27/30: So what’s next? A reduced word count, research plans, mapping out a structure and where I might take this Substack
Some brief thoughts about what I might do after this month-long writing challenge is over
As the end of the month nears I’m starting to think about what comes next. I'm determined to keep writing, to maintain this habit and momentum I’ve built over the last four weeks, but I think my daily target word count might need to reduce slightly. I don’t think it’s sustainable without giving up some other things I want and need to do; I’ve hardly done any exercise this month, and reading other people’s words has taken a back seat. It’s also Christmas next month, which is likely to overwhelm my pockets of spare time in a wave of anxiety, consumerism, carols and joy. So maybe I’ll aim for 500 words a day instead.
I also want to take some time to reflect on everything I’ve achieved this month. To take a step back from the project for a few days, maybe a week, and then (gulp) start rereading what I’ve written. I want to get a big sheet of paper and some post it notes and start plotting out a possible structure, identifying recurring themes. Now I’ve (almost) written 30,000 words I’ve got a better idea of the gaps in the narrative, areas where I need to do some research - whether that’s motherhood in the mid-twentieth century or how to incorporate direct speech into memoir.
I’m itching to get stuck into a pile of books and scholarly articles, to go down some family history rabbit holes on the internet, sign up for some writing courses. I might perhaps love research even more than I love writing! And this is where the danger lies: I could very easily let myself get swallowed by the research and lose sight of what I’m doing the research for. Lose sight of the writing. I think - I hope - that crafting a structure for the larger memoir project might help me keep to the path. If I have a clear(er) idea of where I’m trying to get to and what I want each section of the narrative to do, then hopefully I’ll research with purpose and not get lost in the woods, however fascinating they are.
Then there’s some thinking to be done about how I want to use this Substack once this writing challenge is over. So far I’ve been using it very much for myself and my own needs. I’m writing for an audience in that I’m publishing my words on a public platform where others can read them. But my main audience has really been myself. I haven’t given much thought to what people might find interesting or useful to read about, or to ways to grow subscribers. And that’s ok - one of Substack’s strengths is that it can be different things to different people. I can keep using this platform in the way that I currently am: as a place to practice and hone my writing skills.
But…I could also continue and expand on the way I’ve been using it this month as a place for experimentation and play. A lot of what I’ve written this month has been very internal. The narrative has been focused on and driven by my experience and my feelings about different events, largely in the past. I’ve noticed the lack of direct speech in what I’ve written, and this is something I want to work on. But I’d also like to try and shift my focus to be more external. To write more about the world around me, both now and in the pasts I’m remembering through my writing. What’s the weather like? What season is it? What can I see around me?
Substack is a space where I could try that out. Maybe a weekly piece with short almost diary entries for each day? I’m doing a 365 photo project on Instagram at the moment and posting a daily photograph of the sky - perhaps I could combine or link these projects?
I don’t know how to end this piece. It’s shorter than some I’ve written this month, but I’m currently running ahead of my target word count so that’s ok. I am truly writing aloud here - thinking on the (virtual) page.
689 words