2012/11/13

Grow more, write more, suck more, succeed more

November is the cruellest month (pace T. S. Eliot). Or perhaps I should say Movember. As in men growing mustaches. Or moustaches. Or mustachios (my fave spelling—makes me think of the kind you twirl à la Snidely Whiplash). But really, just lip hair. Chin hair not allowed. So men go all Tom Sellick on us for a month to raise money for charity (I can't remember which). Who thought this was a good idea? I suppose there are some women who go for that mustache-only look, but I'm hard-pressed to think of any man who looks better that way than when shaven or sporting a beard (except a really long one). Fu-Manchu, guys? Go for it! I'll see you in December.

I always miss the memo on stuff. Like, apparently this month you're supposed to do Facebook updates with what you're thankful for each day. "Day 13: I am thankful that my kitty used her litter box." Actually, she didn't. She's in some distress due to various and sundry old-age conditions, and the basement is somewhat worse for wear because of it. But I'm thankful that she's still with us and still seemingly feeling OK, not in pain. Seriously, though, expressing gratitude for good things and (at least seemingly) bad things is a daily ritual for me. I just don't do it on Facebook.

November is also NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month. Someone came up with the notion that you're supposed to write an entire novel during November, working on it every day. I have no idea where this came from. There is all kinds of writing in me, but a novel is not among those kinds. Still, it's an exercise in writing discipline, and that's good.

This month is also NaBloWriMo, National Blog Writing Month, or something like that, which is there in case you missed NaBloPoMo, National Blog Posting Month, which happened last month. Still with me? I mean, seriously, who starts this stuff? During November (or October, depending on which memo you got), you're supposed to blog every day. Every. Effin. Day. Whether you have something to write or not. Whether what you write is good or not. Quantity, not quality, I guess. Again, I understand. It's about discipline. Writers write every day. That's how they produce novels. Blogs, however, are most definitely not novels. Some people are great at posting every day. Others would be better off not doing so. Like me.

"But Mr. Ed will never speak unless he has something to say." I take my cue from the talking horse. It's not about the Muse. It's not about waiting for lightning to strike. But I've tried grinding out stuff on a regular basis, and some of it is definitely not worth publishing. So I would not inflict it upon you.

What I really need is NaSoWriMo, National Song Writing Month. No, make that National Song Writing Year. That's where I need my discipline. I ought to sit down every day and write for some block of time. Preferably when awake and alert. I haven't got there yet. If I do so, I won't write a hit song every time. I might only write fragments. I might write nothing worth keeping. But it's like exercise. The more you do something, the more you improve. I have to dare to suck so I can also write things that don't suck. Or even the occasional mansion-warmer.

It's OK to start in the middle of a month, right? And not talk about it? Oops, too late!

Best wishes on your novels and blogs and mustaches!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

i always miss the memo!!!

i think i've been writing my blog every day, but every year i want to do the nanowrimo or whatever the hell you spell it like. i'm too sick to search it out.

but i love the music one! you could make it for the month of february where everyone is frazzled from the darkness.

it would give us light.

and something to do while we're trapped inside.

a <3

Coline said...

What makes me thankful each and every day is that I deleted Facebook.