog about writing.
- Trevor’s Birding – about my observations and photos of Australian Birds.
- Trevor’s Travels – about my experiences and photos of travel in Australia, Thailand and Nepal.
Birthday reflections
Birthdays are good for you – the more you have, the longer you live.
Happy birthday to me.
No – it’s not one of the BIG ONES (that comes next year).
Birthdays are a good time to reflect on the year just completed. What kind of a year did I have? When I look back over the last year it has been one of some big highs and deep lows.
Highlights:
- My first trip overseas last December and January (see my travel blog).
- Trekking in the Himalayas
- Seeing Mt Everest up close (20km is close when you walk in those mountains).
- Getting some fabulous photos on my new digital camera (see my photo gallery)
- Getting my three blogs up and running and getting steadily increasing traffic (hi everyone)
- Getting some of my short stories published
- Accomplishing more writing this year than ever before.
- The depth of the relationships developed in the Bible study group I lead.
Lowlights:
- Being diagnosed as diabetic earlier this year
- Struggling for months to adjust to this diabetic life (a work in progress)
- My wife having two serious operations this year
I won’t dwell too much on the lowlights. I struggle with the wise advice to accept such things and confidently say, “This too shall pass.”
There is so much to look forward to, including the exciting potential of my blogs, some writing projects with great promise and the freedom to explore other possibilities, including the prospect of further travel next year.