It's been a large gap once more since my last post, for the few of you that actually follow me, I apologize. For those who don't and are reading this now, shame on you, because you really ought to follow and share it.
That being said I have a few things on my mind I'd like to go over. One is plotting and the other is writing. I'll start there, with writing. Actual writing. Writing in which writing gets done. None of that IhavewrittenafewwordsandsuddenlyIfindmyselfontwitterandfacebookwhilelisteningtomusiconyoutubethreehourslater type writing. I confess that this has happened to me more than once and I'm not proud. Sometimes it's amazing to see just how much time has passed when I finally look away from the computer and realize I've spent the better part of the last few hours surfing the web when all I meant to do was look up a single word or subject. It really can be a problem for me sometimes.
I had a bigger problem recently when I found I wasn't writing, and worse still, my writing had become a source of stress for me. It felt more like work than something I enjoyed doing, like something I had to do, rather than something I wanted to do. And sometimes, even like something I shouldn't.
This is why.
Somehow I got stuck in a rut, a hole, in which writing felt too much like working. You see, I do most of my writing longhand and then go back later and type it all up, or type it as I go. It's something that has helped me avoid hours lost on twitter and Facebook (among other sites) and it's convenient for me. I can't whip out my laptop at work and start working on my daily goal, seeing as how I work at a bank and there are "security issues" (whatever those are.) What I can have, however, is a notebook filled with paper, which in my case is usually bent and beaten from use, and this gives me more time to write during the day while work is slow.
Also, I like writing longhand, I don't know why, but my creative juices just seem to flow more naturally with pen and paper than with a keyboard. Of course I'll have to use a keyboard later on, but I just feel like I'm less distracted and get more done the old fashioned way. So the notebook and paper weren't the problem, it was what came after.
I'd gotten lodged into my brain that I had to "catch up" and get everything I had written on paper, on the computer, before I could continue writing. I know, right? What was I thinking? How could I have gotten stuck in such a ridiculous thought process? I don't know, maybe I was brainwashed by an iguana who hopes to rob me of my dreams. (It's possible, right? ...yeah, probably not.) Well, however it happened, it did, and that's exactly what I decided to do.
Horrible decision.
Need I say more? I will anyways.
Like I said, it started to feel like work, even writing new stuff had lost its splendor because I'd convinced myself that I shouldn't be doing it until I finished typing everything and it wasn't until I was speaking with my wonderful wife about my dream of becoming, not only a published author, but an author that actually makes a living writing novels, that it finally dawned on me. I guess that's the wrong word, it was more along the lines of 'Wake up, stupid!' while being slapped in the face. The revelation came when my wife, jokingly, asked when I was going to become a rich author (I wish) and I responded with a lot of my pent up frustrations echoing in my words 'I have to write first. I can't be a writer if I don't write'. To which she simply said, "Then write."
It was so simple, why couldn't I have thought those two words? I think I was too close, I was so focused on little details, on the small steps would lead me where I want to go, that I lost sight of my destination. I couldn't see the big picture anymore. Ashley (my wife) pulled me back and helped me see, for which I'm very grateful. Love you sweetheart.
I guess what I'm getting at is if you want to write, then write. I believe it was the late Ray Bradbury who, to any aspiring author, would say "You have to write. Everyday. Whether you want to or not" and he was right.
Sometimes we just get in our own way and need to step aside. Or pull back a ways, look around and remember where we're trying to go.
Have any of you ever found yourself stuck in your writing? Or your dreams? Have you ever gotten in your own way? How did you get yourself out and back into the mix?
Thanks again for reading. I'll end it now because it's a bit longer than I'd anticipated. I'll be back for plotting. Meanwhile, enjoy this random photo of my wife and son. Both of whom are beautiful.
That being said I have a few things on my mind I'd like to go over. One is plotting and the other is writing. I'll start there, with writing. Actual writing. Writing in which writing gets done. None of that IhavewrittenafewwordsandsuddenlyIfindmyselfontwitterandfacebookwhilelisteningtomusiconyoutubethreehourslater type writing. I confess that this has happened to me more than once and I'm not proud. Sometimes it's amazing to see just how much time has passed when I finally look away from the computer and realize I've spent the better part of the last few hours surfing the web when all I meant to do was look up a single word or subject. It really can be a problem for me sometimes.
I had a bigger problem recently when I found I wasn't writing, and worse still, my writing had become a source of stress for me. It felt more like work than something I enjoyed doing, like something I had to do, rather than something I wanted to do. And sometimes, even like something I shouldn't.
This is why.
Somehow I got stuck in a rut, a hole, in which writing felt too much like working. You see, I do most of my writing longhand and then go back later and type it all up, or type it as I go. It's something that has helped me avoid hours lost on twitter and Facebook (among other sites) and it's convenient for me. I can't whip out my laptop at work and start working on my daily goal, seeing as how I work at a bank and there are "security issues" (whatever those are.) What I can have, however, is a notebook filled with paper, which in my case is usually bent and beaten from use, and this gives me more time to write during the day while work is slow.
Also, I like writing longhand, I don't know why, but my creative juices just seem to flow more naturally with pen and paper than with a keyboard. Of course I'll have to use a keyboard later on, but I just feel like I'm less distracted and get more done the old fashioned way. So the notebook and paper weren't the problem, it was what came after.
I'd gotten lodged into my brain that I had to "catch up" and get everything I had written on paper, on the computer, before I could continue writing. I know, right? What was I thinking? How could I have gotten stuck in such a ridiculous thought process? I don't know, maybe I was brainwashed by an iguana who hopes to rob me of my dreams. (It's possible, right? ...yeah, probably not.) Well, however it happened, it did, and that's exactly what I decided to do.
Horrible decision.
Need I say more? I will anyways.
Like I said, it started to feel like work, even writing new stuff had lost its splendor because I'd convinced myself that I shouldn't be doing it until I finished typing everything and it wasn't until I was speaking with my wonderful wife about my dream of becoming, not only a published author, but an author that actually makes a living writing novels, that it finally dawned on me. I guess that's the wrong word, it was more along the lines of 'Wake up, stupid!' while being slapped in the face. The revelation came when my wife, jokingly, asked when I was going to become a rich author (I wish) and I responded with a lot of my pent up frustrations echoing in my words 'I have to write first. I can't be a writer if I don't write'. To which she simply said, "Then write."
It was so simple, why couldn't I have thought those two words? I think I was too close, I was so focused on little details, on the small steps would lead me where I want to go, that I lost sight of my destination. I couldn't see the big picture anymore. Ashley (my wife) pulled me back and helped me see, for which I'm very grateful. Love you sweetheart.
I guess what I'm getting at is if you want to write, then write. I believe it was the late Ray Bradbury who, to any aspiring author, would say "You have to write. Everyday. Whether you want to or not" and he was right.
Sometimes we just get in our own way and need to step aside. Or pull back a ways, look around and remember where we're trying to go.
Have any of you ever found yourself stuck in your writing? Or your dreams? Have you ever gotten in your own way? How did you get yourself out and back into the mix?
Thanks again for reading. I'll end it now because it's a bit longer than I'd anticipated. I'll be back for plotting. Meanwhile, enjoy this random photo of my wife and son. Both of whom are beautiful.
I totally agree with Ashley :) Trevor has found that when he has a set time of day that he is supposed to write, he gets more done. That way, it's the same time, every day, the same number of words he needs to get done. I've had to be supportive of this, even when I don't want to. Depending on what he's doing at the time with school, sometimes his writing time comes in the evenings when I'm home from work and want to watch TV. I'm still learning how to be as dedicated as him, but I know it's a necessity. We've invested a LITTLE bit of money in a few things at home he knew would help him meet his goals. Like, a comfy writing chair, a lap desk for the laptop, a printer so he can print out pages to edit, Scrivener. I think you'd be surprised how quickly you can reach your daily word goal when the atmosphere is right. Trevor can church out 2k words in an hour and a half sometimes.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't think this would be something a new writer would say; I have to remind Trevor all the time. You ARE going to get depressed. You absolutely will go through cycles and phases where writing is easier, then harder. You're looking at work you've created day in and day out; it will be easy to look at it and hate it. Believe you can create something good, and try to climb out of the holes when you get there :)