Dear Diary

As the old year folds up and the new one rolls in, I resolve to above all, write more. I know it sounds trivial, even plain and perhaps a burden on myself, but I know that if I do not make myself do it, it will never happen. Even if it means posting up stories or branches that I feel still need attention or don't seem to satisfy me, I must at least make the effort rather than shying away from the challenge at all. Because that's what they are to me: each post, a challenge. I am afraid of ruining someone else's beautifully crafted ideas and thoughts; their vision and hopes for its continued path, trashed in a single branch. With all these excellent, powerful authors surrounding me, I find it hard to rise to the level and continue on the mastery and shaping of each story.

Therefore I want to disgard these timid feelings and branch out to pastures new, untamed waters, unkown territories (and especially avoid those cringy cliché strings of speech and description drummed into me by countless movies). I must dare to try new genres that I would never see myself writing and would normally leave to the more practised. I hope to break away from my monotonous style and push myself to adapt to new environments of setting, character forming, and structure of plot within the mould of author contiributions. But not in a forceful way, where I slog to achieve ever higher, clutching at straws and attaining the unattainable. With practise and perseverance, I know I can stretch myself to make those adjustments, that will inevitably improve my writing tenfold.

What's more, I cannot allow myself to become downhearted by the ever-increasing posts added by the regular protagonists. It's so easy to see the success and apparent ease of other author's muses that you begin to doubt your own flare for writing. Reminding myself that it's all in proportion to how much time and energy we can put into it, and not all of us can contribute as much as we'd like to. And yet, I cannot forget the importance of constant feedback. Always, commenting, discussing, challenging others, giving ideas and guidance. This is the most important of all to help each one of us monitor our progress and adjust accordingly.

So I hope by the end of this year I can peruse my profile and feel a glow of pride at how far I have come and how I have stuck to this resolution when all others failed. How I wish I knew what lies ahead. Until then, diary, I entrust you with my musings.

Rose @>-}------

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updated Jan 1 '09 by TheRiverTalker