For those of you who haven't been following my year-long experiment, you might want to click
here first.
My promise for the week was to outline my novel. When I drew it, the enthusiasm for this task was at a fever pitch. I couldn't wait to dive in. I've been doing a lot of mental work on the concept, stewing things over in my mind, but I need to get some of these ideas committed to paper so I can begin to suss out the structure of the thing. I believe I have the first two acts of the novel worked out in a decent amount of detail (I don't really want to outline the third act just yet). The problem is...I didn't do it. I didn't sit down and actually do the thing I promised to do. In this way, I failed. I failed myself and the experiment.
I could give all kinds of excuses about why it didn't happen. My uncle passed. I was writing the eulogy. I had three batches of essays to grade. I wanted to spend time with my family. All of these things are true. All of these things happened in the last week, but what is also true is that I got a new cellphone and I found the time to set it up. I also got a new tablet. I found the time to set that up too. I watched a movie as well. I'm not saying that one should work all the time. God forbid! What I am saying is that I made a promise, but I did not dedicate the time to fulfilling it.
So what does it mean to break a promise? Well, for me, it means guilt. I feel bad about failing to uphold my end of the bargain. Feeling bad is right. One should have a healthy dose of guilt for breaking a promise. The important part is the next bit. The bit that seeks recompense. Breaking a promise is not something to be taken lightly, and I don't. I am not just doing this experiment to be able to go hiking and spend time with loved ones. This experiment, at its heart, is about being true with your word. It is about being honest with what you say and do. In that way, it is important for me to find a solution to a broken promise. It is a big deal.
So, the question becomes...what do I do next?
Do I simply hold this promise over to this next week? Do I put it back and draw a new one? Do I have to do two promises this week? I'm not sure. I'd love to hear what you think in the comments section below. How does one advance from here? Weigh in and I'll make my move by tomorrow.
Great honesty and insight. If I were you, I'd add a week onto your year. Make it a 53 week year, simple as that. No one says you can't, right? No need to "double up" or punish yourself with further impossibility by trying to make up for it this week. Just simply add a week to your calendarhttp://writerteacherfather.blogspot.com/logout?d=http://www.blogger.com/logout-redirect.g?blogID%3D1641825178618230064%26postID%3D4205441354143251246 and put the promise back in the jar.
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