Writing to see what comes out

I started a story today.

Stephen King's On Writing has had me thinking about my approach to the craft. Like many decisions in my life, my writing has primarily been reactive. I scribble down thoughts when I'm stressed, or I write a few sentences on the topic of the day. I've written to specifications as a tech writer. But I've never sat down with the intent to create an original work from nothing.

I've thought of myself as a writer ever since I started reading. If you'd asked me at any age five to sixteen  what I wanted to be, that was it. I find stimulation and satisfaction in arranging words. I'd write about anything, and teachers would gush at my creativity and precision. My stories set standards and won awards. I was a natural.

That also meant that I was rarely challenged or pushed outside my comfort zone. I could follow the rules and write to an assigned prompt. But I wasn't in the habit of writing regularly just for its own sake. I never came to terms with the mundane part of the creative process. 

In my heyday of songwriting, inspiration was circumstantial. That's the way inspiration is. Faint and fleeting. My songwriting tapered off when I transitioned to a full-time job and the increased responsibilities of adulthood. 

As a technical writer, I found the blank page daunting. But it's usually someone else's job to fill in the information gaps. My task was usually to clean up the language and structure, which was just another instance of following the rules. No personal discipline required.

When writing long-form fiction (or nonfiction, really) the story must continue even when I don't know what comes next. Writing---being a writer---requires consistent, deliberate work on the least inspiring of days. I think I'm in a place mentally and emotionally to do it. A certain level of financial stability helps. Mostly I just need to remember to follow through.

I'm not sure what my new story is about yet. It's fictional, but semi-autobiographical, because I'm conceited enough to think my life is interesting. Also because I want to write what I know. And there's a lot of personal material that's been bouncing around my brain that needs to come out. 

It will probably emerge as a coming-of-age story, maybe in the YA genre. Nothing spectacular, but hopefully something relatable.

My goal is a thousand words per day, starting tomorrow. By my estimate, that will take me at least four hours of dedicated time. 

I'm not sure if all those words will be part of this new story or not. The main goal here is to push myself into a more intensive writing schedule and see where it takes me. This blog will be a way of sharing and reflecting on my progress.

It's a new adventure. Wish me luck. Ask me how it's going. I'm looking forward to creating.