When in Doubt, MAKE GOALS.

Ok, my life is moving in fast forward mode... blowing right past me... and i'm kind of just stuck here as the observer. an observer of MY OWN LIFE. i have half of my novel to write - 25,000 words - and only a month to do it in. how is that possible? oh yes oh yes i know... b/c i'm spending and wasting time blogging instead of writing my novel. why have i become so lazy? i need to SNAP out of it b/c it's beginning to drive me nuts! i want to be a writer, i want to be artsy and lovely and write poetry and find the beauty in a trash can or a bum on the sofa, but how can i do that when i AM the bum on the sofa? this is not what i'm supposed to be doing... i have big dreams, but i'm living a life of someone with no ambition... ugh. it's sickening!

so when this happens, it's time to start making GOALS again! YES, OH YES... goals! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..... ohhhh how i LOVE making goals. okay, so let's start this whole goal making thing.

first goal: smile. SMILE, and the world smiles with you............................or shits on your cheerios. (a quote my boyfriend shared with me.) World, i don't care if you choose to shit on my cheerios, i'm going to keep on smiling and eventually i'll be laughing in your face. i dare you to challenge me, World, i double dog dare you.

second goal: blog. i love blogging, but i hardly ever do it! with blogging comes readers, with readers comes interest, with interest comes potential, and with potential... well, who knows. everything has potential, even a bum on the sofa.

thrid goal: finish novel. this is very important. in order to do this, i must write AT LEAST 1,000 words a day.. starting today. that will give me 24,000 more words and i will finish my novel by December 10th... which is the due date. 1,000 WORDS A DAY IS NOT HARD! i can do it i can do it i can do it. (self talk). i know that by finishing this novel, i will be starting a new chapter in my life. i will have written a novel! granted, it will be the worst novel i will ever write, i'm sure (i hope!), it will only prove to MYSELF that i can write a novel. and i can do it in a 4 month period. how fascinating. wouldn't you love to say you've written a novel? who cares if it gets published. just finishing the thing is an accomplishment in and of itself. when my novel is written, should i publish it on my blog? perhaps my wordpress blog?

fourth goal: do not watch TV unless it is a new episode of The Hills. no exceptions. NONE!

fifth goal: poetry. when i'm not working on my novel or other homework, i will write poetry. it is something that i've strayed away from, and i have no idea why. i am so much happier when i'm writing poetry. it is a release... a time when it's just me and the page, and i can be free and express whatever's boiling under the surface. plus, if i'm writing poetry, i'll have more to post on my blog.

sixth goal: love. because of the hopeless romantic that i am... i will have my sixth and final goal to be to love. i will love myself, i will love others, i will love (and hate) my novel, i will love the air, the earth, the trees, each step that i take when i'm walking down College or Elm. i will love God. i will love the world, even when it shits on my cheerios. i will not love my sofa.

okay, so now that i've reached the root of the problem, written my solution, i.e. GOALS, and shared it with the entire blogging community, i will attempt... no no no no no... i will EXECUTE my plan and succeed. when in doubt, make goals.

Fellow Writers...

I want you all to know that I've started a new blog at Wordpress. It's in the works, so be patient. It does have a lot of potential. missmorgen.wordpress.com. I'll keep you updated.

Something I want to share to all my fellow writers: You all know that you're supposed to know your characters inside and out. Down to every last detail... and I don't mean just what they look like, but bits and pieces of their personality that no one else would know about... not even the reader. I've always heard this, but it's only recently in writing my screenplay that I realized how important it actually is. Always include and know your characters' weakness(es). The famous and classic example is of Superman and his weakness of kryptonite. There should always be a way to defeat your character. Give them something they can overcome. A fear. What is your character afraid of? This should almost be the first question you ask yourself as a writer.

If you are just starting out on a story, but don't know where to begin... you can always ask yourself the classic question of "What makes this particular day different from all the rest?" Another question you might consider, if you decide to go in a different direction would be "What makes this day just like any other day?" and go from there.

None of this was exactly sticking with me until I watched a movie. Yes, a movie. The movie is called Fresh (1994) and was written and directed by Boaz Yakin. I definitely recommend this movie to everyone. One thing I really enjoyed about the movie was the central metaphor that played throughout the film between Michael's life and the game of Chess. It seemed brilliant. If you watch the movie, watch it again. If you have a chance, watch the director's cut as well and listen to what Yakin has to say.

Anyway, that's my rant for the day. Thanks for reading.