April 20 - Giving up, word counts, and not giving up.

I do not characterize myself as one who gives up, but I have given up. Not on The Week of Dreams, though. No. I'm not that much of a quitter. But I have given up on updating this blog every day (as though that were not completely obvious), and I have given up on writing a novel. The Week of Dreams can't possibly be a novel. Maybe if I'd written it so that it could take place over a longer period of time, it could be. But The Week of Dreams is, well, over the course of a week. It's hard to cram, what, 50,000 words into a week.

I'm at 15,000 words or so right now. I'm impressed with myself. I probably shouldn't be impressed. It's a sign of narcissism or something. (That said, I admittedly do have a big ego. I admit this fact. I say it's better than the crippingly low self-esteem that I see in artistic types to the point where it must be some kind of requirement.) But I am impressed at my word count. So what if it only makes my work a novella? Novellas are legitimate. So what if Mr. Powers wanted me to write a novel for this class, not a novella? He knows that I write novellas, not novellas, I told him so. So what if it - actually, no, I can't think of anymore valid "so whats". But yes, to the only actual "so whats" that I can think of - that's what!

So I won't give up. I'll give up on some things - like writing this blog daily (not important) or writing a novel (novellas are valid). But I will not give up on the writing. No. That's the important thing. Writing this piece is the thing that matters. And I will not give up. I'm not that much of a quitter. I do not characterize myself as one who gives up.