Yesterday was an interesting day to say the least. Without giving my task too much thought I decided to take on a sci-fi/ fantasy writing competition, and ended up learning two important lessons. Lesson One – it is entirely possible to bite off more than you can chew even if you consider yourself to be pretty limitless. Lesson Two – it is entirely impossible to write well about something you don’t feel passionate about or connected to in some way.
Both of which brought me to the difficult conclusion that I could not finish yesterday’s story. I sketched out a basic concept and plot, and made a reasonable start but it just wasn’t working for me as a genre and I simply couldn’t get into it. Writers block crept in as quickly as the deadly amber mist that featured heavily in my attempt at a sci-fi/fantasy story and my words stopped coming.
So does this mean I have failed before I have really even begun? In truth reader I’m not sure about that one. I certainly failed in producing a story good enough for entry into a writing competition, however when I go back to the reasons I started this challenge, it wasn’t driven by winning competitions, it was driven by a motivation to develop and grow as a writer. To that end, yesterday was a total success in that I learned to only write what truly moves me and that I won’t progress from good to exceptional by churning out thoughtless blurb.
Today I am returning to story telling in a way I am more comfortable with, writing a short story on the theme on ‘the knock on effect’. Wish me luck…
Ordinary Life... Less Ordinary 