Sometimes, the struggle is to decide on what to work on in the very short time I can dedicate to this fiction writing project. Should I edit my rather large backlog of raw drafts? Should I write a new story? And in what language? I don’t know if other writers have some sort of workflow, but perhaps I need one.
I am happy with my Obsidian setup, though. Obsidian is a note-taking app designed for personal knowledge management. At first, I wasn’t sure how useful it could be for fiction writing, but now I keep everything there — from my short stories to swipes and notes from books, movies, song lyrics, and random notes. Maybe one day I’ll write a post detailing my Obsidian setup and how it helps with my writing. I got really into PKM systems last year and let me tell you, I wish I started doing it 15 years ago. It is a rather nerdy interest but absolutely essential for any knowledge worker.
Today I figured I could change things up and write in Spanish. It’s interesting how much writing changes when you switch up the language. Inevitably, the flow of the sentences differ, and so everything else does with it — the pace, the atmosphere, the mood. It may be that I feel more confident writing in Spanish. It feels like driving your own car as opposed to your friend’s.
Speaking of feeling comfortable with a language, starting this month, I’ll be working with an editor on Critique Match. It’s terribly exciting. I can’t wait to start posting more polished stories here and submit my writing to publications.
On fiction writing and the limits of vulnerability
The coolest thing about writing short stories is not knowing how your stories will turn out. More often than not, you think you know where the story is going, only for it to turn in an unexpected direction, forcing you to steer the course to follow it. It’s almost as if a story takes a life of its own.
Maybe that’s where the fear and insecurity come in. It’s all so unpredictable. Did I make the right call posting a story that didn’t turn out as I planned? Is it as good as I thought it’d be? Am I oversharing? Being too vulnerable? Or is it too abstract for anyone to relate to?
I feel like when it comes to fiction writing, I’m walking that fine line between opening up without letting too much out. I can’t make out the difference between being vulnerable and trauma dumping. Is there a difference at all? What does it look like in writing? Is it fair to dump all your pain and trauma on your readers? Does it help anyone?
I’ve no answers to any of those questions as of today. Maybe nobody ever does, and everybody handles it differently. I guess this is TBD.
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Want to read another blog post? Try these: Journals | Getting rid of perfectionism