On April 19th I made my writing goal official by sending it out into the electric ether via my blog (see my first blog ‘Hello Universe‘). I did it again a week ago, this time restating it on Twitter:

I have made the pledge: one year from today, my novel will be finished…(!)

Meaning that by next June, when I turn 40, my novel, my piece de resistance, my 10 year-ish labour of love, will finally be finished…

So obviously I should be squeezing every last drop of writing time out of my busy life and making my writing goal happen…

The trouble is…I am spending all of my writing time blogging! And I can’t seem to make the switch back!

Blogging is just so much more attractive right now. It’s like my novel’s handsomer cousin has shown up and whisked me away in his silver Porsche! (Vroom! Bye y’all!)!

Here’s why I think I’m so enthralled:

1. Blogs are shorter.
No ‘50,000 and up’ word count before you pass the finish line! Yippee!

2. Blogs are more straightforward.
No need to weave the complicated strings of plot, character, setting, theme, mood, imagery, etc. Just pick one topic and dive in!

3. Blogging is a form of self-support.
I work through my ‘writer issues’ in my blog. I self-reflect on the writing art, explain my processes to myself, & laugh at my foibles—which supports my larger writing life, keeping me from being too serious & grumpy.

4. Blogs can be read immediately by someone other than my husband.
With your blog, you can get reader interest & feedback NOW and that’s a positive WOW moment for a writer, to feel like you’ve communicated, you’ve made a connection—without having to jump through the traditional publishing hoops—

BUT…

What about my novel? We’ve got history, depth; a long-term connection. I do still love it. I know I’ll come back to it…eventually…

Blog vs. Novel. Novel vs. Blog. Why must I make a choice? There’s got to be a way to have both. There’s got to be a way to have everything…

I have a sneaking suspicion the answer lies (yet again) with The Writer (i.e.: me) giving up more time sleeping…just to have more time writing…

‘Writer’s Insomnia’, indeed!