by Carrie Bailey
When you commit yourself to a goal, any goal, you will face some opposition though the form it takes may come as a surprise. The solutions must be as creative as the endeavor itself if the person is to be successful. My objective: I will write a 50k word novel for NaNoWriMo by the end of the month.
When you commit yourself to a goal, any goal, you will face some opposition though the form it takes may come as a surprise. The solutions must be as creative as the endeavor itself if the person is to be successful. My objective: I will write a 50k word novel for NaNoWriMo by the end of the month.
My opposition came in the form of an angry roommate with a valid complaint and some serious boundary issues. After a short battle over respectful communication styles and a day spent nursing my wounds in the company of friends, I lost my momentum for my novel.
Personal conflicts can always be overcome through respect and cooperation, but they can drain your energy and cause you to lose focus. Now, I don’t hate my roommate and I won’t start World War III in my kitchen, but I won’t submit to tyranny either.
My solution: write through it. I skipped to a section in the novel where an uptight academic played the role of the villain. I channeled my frustration into this character. In the end, I had 1000 more words and a good laugh at myself.
The fictional version of my nemesis was precisely what it should be, fictional. And the source of my inspiration was in reality a stressed out guy bombarding me with apology notes.
I always channel events into my writing. Helps a girl not get sidetracked.
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