Challenge Update: How This Week Went

What I Focused on This Week

I decided to work on my story one section at a time. As I'm going along, I have a notebook with a little map that I drew with details about the area. This has been incredibly fun because with each detail, a new layer emerges in my mind.

Tuesday's writing session was particularly interesting because I decided to dive into a little of the lore and history of the setting of the store. While I'm trying to avoid info dumping, I am at least writing out the things in my notebook for later.

A fun concept I've been toying with is instead of looking at my story from the lens of the "Creator" of my world, I'm looking through the lens of a "Detective".

I know that something is happening here but what is it? What things do I know or think I know? What kind of people am I dealing with? I have to put things into context, connect the dots, and explore relevant information.

Where do I find such things? In the library of my mind, within my creative spirit, and channeled through my fingers. As the Creator disguised as a Detective, I (of course) have insight into the inner workings of my characters.

When I think about it in that way, writing feels so much more romantic, silly and fun.

Today's Session: Map Master

Today I hit a bit of a snag because I didn't have as much energy to dedicate to working on the plot. The chapter I would have been working on today would have been a longer one so rather than stop altogether, I changed course. I set a timer and decided to work on my map and that revitalized me. I made a lot of progress and updated my Inkarnate map.

I'm not skilled with it at all but I like what I've been able to make so far. I have been trying to watch YouTube videos for inspiration but that's taking more bandwidth than I anticipated.

In any case, I added some new locations, names, and landmarks to the map. Then I realized I hit another snag.

Lycans Have Been The Biggest Obstacle

So, when I first created this world it's for another epic story. Epic as in, I three back to back trilogies. They are all plotted out and I even have the first 2-3 of those stories in their raw form. One thing that I decided is that I want to have a high-fantasy novel but in terms of anthromorphic beings, I didn't want it to just be people who can turn into wolves.

That sent me on an whole existential crises because I was trying to determine which animals should be able to do that. The Council meeeting went as follows

"Butterflies? Oh yeah, that'd be so cute. They can have mosaic dresses maybe?"

"So...insects? Like...all of the insects? Or are we discriminating against some of the insects?"

"Oh gods...what about cockroaches?? Like that one anime??"

"Okay, nah."

So from there I had to decide what sort of animal elitist I was going to be. When I was originally researching I got really overwhelmed with the number of species there are so I got stuck for a long time.

Today though, I actually did research on the classification system. The problem I faced before was starting at the most diverse part of the system: the spcecies. Today I started exploring the Kingdoms, Phylums, and Classes which took a lot of pressure off my shoulders. I was able to break things down into the beings that will have intelligence and the ability to advocate for themselves and the ones who typically won't.

I remember studying the classification system in school but it's not like I've needed that information until now. At first, I did feel a bit shameful for having forgot it and that's the sort of shame that's a struggle for me. So instead of letting that shame take control, I took control and let the part of me that loves to learn out. I was able to navigate through those feelings and eventually add a pretty important detail to the framework of my world.

This Challenge is Really Challenging My Emotions

One thing that I am loving about this challenge is how much I'm learning about myself. That alone, is the true challenge.

Now when I say "love" what I really mean is: "I sure am loving what the results and benefits of this process are but I sure do hate the process itself. Oh god! Oh god, so many feelings!"

It's sometimes frustrating when I look at how many unfinished projects and ideas I have. I have had moments where I'm writing none stop for hours and then months of nothing when I hit a snag. The roller coaster is a challenging part of my writer's life and that's not the type (hah!) of writer I want to be.

Outside of writing, I've made a lot of big changes in my life: from leaving a toxic relationship, setting boundaries with loved ones, and taking control of my health and wellness. Doing those things consistently has slowly built my confidence, ambitions, and bravery.

For example, I've been taking cold showers for a few months now and while it's not for very long, I feel so brave when I do it. What's great is that it has lead to a very positive thought loop in my head:

"It's just a little while. This temporary cold is not worse than things I've endured in the past. I'm strong and brave enough to take this" leads to "I don't have to be afraid of feeling guilty. I am a brave person who takes cold showers, dangit! I've done it consistency so that means I'm consistently brave! I have enough bravery points to deal with this".

The bravery needed to overcome obstacles can be applied to my writing as well. Rather than run from the snags, or distract myself from the snags, I've been changing my behavior:

Pause to Breathe. I try to breathe deeply whenever that familiar overwhelmed feeling begins.

Observe What's Happening. I think about what caused me to feel overwhelmed and I ask myself "okay what's happening to me right now?" and "what's my body doing?"

Adapt to Small Snags. If it's a small snag such as "I'm not feeling confident in what I'm trying to write", I try to lower my expectations for myself or change course by working on another aspect of the project. The plot isn't the only important part. I can think about character development, setting (like I did today), or even designing the cover if I want to. There are no rules!

Untangle Big Snags. If I start feeling those heavy, sticky, icky feelings, I have been giving myself the grace to take a break to handle what comes up. While it's intense it is much better than trying to shove past the feelings. One day I had to revisit my writing session later in the day but when I did, I was able to finish a new scene.

In any case, this week was amazing in terms of progress.

Weekend Plans

I have about 10 more sections left to go through. I don't want to over extend myself over the weekend so I'm considering adding a bit more description to my story bible.

I might also take another look at my map and add try my hand at adding better markers. I am considering upgrading my Inkarnate so I can use premium markers but I'll decided that next week.

Until next time,

The Voracious Scribe