A dog rescue friend and I went hiking at a conservation area on Saturday. Taking three puppies on a hike is sometimes a challenge. They want to play. Wrestling on the path is what they think the trail is there for. However, after an hour of walking (sometimes the hills were steep; we had to jump over fallen trees and we had to slink under fallen trees), Radar was zonked out on Saturday night.
I went walking with Radar at a local park yesterday by myself. Hopefully, I can make that a habit...
For the past few months I've concentrated on nothing except short writing projects. Memoir pieces that run 800-1,000 words. My longer WIP has sat, stagnating, since... well, since July. Yikes!
I knew it had been a long time, and planned on working on it on Saturday morning. However, I couldn't find where I had saved it. After checking several flashdrives and my desktop (aren't you impressed I even know what those things are, considering my total lack of tech-savvy-ness?), I discarded my plan.
On Saturday evening I spoke to a writing friend; Julie lives in Austin, Texas. She casually asked, "How's your book coming?" and after saying that I'd done nothing on it for several months, I searched further. I finally found it and worked on it Sunday morning. Another 1,000 or so words got hammered out--not a lot but way better than nothing.
My head is like concrete. I know I need to write every day and I know I need to write on a regular basis to keep even a trickle of momentum going. So why don't I do it?
Perhaps it's a good thing I'd set it aside for so long, because I had to read the whole thing to remember where I left off (at 16,000 words, it's only 25 pages right now). There were minor errors (I've changed the names of the characters several times, so there were plenty of places to spackle) and some things that were not quite clear, so I fixed them as I read.
Is your head like concrete about some things? What are they? I'd like to know, because two concrete heads... well, they're not really better than one, but we can always hope...
No class this afternoon and here I sit reading blogs. You will get back to it when the time is right and then you will roll with it.
ReplyDeleteLinda--Thanks for the encouragement. The WWWPs help me keep up some semblance of momentum...
DeleteFollowing is a quote from Anne Rice ("Interview With a Vampire" etc.) After reading this I felt so much better! It was permission from one of the greats to be the writer who is me and not the cookie cutter writer I kept trying to be. Here it is:
ReplyDelete"I've often said there are no rules for writers. Let me share the WORST AND MOST HARMFUL ADVICE I was ever given by others. 1) Write what you know. 2)You'll have to polish every sentence you write three or four times. 3)Genius is one tenth talent and nine tenths hard work and 4) You're not a real writer if you don't write every day. --- ALL OF THAT WAS HARMFUL TO ME. ALL OF IT. IT HURT AND IT SET ME BACK. ----- So I say again, there are no rules. It's amazing how willing people are to tell you that you aren't a real writer unless you conform to their cliches and their rules. My advice? Reject rules and critics out of hand. Define yourself. Do it your way. Make yourself the writer of your dreams. Protect your voice, your vision, your characters, your story, your imagination, your dreams."
Reading that quote was like coming up for air after holding my breath under water for too long. See, I don't write every day, though I about killed myself trying and felt guilty when I didn't. What I know about myself now that I didn't know a while back is that I'm not an every day writer. Stuff simmers in my brain and when I'm ready to put it on paper I do (sometimes in obsessive, lengthy, days-long sessions). The point is, I know my own process now, and my process requires the simmering time. It works for me. And I thank Anne Rice for her quote, because it brought me out of the closet, so to speak, as a not-every-day writer. Some days, the simmering isn't done and the dish isn't ready to be served. And it's okay for me not to put it on the table until it's ready.
For the record, Anne Rice's assertion is contradictory to Stephen King's. What that taught me is that no matter how talented and successful a writer may be, the process they promote is their own process, and not necessarily what will work for everyone. The only way to figure out our process is to just keep writing, maybe trying many different methods, until we arrive at the one that suits us best.
Don't feel guilty if you don't write every day. Maybe you're a "simmerer" too. :)
Lisa--You are right. Anne Rice is right. Stephen King is right. Perhaps even my dribs-and-drabs style is right...'cause we're each different and have different styles that work for us.
DeleteI know a writer who MUST write with a fountain pen. The sound of the nib (is that the right term) scratching across the paper is a requirement for him. That is what works for him...
I don't know if I'm a simmerer. I think I'm a frozen Stouffer's lasagna.. Sometimes stiff and nothing going on and at other times, hot and spicy and oozing with flavors. But, the lasagna can go back into the freezer or the fridge, where it gets stiff and lifeless again for a while.
I had started writing a book about my mother. All her secrets that she had so carefully coveted during her life. Research with family members and stories she had shared with my sister and I as children. Written from her view, I suppose I have been trying to find her reasons for her actions. I struggled to see through her eyes and when I finally "got it" I made some progress, though it was painful to write about her early life and my own beginnings. Knowing I could never share my writings with anyone as long as my dad is alive. I put it aside and have not even looked at it for over a year.
ReplyDeleteNow, as my dad's days are few, I am overwhelmed by such sadness I find it impossible to write anything.
Kathy--I am sorry for the loss of your mother, and I hope that your father's passing is painless.
DeleteI also hope that when the time is right, you can get back to your book. It might be healing, and it sounds like your mother's story should be told...
Loveloveloved Lisa's quote and advice! I too am a simmer-er. I bet those walks helped clear your head.
ReplyDeleteTammy--I too loved the quote. As for clearing my head...we'll see.
DeleteI'm a hard-head.
ReplyDeleteI steer clear of the beaten path, traipse up and down pig trails, and wind around the subject like a cat twining around a cat-hater's legs, just to please myself with obscure references. It's what I do. I feel no sense of urgency to change. That may come when I'm done with my day job and ready to write for real.
Or I might just remain a self-satisfied hard-head.
Being hard-headed works for you. Are you a Cat Stevens fan?
ReplyDeleteI AM a Cat Stevens fan. But since he changed his name, he may not be looking for a hard-headed woman anymore...
DeleteI went to the SW workshop on self-publishing last week. Liz Schulte presented and she publishes a book EVERY 3 MONTHS! Egad! Lots of work but that's how she became a full time writer and bumped her income over $100,000 last year. Sigh. Not sure I have that kind of dedication as I'm a tried and true procrastinator.
ReplyDeletePat
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