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.

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

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

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

© 2008 Edward F. Gumnick