Okay. So. Confession time.
This is really, really hard to admit, so I'm just gonna come right out and say it.
*Braces self*.
I haven't written a word of fiction since November.
Gah! I want to go run behind a chair or something, so ya'll can't see me.
I mean, yes, I worked on the revisions for Grim Light, and they were quite a task. 6000 words out, 10,000 words in. And that was like the third start-to-finish revision. And I was doing work-work, too--you know, the stuff they paid me for. But as for fiction...I fiddled with a few potential projects, brainstormed some, but I didn't actually sit down and just write.
This, after a four year streak of nothing but writing.
I don't know who or what to blame, aside from myself, who I blame a lot, of course. Was it because I had a job?* Was it because of other things in my life that were pulling at me? Was it because of NaNo? And if you go to that link, let me tell you--that was written the last day I wrote something non-revisional, on my NaNo project. And yes, I'm making words up, at least according to Firefox's spell check.
I recently went back to that project, the NaNo project, and re-read it. I have 35k words there. I want to finish it. There are some changes I need to make before I do, because I hated the direction it was going. It's the old pressure-cooker vs. crock pot analogy I used back then--some people plot better under pressure, but I'm a crock pot kinda writer. I need to just take it slow and let my brain do its thing. There's all kinds of stuff going on up there that I don't know about.
Let me state that it's NOT writer's block. I know writer's block. This isn't it. This is...I don't know. Confusion? Discouragement? Distraction? A combination of all three, maybe.
So today, I'm going to work on fixing those things. I'm going to get the manuscript all ready to be continued.
And later today, or maybe tomorrow--
I'm going to write. And I can't freaking wait.
Have you ever had a period of non-writing, be it writer's block or life? How long did it last? What did you do to stop it?
*I just recently took a leave of absence for a few months, due to both the writing thing and a few other factors that I can't discuss.
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I absolve you.
ReplyDeleteYes, life does get in the way. I've stopped writing for several years at a time. It happens. And if you wrote for four solid years, you probably needed a break!
I think maybe my brain was broken from 4 years of plotting & characterization--and most of all, learning. Man, have I learned a lot since I started.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time--man, do I have a lot to learn!
Thank you for the absolution =) It's good to know I'm not the only one who's gone throuth it!
You don't need to blame anything/one. JUST SIT DOWN AND WRITE AT LEAST ONE PAGE TODAY, at my request, about anything you want. Then send me your assigment. I'll tell ya if ya still got it.
ReplyDeleteOK, that last part was a joke!
I would think all the work you did on Grim Light certainly DOES count. Sounds like you haven't started anything new . . . it is rewarding to complete a task, perhaps that was what you needed to do?!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your writing, enjoy your stories, I think it would help for it to be enjoyable if you don't punish yourself when you take a break from working on new pieces.
Haven't you also been working on queries - again, this is all part of the process and it counts!
Pat yourself on the back, you've been working hard.
Stuff happens sometimes. Don't beat yourself up over it. After my first dozen rejections, I got so discouraged I didn't write anything on my second book for nine months. And sometimes I need a break from writing new words just because. I'm on one now. I know I'll get back to the WIP, but I'm going to focus on editing for a while and see what happens.
ReplyDelete