June 1-Pieces of What

Topic du jour: Alrighty kids, it's back to Day 1-tabula rasa time. April was our best month so far, and I think June can be even better! So, this time around, day 1 is going to be a tiny bit tougher, so...

Part 1: Set your writing intention for the month. Pick 3-5 words on what you want to get out of this, where you want to go with your writing, etc, and elaborate on them.

Part 2: Since our group is growing and we no longer all know each other, give us a little bio of your life as a writer.



Accountability: Since my position in this group is a little different, I am placing accountability at the top of my intention. First, I have to be accountable to all of you, because if I do not do my part, then it is much more difficult for all of you to be successful. I also have to be accountable to myself: if I get all of the topics written and posted ahead of time, then I get to actually participate in the group, too.

Consistency: That goes without saying. I think I made it two weeks last time, and as long as I keep up with the accountability part, this should hopefully fall right into place.

Dialogue: I think I want one of my focuses this go ‘round to be specifically on dialogue. Considering most of my classy insults consist of “your face” and “your mama,” Gossip Girl has inspired me to work on better dialogue.


So, a little about my life as a writer. Well, I started in a Journalism class my Freshman year of high school, then gradually moved up in the ranks on the newspaper from Feature Editor to Editor-in-Chief (well, technically co-Editor-I had all the duties but not full title due to an incident the previous year; apparently shoplifting on a school field trip is not a good idea-funny story, though). I did the UIL business and all that, oddly enough winning First Place for a Sports Feature article, then applied to the UT School of Journalism. I so didn’t get in. Boo. So, I went the Liberal Arts route and kind of gave up on my Journalism dream.

After lots of fun American Studies classes with tremendous writing components (seriously, throw out a topic and there is a 47% chance that I will say “oh, I wrote a paper on that”), I ended up picking up little writing jobs here and there, even writing a bit of porn on the side (even though I wasn’t having sex at the time-my porn totally sucked-if only I had that job, now…) Two years ago I got a job with go2.com, writing text-message alerts about local events, and eventually horoscopes, a fairly lucrative side job that has definitely contributed to my drinking budget. Not long after that was the Club Gossip debacle, wherein I was the Editor of an attempted up-start magazine; it was a lot of fun, and I don’t regret it, but ultimately resulted in a giant mess. Finally, last summer I started writing for Austin.com, doing event previews, SXSW coverage, Weekend Picks, and more. I don’t get paid at Austin.com, but I do get lots of perks that pretty much outweigh a paycheck.

So, after a conversation with my BFF while visiting her in the Bay Area last fall, I came up with the idea for this group. My background, obviously, is mostly journalism, and I had never done much creative writing. I figured I would try my hand at it some, and bring a few friends along. This is our fourth go at our little project, and I am still loving it. Eventually, I hope to pitch this as a book to Chronicle Books, and to have all of you join me.

p.s. after reading this, if you have not taken my “How well do you know Laurie” Facebook quiz, I just gave you two answers. Go for it.

April 1, 2009

Setting my intention...

The last time we did 30dow, my writing intention focused on making money. I still hope to do that now and in the future, but I realize that it can't be my sole pursuit.

So, my intention this time is to actually follow through with the point of this project and write every single day. I learned during SXSW that writing is not something that I have to do begrudgingly. I can get things written on a deadline, I can write them well, and I can enjoy them. So that is what I am going to do. I am going to see this as an opportunity and something fun to do. I am also going to get all of the topic posts written and posted ahead of time so that I don't let down the group and so that I don't end up resenting my duties.

Wish me luck!

(p.s. i tried to go to sleep after the internets ate my last attempt at this post, but damnit I had to get up and get it in!!)

Setting my Intention

My writing intention:

Committed: This is my number one word, because it’s my number one priority. I have to find a way to invest more time and attention to my writing, both personally and professionally.

Entertaining: Well, it’s me, so obviously hilarity is going to be part of anything that I do. I hope to also be moving, provocative, and interesting.

Natural: I told Sinclair today that I love her writing so much because it is so natural and wonderful, and I want to be able to write like that. I want to find a way for my words to flow out of me, rather than having to find a way to pull them out like a loose tooth.

Lucrative: I hope to really be able to make some things happen this year when it comes to some writing projects.

Awesome