Sunday 18 November 2012

Sunday Sundries: Blogging and NaNoWriMo

I think I might have to suspend Sunday Sundries activities for a little while, since yet again I really have nothing interesting to share, it's just 'work, NaNoWriMo, work (I basically did three full days this week which was MENTAL for me, but annoyingly made everyone go 'welcome to full time work heh heh heh)' etc, except that this week I also sobbed myself to DEATH over 50/50 (review to come... sometime) and rolled my eyes about 50,000 times at the new James Bond film, which, actually, I enjoy doing (actively hating things is fun!)

So that's about it. But then also I like doing my Sunday Sundries because it makes me think and write and think some more about something to write, and these are all very useful things, I believe. Which sort of brings me onto the thing I want to talk about this week.

See, when I started blogging, I was almost crippled by doubt about my writing ability, and wanting to share the words I wrote with THE WORLD (or, you know, the no people who read my blog those first few months, THANKS GUYS) and for the first... Good amount of time, I literally cringed every time I clicked publish. I mean, seriously, those were my BRAIN THOUGHTS, in writing, going out into the world! What would happen? Would anything happen? WHAT IF EVERYONE HATED ME AND MY BRAIN THOUGHTS?


It's weird because I've never really given much of a shit what people think of me (I know everyone says this, but I really really don't... I've never untagged photos of myself on facebook, if that means anything, which it does to me!) but somehow putting things down in writing and sending them out into the world really scared me, but still I did it anyway. And it got easier, as things do, and it got even easier when I made this whole awesome group of blogging friends who seemed to think I was funny, or interesting or something and who wouldn't, like, correct my grammar or tell me I was being an idiot unless, you know, I was being an actual idiot. Which does happen. And now I barely even think about what I'm doing, in the sense of I just type these things, and hit publish, and rather than it feeling scary, it just feels natural. Right. Warm fuzzies and all that.

And so. Writing fiction. It's totally scary. And honestly? I can't really write fiction. But the thing is, I can physically write fiction, and not cringe at every word I put down, not only because NO ONE IS GOING TO READ IT (this is really a very good thing. You don't want to read the No I Wri-ed.) but because I've become so practiced at writing my thoughts down that it doesn't feel so awkward, or forced, to be writing things that I'm just making up. I guess what I'm saying is, this is another one of those unforeseen side-effects of blogging, like the friends, and the readalongs, and oh sweet lord the conversations in the comments. The confidence to write things and be ok with it? That's a big plus for me.

So basically, in conclusion, all I have said is 'practicing at something makes you better at it/less scared to do it' and 'yay blogging!' all of which is ground breaking stuff, I realise, but please, hold your applause!

No, no, stop, I don't deserve this! Really. It's just embarrassing now.

Ahem. Happy Sunday everyone! I'll be spending mine having a pseudo-birthday for my cousin, at which there will be glittery cake (that, of course, I have made. And failed to take a picture of for you. Whoops?) How about you?

13 comments:

  1. YoYo! I am having so much fun saving ALL THE GIFS every time you post, it's great. Admittedly 90% of mine are of Tom Hiddleston, but hey, sue me. So, like, DUDE, you are a hilarious writer and remind me very much of Caitlin Moran Without A Word Count, which is high praise indeed. So... y'know... keep up the good work, soldier. *applauds a tiny bit just to be facetious*

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    1. Do I even know who Tom Hiddlestone is..? I do not, but his name is way funny.

      I feel all flustered at being called Caitlin Moran Without A Word Count! I can't deal with such high praise! But OHMYGOSHTHANKYOU!

      Your applause at my genius is, you know, completely understandable. Obviously. :)

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    2. I entirely agree with the Caitlin Moran comment, you make me laugh :-) And I have also never untagged myself in a facebook photo, because I'm not bothered. That, and I always look awful in photos so I'd waste a hell of a lot of time untagging stuff if I started :-p Don't stop the Sunday Sundries (I totally just wrote sundried instead of sundries...), I love them!!

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    3. Nooooooo stop, my head is going to swell to unimaginable proportions! (also, aw thaaaanks. But no. But thanks!)

      I've been thinking about this, and I feel like... I really really don't care about what people think about how I look because I seriously don't think it's important (hence the lack of untagging) but I care a lot more about whether or not they think I'm a) smart, or b) funny. But then ALSO I really really don't care about what random strangers think about me, hence why I will like dance down streets and whatnot just because.

      I'm glad we sorted that out.

      I... Will try not to stop the Sunday Sundries! But honestly, I'm really boring! Hahahaha

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  2. No, don't stop them! You're not boring! And your style of writing is enjoyable to read so that makes your posts not boring - even if, like you say, you don't have much to say. And I like the whole bit about how blogging and just typing what's in your head and hitting 'publish' without worrying too much about what you wrote has given you more confidence to write. This is my biggest personal issue with blogging - I over think it too much of the time and then end up not posting because of it. I need to just write and post and write and post. And not worry. So ya...don't stop Sunday Sundries! :)

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    1. Nawwwww, stop! I will try not to stop Sunday Sundries because everyone is SO NICE, but we shall see. I do like having the one post a week that I sort of HAVE to do though, because at least I've done something.

      Duuuude, you totally just need to post and write, post and write, because that's the only way to make it feel like a reflex, which is basically the only way I can write without feeling like a total idiot. I still pretty much don't read it back either, because CRIPPLING INSECURITY, so that's my other tip! Just never proofread and post post post for your life!

      This probably isn't a tip actual writers would give you, but it works for me!

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    2. YES! I need to stop the "proofreading", it's killing me. Like what, am I writing book reports or essays to hand into school? Actually, the GoW posts were my most favorite to write because I just wrote, gif'd and posted with no looking back! So I should learn from that I guess... ;)

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    3. Seriouslyyyyyy, NO PROOFREADING! Cause you're just going to think you sound stupid even when you DON'T because you're crazy when it comes to yourself. And by you, I obviously mean me.

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  3. Oh man, 50/50. That movie causes all the tears.

    ANYWAY, you should still do these Sunday Sundries even when you have nothing big to report on cos they are still entertaining to read! I mean, unless you don't want to do them. Which FINE. But know that they are still fun to read! Especially with sentences like "You don't want to read the No I Wri-ed"

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    1. Oh my GOD Alley, there was so much of my crying with 50/50. Like, even when I think about it now, I feel a bit teary! It's so bad. (But also I kind of liked it? But ALSO I kind of don't want to watch it ever again?)

      I am so loving all this 'Sunday Sundries is awesome' stuff (which really was not my intention when I said that. Because it reminds me of when girls are like 'OMG, I'm sooooo fat' because they want you to go 'nooooo!' and I hate that shit the most) but yeah, as I said above I do quite like having a set thing to do, because then I know that I'll do at least that so yeah. Mebbe I'll keep going.

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  4. "and rolled my eyes about 50,000 times at the new James Bond film, which, actually, I enjoy doing (actively hating things is fun!)" YES! I think this is why sometimes it's good to read a book that I end up hating, because it's fun to rant about it. Plus blogging would be really boring if we all loved everything we ever read.

    I wanna see 50/50! Was it good, even though super sad?

    And yay for you getting more comfortable with writing and blogging and whatnot. Cause it is really scary and awkward at first - I still kind of cringe at my first year or so of posts. Although in a few years, I'll probably feel the same about the crappy posts I do now!

    And noooooo don't stop your Sunday posts cause they're fun and personal posts are awesome! (Although I have a pretty drama-free life, so sometimes I feel like my posts are boring too, but whatev.) Tell us about your job! Make fun of the people you work with! Or not, you know, if they know about your blog... lol.

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    1. RANTING IS THE BEST! Although I'm not going to review James Bond because I can't even be BOTHERED to think about it anymore. Ugh.

      50/50 was good! Although I kind of don't want to watch it ever ever again. But it was still good.

      Oh dude, I neeeeever read stuff back! Oh no, that way lies only crippling insecurity and troubles! But seriously, I sort of held my breath and had to close my eyes whenever I hit publish for probably about the first... 4 months or so? And then I started to care less, I guess. (Not about my blog! But just about, like 'what if people think this is weird?!' or whatever)

      I don't know about this talking about my job thing! It seems like that way lies only troubles... But maybe I'll write about it in a weird vague way some Sunday when I don't have anything else to write! (cause I'm thinking the Sunday Sundries posts are going to stay, cause look at the public demand! 5 whole people want me to do them!)

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  5. Well done for keeping going at NaNoWriMo. I totally dropped the ball this year. I wrote 1200 words in the first week and then nothing since, though I've had several ideas. I could probably turn it into an action-packed short story if I put my mind to it.

    Also, yay blogging indeed!

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