“Hey, man, how’s it going?”
Hmm? Who’s this?
“This is the central conceit of this bit. Go with it.”
Um… okay?
“Listen, it’s the end of the first week of your first try at Blaugust, and I just wanted to just check in and see how you’re doing with it.”
Good, I think. I’m posting daily, like I had wanted to, posting even when I’m away from the laptop, which is a nice change. The family is (at least usually) giving me time and space to do it every day — big mental note made there that we absolutely can swing that arrangement — and I’m covering a broad range of stuff like I’d wanted to.
“Cool. Sounds like you’re getting your footing.”
Yes. I guess? I mean… hmm…
“What is it?”
My posts are still too long, though. I’d thought by the nature of posting every day, they’d necessarily need to be shorter, but I’m still pushing over an hour a day sometimes, to write more than I’d expected.
“I noticed that.”
… and if I’m going to try to parlay this month into posting blog entries more — I mean, not every day, that’s pushing my luck, but more than only once or twice a month like I usually do — then I’ve got to get it down to a leaner, meaner method.
“Well… you talk too much.”
Sorry?
“Sometimes, I mean. You can talk too much. Once you’re comfortable doing something, or with people, or when you’re trying to explain a specific thing to someone newly brought into a situation, there are times when you go on about stuff too long. You know this about yourself.”
True.
“Like… you can do it a lot.”
Okay, yes, I get it.
“And this is writing, after all. You’ve written stories since you could put two sentences together. Writing is one of the earliest things you ever did that you still choose to do, and enjoy. That’s a long time to get comfortable with it. So sure, given you and your connection it, there are times when you’re going to be too verbose with it.”
How do I curb that?
“Learn. You’re always up for learning more. There must be information somewhere, like blogs or articles or books, about how to keep your writing tighter. Saying more with less.”
Being like Elmore Leonard.
“Putting the bar a bit high for yourself there. Learn to walk before you run.”
True. But this sounds like one more thing I’d be distracting myself with instead of getting to all the stuff I already have to get to.
“You’re a writer. Writers procrastinate.”
Fair point.
“Meanwhile, just make a conscious effort to keep things shorter. Punch it up by trimming it down. And take Amie McNee’s advice of being okay with putting stuff out into the wild when it’s at least 80% good, rather than dicking around longer on making slight changes after that to get slight improvements on the small remaining bit, which may only make it worse instead of better anyway.”
I like that.
“And…”
And?
“Know when to finally wrap things up. Like now.”
Now? What do you mean?
“…”
Ah. Gotcha.