A Year of Insanity

I'm all about deadlines and challenges. I've discovered that, at least for me, having a deadline makes things get done which otherwise wouldn't, or at least gets them farther toward completion. Challenges are much the same thing. National Novel Writing Month is one thirty-day challenge to write 50,000 words of fiction in a month. My own InMuWriJu is an attempt to write 5,000 measures in a month, and while I've never made it, the numbers of pieces I've got written and published from that intense bout of music-making is testament to the fact that deadlines and challenges work, at least for me.

So, here's my latest challenge ...

This is inspired a bit by Jonathan Coulton, a very funny singer (though his lyrics usually border on the raunchy, so listen with care). For a year, he did what he called Thing a Week, where every week, he would write, record, and release a new song. One new song, every week. 52 songs in 52 weeks.

Nuts, right?

Well, my own idea is much along those same lines. I propose to finish four pieces a month, every month, from now (August 2009) until July 2010. That is four pieces finished and out in the world, every month. "Out in the World" can mean submitted for publication, entered in competitions, or even just passed on to someone who can do some good with the piece. If all goes as planned, by August 1, 2010, there will be 48 more of my pieces out there and circulating around, and hopefully many of them will be getting published, which is the ultimate goal.

I will keep updates here (and if it gets too crazy, on my website at jasonwkrug.com, as well) to keep my accountability going. I'm a little terrified about how will this will actually work, but I figure nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Right?