Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Confessions of a Delinquent Writer



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:

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:

Pamela Mason said...

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!

Patricia Gligor's Writers Forum said...

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.

Liv Rancourt said...

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!!

Anonymous said...

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?

Cora said...

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.

Cora said...

I'm getting more comfortable at not feeling guilty when I can't do it all.

Pat Garcia said...

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

Cora said...

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.

Cora said...

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.

Cora said...

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.

Ellen Gregory said...

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.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Cora said...

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.

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