When I disappear for
days, you might think I’m slacking off blogging, I do that now and again (more again,
lately), but that’s not the real reason this week.
Procrastination? No. Well,
I do that, too, but not this week—I simply had unavoidable interruptions.
Writer’s block? No. Okay,
I might be lying about that, but only because I subscribe to the belief that
there is no writer’s block. It’s really that you don’t know your character(s)
well enough. So, okay, I sort of had to do some backtracking there and learn my
character better, but I’m still not admitting to writer’s block.
What I’ve been doing is
what writer’s do. I have been hot on the trail of one of my characters and had
to do lots of research that was so interesting I couldn’t unplug to do a post
sooner. Then I had to have him talk to me and write down every word. It’s about
concentration. I am not ambidextrous in switching writer tasks and I can’t
switch gears when my concentration is focused like a laser (that means OCD to
get this character nailed).
So,
I’ve slacked off
Facebook, and been missing far too many Johnny Depp pictures quotes.
And, been missing from
Twitter, they’ve changed Tweetdeck, well, they did that a
while ago so it’s not the real reason I’ve slacked off. I haven’t
been tweeting much, but following oodles and oodles of nice people.
I’ve also been reading
lots of posts (hurriedly, I admit, so I didn’t leave many comments – no
footprints to prove it.
So, all in all a great
week—for a writer, but not so much for maintaining a platform or promoting.
To prove it, here are a
few places I have been that you might want to check out:
- Confucius quotes: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/confucius.html Here
is one you may not have known was Confucius and suits a writer: Choose
a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
- If Confucius is too esoteric,
try Johnny Depp's quotes over at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/88280.Johnny_Depp?auto_login_attempted=true
- Chuck Wendig’s gnarly blog had
one great recipe that I tried because I was in a hurry to get back to
writing and it was quick. I changed it up a bit and added coconut milk
instead of regular milk and cream—absolutely loved it. Even my husband
said it was the best soup I ever made. If you don’t cook, you might just
like to read his outrageous style. He appeals to the irreverent in me: http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/03/27/i-got-your-soups-right-here-pal/
- I visited
William Doonan’s site and downloaded his new book about zombies in ancient
Peru—and the present day dig?--Don’t know yet, haven’t finished the
book—I’m hot into writing, remember? The style of the book is intriguing
and you might want to check it out. I’m not usually a zombie person, but
this is ancient curse stuff and that I love.
http://williamdoonan.wordpress.com/
I could give you more
but that takes me away from my writing for too long and need to get back. ‘till
next week. . . .
Do you get obsessive when you write? When you read?
(Yeah, I do that, too.)
14 comments:
Bwhahaha! Chuck's soup...
Oh wait, this is about writing.
Okay, *ahem*, so Cora - it's so good to read how much you're enjoying your writing and research.
And soup...
Bwahaha again!
Cora,
Been there, done that. "No one can be in two places at one time - mentally or physically." Not Confucius, Patricia Gligor. :)
We writers may wear many hats but changing them doesn't happen in an instant. Sometimes we need to focus on one task at a time before moving on to something else.
I went looking for the Johnny quotes and got distracted...
What I wanted to comment on was this, "only because I subscribe to the belief that there is no writer’s block. It’s really that you don’t know your character(s) well enough."
You put into words what's been running through my mind over the last couple weeks. I'm about 15k words into a new WIP and it's stalled out. The hero & heroine had a near-miss kiss, and my inner PlotDictator is all freaking out because she thinks it's too soon. But they really want to kiss each other, right? So to calm everybody down (and yes, I just referred to the crowd in my head) I created character worksheets, and have sworn not to write much more before they're completed.
Wish me luck!
And have fun with your project!!
There is writer's block and there is absolute fear. With writer's block I go back and nag at my characters or go shopping (window) for them in the myriad of catalogs I receive. Nothing like buying a whole lot of nothing to lift a woman's spirits.
The fear. I can analyze(sp?) and plan the next installment, short story, whatever to death, but to get myself to actually write the first five words on paper is a very real battle.
Maybe I should get a cat.
JoAnne, and what are all these people ahead of me doing up so early?
I'm actually going to make the soup again today. Freeze some for that day I won't be cooking again (when hot into writing.
Thanks for stopping by, Pamela.
I'm getting more comfortable at not feeling guilty when I can't do it all.
Hi,
I can understand yor stepping back because you are involved in something that needs your complete attention. I usually step back in for 2 1/2 months, the middle of Decmber until March. Those are my months of hibernation where I get in touch with myself.
Enjoyed your article.
Ciao,
Patricia
Easy to get distracted with Johhny.
When I start reworking/editing sentences again and again, I know I'm fiddling to get away from digging into my characters. I'm a bit lazy that way, thinking I will push through. Doesn't work. I have to do the hard digging or I will usually end up later trashing whole scenes. I am having huge fun with my current project. Thanks.
I was up at 2 a.m. doing this blog post. Commenters might be from another time zone.
Shopping works sometimes to relieve the stress and fear, but nothing works for writing like writing. I've taken to journaling from my character's head, letting them talk to me. Works every time.
I do the hibernation thing, too, but I was out of it last month. Nothing like spring to kick me into forward motion. It got warm early here (Calif) (unlike others in the midwest that still have snow.)
Thanks for your comments, always appreciated.
Sometimes I go MIA from the interwebs, because I just get so OVER it... I don't think I get lost enough in my fiction. I daydream about it a lot, but can't seem to do more than a few hours a day. But I agree with you about writer's block. Although I do find I can only write so much in one go and then I need to allow time for the creative well to refill.
I do both; get totally into the writing, unable to unplug or take a creative break sometimes for a few days. But usually if I take a break, I'm taking notes about what I plan to do when I write again.
I hear you about the web being too much at times. That's about when I go out into my garden and put my hands in the soil to grow something.
Its such as you learn my thoughts! You appear to grasp so much about this,
such as you wrote the ebook in it or something. I think that you could do with some
p.c. to power the message home a little bit, however instead of that,
this is fantastic blog. An excellent read. I'll certainly be back.
Also visit my blog post - mafiakidpro@gmail.com
Post a Comment