Thoughts on writing

I have now filled 123 pages in the writing workbook I started as an assignment for Dan Barden's advanced fiction workshop. Writing for a half-hour every day and just writing, not judging, is turning out to be a very good thing for me. I am using the workbook sometimes for just random rambles, but I also do a lot of writing about writing, what I want to write, and writing 'to do' lists that help keep me accountable to myself.In pages 50 - 123, among other things I have:- Mentioned two stories I have written that I had forgotten to mention previously:"The Tadpole and the Caterpillar: a Relationship Fable" - this is a story I wrote based on a dream I actually had which turned out to be prophetic. At one point it was published in some online magazine or other and may still exist on the internet somewhere. I got an email a while back that someone had used it as a reading at their wedding, which made me feel good!The other story, "A Long-Awaited Homecoming," is Tolkien fan-fiction that I wrote from the point of view of Galadriel returning to Valinor at the end of the third age, and it was published in Amon Hen, the bulletin of the Tolkien Society (obviously not publishable elsewhere but it was a just-for-fun thing).- Did some brainstorming about the three characters in my Diva play and what they would think of each other.- Wrote part of an essay in defense of musicians against common misconceptions about our education (in response to something on NPR). When I have a chance to go back to this I may pitch it to Classical Singer magazine.- Mentioned another couple of story ideas I have had and a novel I tried to start many years ago and may never revisit.- Decided that one of my strengths as a writer is that I am able to be prolific. (Note: this is not the same as being prolific - it just means that once I make myself sit down and take the time to write, the words come very easily.)- Wrote some about how I have rearranged my study and what things in it are important to me, decided that this could be the start of an article I could pitch to a magazine.- Strategized about possibly moving chapter 4 of my novel one chapter ahead.- Wrote about books I have been reading, including Dan Simmons' "Ilium" and "Olympos" (which I loved), and Patricia McKillip's "Od Magic" which I enjoyed but didn't thrill me. I spent a couple of pages figuring out why it didn't thrill me, as she is a very good writer in many ways.- Wrote miscellaneous "to-do" lists including writing lists and travel lists.- Wrote some of a bizarre story tentatively titled "The Jewel Swallower."- Rewrote my novel prologue making some subtle changes suggested in my writing class. I like the changes - makes it less ambiguous what the story is going to be about.- Decided I can probably trash what is currently chapter 2 of my novel and just summarize what happens.- Wrote a writing schedule to get a 10,000 word manuscript ready to submit for Viable Paradise, a science fiction/fantasy writing workshop I read about in a post by jenwritesAll of this useful because ordinarily I would have just worked on the novel during my 'writing time' and while at first I felt the workbook was taking me away from that, I now see that it is helping me articulate and remember ideas I have so that I can go back to them later. Now the trick is to actually do that.I have gotten some novel editing down and am currently working on getting a 13,000 word manuscript down to 10,000 including an outline. This is not including the cut of an entire chapter I already made.I sent in my short story, "Good Kitty," as a scholarship manuscript for the Indiana University Writers' Conference this summer. I attended last summer but did not apply for a scholarship since it was a last-minute decision to go.I also sent the same story to Glimmer Train for their new writers short story contest. I am anticipating a rejection email again, but hey, it makes me feel more like a pro if I at least have something out there for consideration. :)In other news, I am learning the music for Turandot with Indianapolis Opera (in which I have a small solo as a handmaiden, believe it or not) and really looking forward to getting to perform it in May!