Incompleat Iconoclast » Litanies http://incompleaticonoclast.com The creative writing blog of Edward F. Gumnick Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:27:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 50/50 Exercise #50: Fifty Things That Come Next http://incompleaticonoclast.com/5050-exercise-50-fifty-things-that-come-next/ http://incompleaticonoclast.com/5050-exercise-50-fifty-things-that-come-next/#comments Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:49:40 +0000 Edward F. Gumnick http://incompleaticonoclast.com/blog/?p=84
  • 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.
  • I will look for magazines and journals that publish the kind of things I like to write.
  • 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.
  • Topic: My writing day
  • I will learn to work in noisy, public places (as a change of pace, not for the bulk of my work).
  • Topic: My ideal place to write
  • I will develop more one-on-one social contact with other writers.
  • I will experiment in combining my everyday writing routine with travel.
  • I will read with greater intentionality and more careful attention.
  • I will also read for the joy of reading.
  • I will make some income writing.
  • I will win a writing contest.
  • I will attend more readings by writers whose work I enjoy.
  • I will subscribe to more periodicals that publish fiction.
  • I will write on nights when I’m sure that I’m much too tired to write.
  • Topic: Life in the suburbs
  • When someone makes a suggestion about a text I’ve written, I will pay careful attention.
  • I will go on a retreat to a beautiful place when I can write in a peaceful setting.
  • I will write second (and third) drafts of some of the many first-draft pieces in my possession.
  • I will open a separate checking account for my writing work.
  • I will start a QuickBooks file to track the finances of my writing career.
  • Topic: Imagination as the root of “intuition”
  • I will return to the practice of keeping a reading list.
  • Topic: The waterfall at Cade’s Cove, Tennessee
  • I will schedule writing times and then honor them, even when presented with the tempting offer of a social outing. (But not every time.)
  • I will explore more deeply the development of characters.
  • I will experiment with unusual forms.
  • I will write a six-word bio. (Or many of them.)
  • I will idea-map on a more regular basis.
  • I will seek out workshops on some specific areas of writing craft: characterization, writing dialog, etc.
  • 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.
  • I will figure out how to enable Gallery 2 software to make it easier to incorporate images into my blog.
  • I will pursue the idea of using my blog as a form of postcard for my next big trip.
  • Topic: Deception
  • I will refine a couple of pieces to read at the Spectrum Center Community Reading on April 13.
  • I will write a book to dedicate to Gika. (Guess who suggested this one.)
  • Topic: The smell of the bathroom at Latina Café.
  • I will fire an irritating graphic-design client (or all of them).
  • Topic: Pasteleria
  • I will go to the beach.
  • Topic: The new cathedral in Houston
  • I will take a few days off from writing to reflect on having completed the 50/50 class.
  • I will beat myself up about letting my writing habit lapse for a couple of weeks when I had been doing so well.
  • I will stop reading books about creativity.
  • Topic: College roommates
  • I will still think of myself as a creative person even if I’m not having a creative day.
  • I will feel free to disregard writing advice that doesn’t make sense for my style and voice.
  • I will agonize over the last exercise, dragging it out for days and days and days.
  • I will leave this exercise unfinished in the interest of getting on with writing.

    • And then I thought of a few more things that ought to be on the list.

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

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