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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