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Does what count you may ask? Well blogging of course. Journaling. Making lists. Any kind of writing that has nothing whatsoever to do with your current project. Does this writing count as writing?

I say yes.

I often struggle with this idea, having many things to blog about or a ton of issues I want to record in my journal (which is a very rare occasion and when that does happen, I drop everything and just write the rant in my head, not really caring about the literary merit of the piece) but nothing to say in my novel. Why do you think Laura’s Letters has taken me almost eleven years to write? You might say my over active imagination, my inability to commit to one story line and emotional and psychological growth from a child to teenager to adult. I say all those are factors but not quite the reason. The reason is, there are often many, many other things  to write about when I am stuck in the writers’ block muck. Why stress about a chapter that is not working and stare at blank pages when you could write a mock-interview with one of your characters from another story? Why stress over the description you hate because every time you take a pass at it it’s absolutely horrid when you could instead record the drama of work in your diary? Why stress over a scene you can’t craft properly when you could blog about what counts as writing or not?

Funny how I bring myself back on topic. Any kind of writing counts as writing. Even if it’s bad writing. It may not be the kind of writing you want to produce for that day/week/month/whathaveyou, but you’re still vocalizing your thoughts in the form of the written word. In one way or another, your are honing your craft.

Is this an excuse to make myself feel beeter for having written nothing creative lately? Maybe, but I’m sticking to my guns. This is writing. I’m keeping the pistons in my writer’s brain well-oiled (are pistons oiled?). I’m keeping my engine running, if not at 65 mph like I do down the Taconic State Parkway, then at 30 like I do when I’m almost home. 30 doesn’t get you there fast, but it gets you there.

I’m going to start with the goals again, so goal of the week is to have the miscarriage sequence complete.  Force me to do this, friends!