This weekend I spent the whole thing working. I wish I could say I was immersed in a current WIP or even the Round Robin writing expedition that Karla and I are going to embark on (more on that later), but I can't
It was work pure and simple.
It was hard and challenging and I learned quite a bit but I found myself fighting the urge to check twitter and the rest of my social media outlets every hour than every thirty minutes, than every five. After eight hours of keeping my nose to the grindstone I decided I could reward myself and spend the next couple of hours writing.
It didn't work out quite the way that I hoped.
Here is my question. How come when I go shopping and want to spend money I can't find anything to buy? That is how I felt about my writing after working all day. When I finally carved out some precious time to do what I had wanted to do for myself all day I had literally nothing to say. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
I tried going back and looking at older works. No inspiration whatsoever.
I tried turning on the tunes. I just sat there singing into my stapler.
I was flummoxed. Finally after an hour, an hour which I should mention that I can never get back, I moved on to something else.
I am currently working on a book for my sister-in-law. As you know she had her baby boy in August. While she was pregnant we designed and maintained a website all things about upcoming baby including a daily blog which I maintained on her behalf. Now I am converting it into a hardback book as a gift for her and the baby. Something he will have as he grows into adulthood.
It gave my brain a rest from writing and was something fun to do. But here is my dilemma. I believe in setting aside time to write everyday. But what do I do when the words won't come. I don't want to abandon my me time, but I also don't want to sit and stare into space for an hour or longer because my sunbathing muse has suddenly deserted me for better climes.
This happens to me quite a bit, so i'd like to think that i'm an expert on dodging writers block. Usually if i get a little stumped i will play a game or five of freecell on the computer. for some reason that i can't explain (to myself much less anyone else) this game automatically gets my creative juices flowing. if for some reason that doesn't work, i hop on the treadmill. that always works! hope this helps :)
ReplyDeleteThat same thing happens to me with shopping all the time. Ugh. As if I don't hate shopping enough already.
ReplyDeleteIt happens from time to time with writing, too. When it does, I try to do something at least writing-related with my little pocket of bonus time. If the words won't come, I edit something I've already written. Or I just write something totally off the wall--pure craziness, or trash, or so bizarre I'd never show it to anybody. It's amazing how often that will break down the dam. :)
hi miss kelly! mostly you cant make words come flying out when theres none hanging around. you just gotta say ok so i got no words right now and just go do something else and try gettihg back at it later. planning for me mostly doesnt work cause i just stop and write when the words get in my head and just gotta come out.
ReplyDeletehugs from lenny
Well you can't *make* it happen. I can't, anyway. I usually just produce crap for awhile until inspiration strikes.
ReplyDeleteHappens to me all the time. The only thing I do is accept that nothing is happening and try againg the next day when the frustration has subsided :o( not very helpful, I know. But this stuff just has to happen.
ReplyDeletei really thought i had responded to this, but judging from the lack of comment by abby, i assume i hadn't. sorry!
ReplyDeletei too am working through those "where are the words" moments, but i'm beginning to think the next thing i might try to get the juices flowing is a different writing exercise. like linda said -- write something crazy. or maybe try a character sketch. or plot out the next chapter. or write out a grocery list. perhaps writing different words will get your story's words to come to mind more easily...
I force it, to be honest. There are days when I sit down to write, and nothing is there and I know it's all gonna suck. So I read through the last bit I wrote, do some minor edits, and then just force myself to start writing where the story left off. Even if it sucks. Even if it's total gibberish. It normally only takes a few sentences for my brain to figure out I'm not just letting it off the hook, and the words start flowing again.
ReplyDeleteI know the prevailing wisdom is that you can't force it, but honestly - if you're a professional and you don't feel like working, you work anyways. That's how I treat my writing (and since I've been doing that, I have far fewer "blocked" moments).
I either write a blog post, read other blogs, or I read. Reading tends to shake things up for me. Also, exercise. I know that is not as fun but it gets the blood flowing to the brain. And I pray a lot:) Ha Ha!
ReplyDelete