Pseudo-Not Giving Up?

So, since I have to write anyway for class, I've decided to upload word counts for NaNoWriMo. That makes me "technically" a participant, even if I know I won't finish.

I Surrender!

As November looms two days away, I realize I am already far too stressed right now, and there's no way I'm going to be able to write a novel next month. Therefor, NaNoWriMo must wait another year.

The End of the Line

So, you may have noticed I basically don't post anymore. Due to time pressures, procrastination activities, homework, classes, trying to find a research project, writing for class (not something I'm going to put up here for Google-owns-my-ass reasons), every time I think about blogging it's become, "Do I really have to?" And the answer, of course, is no. I don't have to. So other things take priority.

However, I do like blogging (even if my readership is disturbingly small), and would like to continue. I think the main problem is having two blogs that compete for constant attention, and when I think about blogging I think about having to post on both. So, I've decided to narrow it down to one.

But which? Well, it's becoming more and more obvious to me that, while I have good story ideas, the implementation is often lacking, usually for time reasons. (Yes, I have a problem with time management.) Also, I am very much a psychologist, and that is definitely where most my expertise lies. Really, while I know some about writing, it's not like I've even submitted something for publishing. My advice, while I'm told it's good, may be worth less than the bits it's coded on.

Also, due to my lack of true writing expertise, I often have a lack of ideas for posts. This typically leads to constant lit reviews, which really isn't what a writing blog should be about.

So, I have decided to close shop on Forest Azuaron for the time being. Maybe I'll get back to it if there's a dramatic change in my life and suddenly I become a real writer (that would be AWESOME!) But, for now, Forest Azuaron is closed until November, when there will probably be a couple posts about NaNoWriMo, as I am participating again this year.

So, with Forest Azuaron down, I'll be able to actually focus and keep Your Scared Seductive System going.

Literature Review: bird by bird

bird by bird by Anne Lamott is a writing book. Not a "the comma goes here" kind of writing book, but a book that tells you what it's like to write, and what you need to do to write. Not what you need to do to write well, just what you need to do to sit down and write. Then, the next day, sit down and write again. And the next day. And the next day. As anyone who's ever tried to write a novel can attest, one of the hardest parts is getting words down on paper/computer. The ideas are there, they just rattle around in your brainpan with no outlet.

Also, it's incredibly hilarious. Lamott has a way of writing that is sure to make any writer, even a casual one, laugh uproariously while falling into a pit of despair, only to blindly clutch the one rope of hope she's left dangling down for you. Then you realize you were already falling into the pit, and she's just supplied the rope.

Put simply, this is the best writing book I've ever read.