One Hour a Day Keeps the Crazy at Bay (or something)

I’m going to do that thing again where I pretend that I’m going to blog on a semi-regular basis.

Except for this time I actually mean it.

No, really.

I do.

Promise.

I spend enough time on/being drawn into the vortex of the internet (as evident by my active tumblr and twitter accounts) that I could potentially use that time to do something mildly more productive – like plaguing the internet with my opinions and such.

Which I’m sure have been terribly missed.

Moreover, you can only spend so much time in a foreign country doing the same thing you would have at home until you start to wonder… what’s the point? Why would I fly across the world, and leave behind my friends and family if I’m not going to do something different with my time? Changing the environment doesn’t necessarily change the habits (AKA TV-watching and food-eating champion). It’s hard to learn when you don’t make the effort to change.

I wanted to take a year off to write. And I need to force myself to do it.

Now don’t get me wrong – I love writing. But I do mean ‘force’ in the literal sense. I can walk around with ideas in my head and spend hours developing characters and plots – but if I’m not writing them down, doesn’t that just make me crazy? Which is not to say that I might not tick some of those boxes, but I think I do alright on the literary front as well. More importantly, I’m twenty-one years old. There’s simply no reason for me not to try.

So as part of my grand Scottish makeover (Scottish in the sense that I am in Scotland, as opposed to morphing into a ginger or attempting to play the bagpipes – though, my drinking habits have already changed rapidly… so you never know), I hereby pledge to set aside at least one hour a day to write.

It doesn’t matter what – it just needs to be English (or maybe even broken Russian). I need to actually put the pen to the paper (more accurately the fingers to the keyboard). Because practice makes perfect, there’s beauty in imperfection, chaos in creation – or something.

And, of course, you can’t publish something that’s only in your head.

This one hour session may come in the form of a blog akin to my usual ramblings. In particular, the fact that I am now living in Scotland. Edinburgh is both surreal and beautiful, as well as being infuriating at times. Look out for a list of mine and my roommate’s – excuse me, flatmate’s – ‘WTF’ moments (perhaps in the forms of a vlog, Katherine?). I might also just want to talk about movies and review concerts again (AKA I am going to Ed Sheeran next month – if I manage to keep breathing for that long). I also have a bone to pick with a popular bestseller. That, or maybe I’ll just write about cheese (I am going to Norway next month to visit some friends).

More importantly, I might try giving that screenplay another go. Maybe even National Novel Writing Month.

Or perhaps I’ll just need a space to rant about writer’s block, how the youths in my area are the most obnoxious creatures on the plant (how many times must we set garbage on fire?), or maybe just feeling homesick. Whatever it is, this is where it will be. And hopefully in a few months not only will I be back in the swing of things, but I might actual come home with something I’m incredibly proud of.

I’m calling it ‘Hour Madness’ because, let’s be honest, it probably will be.

Stay tuned (metaphorically, or perhaps more literally if you decided to subscribe).

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