I’ve had what I have been calling writer’s block for a while. I have been going through some issues that are not entirely resolved, though I am getting there. As a result of these issues, I haven’t much felt like writing. Even Nanowrimo, which I usually attack with abandon and enjoy immensely, despite the crap I produce during it, held little interest with me last year. I stalled, and never re-started.
Issues aside though, I think I have now just got out of the habit of writing, and have become lazy. I feel I am also using my ‘issue’ as an excuse.
On Saturday I met with my writer’s group, Seoul Writers Workshop and we had some post workshop drinks. One drink turned to more than one, and I ended up in drunken conversation with my long time writer friend. I asked him whether he thought I had the talent to actually get a novel published. He replied, very diplomatically, that he thought I could, but I had a lot of distractions.
Which is an understatement.
We talked more, and ended up agreeing on a writing challenge for September – and in order to give us a more motivation, we made a bet. The terms of the bet are as follows:
We both of us must write one thousand words for every week of September, making it 4000 in total for the month. If we don’t do this, we have to pay $300.
This is no ordinary bet. Neither of us will receive the money if the other fails. No, instead you promise to give the money to a cause you find repellent and can’t stand the thought of ever giving money to.
The question is, where to promise my money to if I fail? I thought of promising to the British National Party (I refuse to link to them, if you want to check out their ‘values’ just google the name) but if I failed I might end up on a list of people who had given money, which might in future end up damaging my reputation. I guess this is the point of the bet, to provide so much in the way of negative consequences.
I know I can write these many words (I have completed Nanowrimo 3 times, 4000 words is nothing in comparison) but I am also busy doing a training course at work at the same time.
There I go making excuses again to not write, and I’m even trying to give myself a ‘get out of jail free’ card on this bet before it has even started! I’m already ready to give up $300 because I’m being lazy! Well, I guess I know who I have to promise to donate to to get this done.