The Ro-Train is born.

Welcome. It's the first day of the rest of my blog. Wow, I'm feeling ultra-creative today. (rolls eyes, mocks self). Really, welcome! I am an aspiring novelist hoping to put the aspiring past me. I'm 1/3 through my first novel (the first one I'm really serious about completing, anyway-I have about 25 first chapters, lol). So I thought I'd create a healthy distraction. Actually it will be a tool, and maybe somewhere along the line it will become interesting to others, particularly writers who are curious to know what other writers do and what their habits are. I'm busy trying to develop some rituals, LOL, though actually writing is a good ritual for me to start with.

I've been great the last two days, 2,460 words yesterday and 1,304 words today. I'm happy with that. Anyway, welcome, who knows what is to come. For now I'm going to sit in wonder at my new blog. (hear the "ahhhhh" from The Simpsons intro, lol). Then maybe later I'll add something new. Or maybe just delete this post. LOL. (more self-mocking occurs)

I've been motivated by a couple things lately:

• my friend Melissa, who has written a novel and knows what she's talking about.
• leafing through the book Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury (not a writer I read often, unfortunately, but I've heard good things about the book before, and it was the only thing that grabbed by attention at B&N the other day which also fit my budget. ;D
• at Barnes & Noble I also bought a little spiral weekly planner, and each day I am going to write how many words I've written. I'm imagining the disappointment of a blank day will give me some motivation; it's too easy to think "oh, I've written nothing today," but if it's right out there, I'll be motivated just to put a number on the page. My goal has been 500 words a day, and the days I do write I usually surpass that...then there are holes of days where nothing gets done, and it gets easier the second and third days.
• Oh yes, and upon completion of 30,000 words, I started a new file (I write on the computer). So it's more motivating, not seeing that 116 double spaced pages I've already written - you would think it would be motivating to see all that writing, but not for me...