Rin Presses On In 2024

I think we're going somewhere
We're onto something good here
Out of mind, out of state
Trying to keep my head on straight

I think we're going somewhere
We're onto something good here
There's only one thing left to do
Drop all I have and go with you

Somewhere back there, I left my worries all behind
My problems fell out of the back of my mind
We're going and I'm never knowing
Never knowing where we're going
To go back to where I was would just be wrong

I'm pressing on, pressing on
All my distress is going, going, gone
Pressing on, pressing on
And I won't sit back, and take this anymore
'Cause I'm done with that
I've got one foot out the door
And to go back where I was would just be wrong
I'm pressing on
 - Relient K, Pressing On (2001)

Hey WriYe fam.  It has been...a year.  It has been a pandemic season, can you believe we've been living in this weird in-between never-normal land for 4 years now?  But I'm back. 

But I'm also going to take it a day at a time, you know?  I'm not setting a word count goal for the year.  I'm actually making it a goal to read less this year. I read 315 books last year, and some of that time could have been spent writing.  A few years ago, an ADHD coach told me to reframe goals as aims, as in, training your arrow on a target.  That way, if you miss, it's not a failure, it's a missed shot, you just need another arrow.  And yeah, maybe you're out of arrows.  But you can go find a branch in the woods, find some fletching, and make some more.  

So my aims for this year are to write more scenes.  Word count goals just...don't work for me.  Finishing a book is too overwhelming.  In the discord chat, I really identified with what someone said about breaking writing down into chapters, but I think I need to go more granular than that.  

• I want to write at least one scene every month this year.
• I want to stay active in WriYe
• I want to do more RATS*STARS Challenges
• I want to commit to writing Chapters in each of my WIPs. (I'm not here yet, but I hope to be, later this year. And if it's 2025, then it's 2025.)
• I want to explore a new idea I have
• I want to run my TTRPG's semi-regularly

I wanted to go crazy on the graphic development, complex goals, thread creation...but I think that's part of why I fade away, is I have grand intentions at the beginning, and then when I fail, I feel too guilty and ashamed to come back.  So...yeah.  Keeping it simple this year.  
This year? I'm pressing on.

Love the poem--good luck this year! I think taking it slow is just fine!

That arrow metaphor is amazing. I’m going to bear that in mind! I’m super amazed by 315 books, that’s almost one a day! I hear you on the ‘wanting to go crazy’ because that January magic is infectious. It’s like ‘yes! I wanna do all these things’ but reality is hard. I too am trying to cut back on my aims this year, keep it simple, and see if I can build from there. I think it’s a solid plan. Good luck with everything! *waves pom-poms*

Did some tarot reads today over my lunch break, and I got 7 of Swords for January, which I'm interpreting as "strategy," and the 2 of wands for this week, which I see as "planning." However! I am not using this as an excuse to go crazy.

And, thankfully, this less-is-more strategy is already paying off.  I wrote 900+ words on Monday and today.  I have one of the OC challenges almost done, just have a bit more to do.  Did I write 900 words on a character profile? Yes.  Is this maybe not the point of the OC challenge? Maybe.  But I finally implemented something I've been thinking about for oh I don't know, the last 3 years of doing the OC challenge? So I'll take it.

What? An excuse, no...




Ok yes, that was an excuse, and character profiles are not actually writing. I will try to write an actual scene tomorrow.