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50/50 Exercise #50: Fifty Things That Come Next

  1. I will experiment with writing at several different times of day (in the same day), for several days in a row, mixing it up with an occasional day off, etc., to see whether there are some patterns and habits that work better than others.
  2. I will look for magazines and journals that publish the kind of things I like to write.
  3. I will develop a habit for working in several different forms and stages of creative production in parallel, keeping lots of balls in the air—stream-of-consciousness exercises, first drafts, editing and polishing, final drafts, brainstorming exercises, idea-mapping, creative play, etc., in short fiction, personal essay, memoir, flash fiction, a book-length project or two, etc.
  4. Topic: My writing day
  5. I will learn to work in noisy, public places (as a change of pace, not for the bulk of my work).
  6. Topic: My ideal place to write
  7. I will develop more one-on-one social contact with other writers.
  8. I will experiment in combining my everyday writing routine with travel.
  9. I will read with greater intentionality and more careful attention.
  10. I will also read for the joy of reading.
  11. I will make some income writing.
  12. I will win a writing contest.
  13. I will attend more readings by writers whose work I enjoy.
  14. I will subscribe to more periodicals that publish fiction.
  15. I will write on nights when I’m sure that I’m much too tired to write.
  16. Topic: Life in the suburbs
  17. When someone makes a suggestion about a text I’ve written, I will pay careful attention.
  18. I will go on a retreat to a beautiful place when I can write in a peaceful setting.
  19. I will write second (and third) drafts of some of the many first-draft pieces in my possession.
  20. I will open a separate checking account for my writing work.
  21. I will start a QuickBooks file to track the finances of my writing career.
  22. Topic: Imagination as the root of “intuition”
  23. I will return to the practice of keeping a reading list.
  24. Topic: The waterfall at Cade’s Cove, Tennessee
  25. I will schedule writing times and then honor them, even when presented with the tempting offer of a social outing. (But not every time.)
  26. I will explore more deeply the development of characters.
  27. I will experiment with unusual forms.
  28. I will write a six-word bio. (Or many of them.)
  29. I will idea-map on a more regular basis.
  30. I will seek out workshops on some specific areas of writing craft: characterization, writing dialog, etc.
  31. When I travel, I will keep travelogues. But I will try to tell a few interesting stories or observations instead of an exhaustive journal of the trip.
  32. I will figure out how to enable Gallery 2 software to make it easier to incorporate images into my blog.
  33. I will pursue the idea of using my blog as a form of postcard for my next big trip.
  34. Topic: Deception
  35. I will refine a couple of pieces to read at the Spectrum Center Community Reading on April 13.
  36. I will write a book to dedicate to Gika. (Guess who suggested this one.)
  37. Topic: The smell of the bathroom at Latina Café.
  38. I will fire an irritating graphic-design client (or all of them).
  39. Topic: Pasteleria
  40. I will go to the beach.
  41. Topic: The new cathedral in Houston
  42. I will take a few days off from writing to reflect on having completed the 50/50 class.
  43. I will beat myself up about letting my writing habit lapse for a couple of weeks when I had been doing so well.
  44. I will stop reading books about creativity.
  45. Topic: College roommates
  46. I will still think of myself as a creative person even if I’m not having a creative day.
  47. I will feel free to disregard writing advice that doesn’t make sense for my style and voice.
  48. I will agonize over the last exercise, dragging it out for days and days and days.
  49. I will leave this exercise unfinished in the interest of getting on with writing.
  50. And then I thought of a few more things that ought to be on the list.

  51. I will put together the curriculum for a workshop on new technologies for writers.
  52. I will reinstitute the good filing habits that fell by the wayside when I started the 50/50 class.
  53. I will remain curious about ways to improve my writing practice.
  54. I will try to have lots of fun.
  55. I will get better at it.

Note: The assignment was to “make a list of fifty things that might come next for you as a writer.” I’ve been working on it on and off for the last 19 days. Enough!

The items marked with a “strikethrough” line have already been completed.

© 2008 Edward F. Gumnick

3 comments to 50/50 Exercise #50: Fifty Things That Come Next

  • Melanie

    “stop reading books about creativity” — my, my, we writers have much in common! why do we think “they” can teach us more about this topic when we are innately incredibly creative people already!

    reading your list, Ed, I am reminded I must do my own, even as I see so many things on yours that will no doubt be on mine. We writers sing the same songs.

    Hope you are well.

    Melanie

  • efg

    Melanie—

    Thanks for the comment! I hope your writing is going well.

    Ed

  • Gayle Goddard

    Now you can scratch off #39 – Pasteleria.

    Maybe now the house and the CA trip are done, you can review this list and get back to some of them. Might help you plug back into writing again.

    Congrats on completing this huge challenge of 50/50. It was an incredible journey to read along as you wrote – I’m sure it was an important experience for you as well. As I read these last few just now, I was reminded again what an incredible talent you are, how natural for you it is to be a writer, and how certain I am that this is your true calling. I look forward to watching you step into that version of yourself!

    Hugs, G.

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