I finally went blog hopping today. It's been like a month since I did that. I should have known it would help - reading other writers and seeing what all they're going through, and it's so nice to know I'm not alone in my misery of non-writing.
Last night I thought a lot about this subject. Thought about what my friends were saying, what people were writing here, and what the voice in my head wanted me to hear. It boils down to this: I want to be a published author. I really, really truly want that.
And there's only one way to get it. Period. I must write, and I must write well. I thought about the different works I have in progress, from the one that's finished and needing revising to the ones that are started to the ones I've got just floating around in my stormy little brain. Although some are quite daunting and make me want to curl up on the couch again, a couple of others were so relieved to see light shining down on them, acknowledging their existance again, more little scenes for them started popping up.
One of the things I'm going to start to do is writing down scenes. Right now, I write from beginning to ending. Maybe I shouldn't. Maybe I should just write the scenes as they come from whatever story they emerge out of. I think it's that perfectionism again, wanting to do it a certain way, even if it's painful and my instinct is saying to STOP doing it that way, or believing that that way is the ONLY way. If I allow myself to write a scene, even if it's in the last 3/4 of the book, that may prompt even more writing. Maybe. Heck, at the rate I'm going now, it sure wouldn't hurt to try it that way, right??
I'd sit and chat, but I have some writing I need to do. I'll report back later with my progress.
Thank you all. Yes, even you, D. ~razz~
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7 comments:
Yeah! Glad you're feeling better. Did you take Allison Brennan's No Plotters Allowed workshop at Nationals? She had a whole list of things to do when you get that writer's block. Best quote from her handout...
"To overcome writer's block, get something - anything - down on paper. Don't wait for the perfection to issue forth. Since the key to good lawyerly writing is re-writing, give yourself something to edit." - James C Freund
and my fav:
"I can fix a written page; I can't fix a blank one" - Nora Roberts.
If I'm stuck, the best thing for me to do is either reread what I've already written to get back into it, or skip ahead and write a scene later on that's floating in my brain. I've written several that never got put in the book, but the act of writing got me back into the swing. And several of those scenes do eventually end up getting used, so it's never a waste.
Go write. And remember to have fun. :)
I'm in total agreement. Best thing to do is simply to get something down on paper. often I'll just "sketch out" an idea on a part I'm stuck on or look at the sceane I want to get to and take the most direct route to it and then come back to revisit that later when I'm feeling more creative.
The Lumpy
Elisabeth: I did go to it but they were out of handouts, but mine came in the mail just in the last week or so. Since I've been doing NOTHING of writing lately, I need to dig it out and read it. Thanks for reminding me.
Lumpy, thanks for coming by. I went to your blog and cracked up - then clicked on Uncle Jimbo and cracked up some more. I added you both to my list of fun blogs, hope you don't mind. :)
Brenda, thanks for stopping by. Hopefully my random sarcasm can help break up any writer's block you run into. Good luck in your endeavors.
Write whatever scenes are in your head! You know me, I never, ever, EVER write from page one. It's way too stifling for me. Maybe that is one of your keys. The fun part iss tying everything together in the revision stage!
And like Elisabeth said, HAVE FUN! This is my belief (in respect to writing)---- Ultimately, if you don't enjoy what you're doing it's not really worth it.
oh, yeah ... what's the difference between a bull and a symphony orchestra?
Just write the scenes as they come to you...worry about structure later. And have fun!
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