Wear Sunscreen

Phew, it's been a crazy couple of days! I've been filling out papers for my new job, running all over trying to get my phone fixed (it is still defective), and trying to keep the house and the cats going throughout it all. Last night was particularly interesting: I went straight home after work (well, straight home after shooting nerf guns with my coworker) and cleaned, took out the garbage and recycling, did the litter, and played/cuddled with the cats. Around 8.45 I sauntered down to the park, where there was an open-air movie. I watched National Treasure while chowing down on banana cream ice cream and gourmet popcorn (YAY FOOD TRUCKS!), supplemented with one can from my personal supply of Moxie. It was glorious.

Anyway, went back inside to write a bit more before bed. Wrote some, passed out on the couch, woke up to Draco tearing around the house. After telling him off, I heard an odd noise and wandered around my tiny apartment trying to find it. I found it, all right...a LEAK in the pipe above my clothes closet. I moved everything to one side and called for Derek from maintenance, who came in just as the leak was slowing. He shoved a bucket underneath and promised he'd be back in the morning (this was about 1.30am). Thankfully, the leak had stopped, and he should be fixing it as we speak.

That was not the end of my night, however. After chatting with Derek ("You have to leave at 6.45am? Why are you still awake right now? Do you not sleep?!?!") I sat down to write some more. I pounded out a really great paragraph (I can only speak so well of it because of the events to come, grr) and passed out again. I woke to find Lily sleeping contentedly on my keyboard...and my screen blank. I pulled up the story and it was all there, thank god...except for the really great paragraph. I turfed her off the computer, growled at Draco, who was trying to bite her, and re-wrote it the best I could. It's not what it was before, but I'm doing fairly well word count-wise, so I'm still excited. I'll be spending a lot of time editing, anyway.

Speaking of my word count, I wrote 598 on Wednesday (hey, I was training my replacement Wed. and Thurs., don't hate!) and 1,575 yesterday, for a grand total of 20,931 words. I broke 20k!!!

Feeling very good about this book. In fact, I'm feeling so good that I named this post after a song that gives many good pieces of advice, and one in particular that I have been contemplating: "do one thing every day that scares you."

People have said this to me my entire life, and I've always hated it. First off, who lives like that? Honestly, what a douchey thing to say. Plus, if you had to come up with something scary every day you'd soon run out of local things to do (unless we're going Flatliners here), and who really has the money to travel the world simply to find horrifying challenges?

Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen) came on the radio the other day, and I've been listening to it/thinking about it ever since. Finally I realized that you don't have to do a new scary thing every day. I imagined that the point was to face your fears and overcome them, so that you would no longer be afraid. Finally, however, I've figured out that ridding yourself of fear isn't the point. The point is to face a fear, meet it, and not be cowed by it. To do in spite of fear. Now I realize that simply getting up and facing the day could count as 'doing one thing that scares you.' The world is scary. Choosing your path is scary: "I have two job offers and have no idea where either path will lead, what should I do...?" Being brave enough to be yourself is scary. Loving is scary. Life is scary.

Do one thing every day that scares you...I'm doing that now. I'm working on my very first novel each and every day. Mostly it's for myself, but I'd be a liar (and I think most writers would) if I said I wasn't hoping that other people might someday read (and enjoy!) it. Every day I work hard, putting my heart and soul on the line for a story which might never be finished, might never be published, might never go anywhere. It's not scary, it's terrifying.

Speaking of, duty calls! I may be sleep and caffeine-deprived, but I still need to work. Tootles!


Working Title: Bryn & Mer: Nosce Te Ipsum
Word Count: 20,931
Writing Mode: Headachy, but optimistic!