Time for Writer's Introspection

Time for some introspection. 

Writers, do you always finish what you start? Most of the time? Or instead, when something isn’t working do you give up rather than finding a way to solve whatever is in your way? Do you pitch it and come up with a new, bright, shiny idea?

The plain truth of the matter is writing isn’t as straight-forward as it might first appear. Some writing projects need a lot of work. When reading through you may well find areas that just don’t work and need to be tossed or totally rewritten. Some may need just a bit of smoothing. Other scripts or novels, a very few I’ll admit, are such that everything about them is easy and flows and just rolls out from the beginning. Love it when the writing flows with the vigor and simplicity of a stream bouncing downhill over rocks.  Got a bit poetic there, but writers will get what I mean. 

There’s a whole lot more to writing than slapping black type onto white background whether on computer or printed page.  There’s an investment the writer makes, a part of him or herself that goes into it. And that fact alone can make a writer a bit shy about his or her work, tempted to say, “that’s no good, that’s not working, I’ll just toss it and start again.”

And that leads us to the inability to finish mentioned above. The first question is do you, as a writer, frequently find you can’t or simply don’t want to finish a writing project? Do you have a hard time finishing ANY project? If this is something deep-seated within you, if you go through life finding it difficult to complete any undertaking, then it’s a much broader issue than just your writing. It might be time for some serious self-evaluation or even counseling.

However I’m going to assume that’s not the case and it’s just your writing that  gives you bumps you must negotiate. Or hives, or whatever.

That being the case, the best advice I can give is apply seat of pants to chair (or glue yourself to standing desk) and get on with it. Read it with a clear eye and reread it. Work with it. Take a break. Come back. Just finishing can be an exercise in itself.

Then let the writer soul within you recognize that there are some projects that really should just be allowed to drift off to sea on their own. Sad but true. It is a fact that applies to the occasional stinker of a project, one that should never have taken root anyway. Yep, there are times to just let it go.

Aside from that rare occasion, refer to paragraph above and follow simple instructions. Apply seat of pants to chair and rewrite or stand before your computer and do the same (standing, by the way, can be stimulating to the thought process!).

You might just surprise yourself – and the rest of the world at the same time.

Writer's Musings

Yep, that's what I'm doing, musing. Should be writing, but I'm using, well, musing AND writing, just not fiction.

Was sitting down to work on my most current novel (a romance this time) when I said to my self, "Self - why am I doing this?" There are many reasons I might ask myself this question, most are personal, and I've been writing a very long time so I do ask that question of myself periodically.

Now, I don't know about YOUR self, but MY self has a lot to say about pretty much everything. So, self says to me, "You're a writer, you write, you've written since you were 12 years old, it's all you've wanted to do, you've done a good job, published a whole bunch of books, written optioned screenplays and a whole bunch of other stuff, you're good. Get busy."

Hmmm, I respond, "I don't know, I'm really sort of not in the mood, want to do other stuff."

Self gives an inward sigh. "You're at your desk to write. Sit down, shut up and write."

"I am writing."

"Yeah, sure you are -- you're blogging, that's not writing. Well it is, but.... you're rambling."

I do a good job of rambling, that's why I can write books. Works a bit against me when I write a screeplay.

I try again, attempting to reason with myself.

"Can't I take the day off this time? I'll work twice as hard tomorrow."

"So you say now, but then tomorrow will come and there you'll be, making excuses again. It's pretty much what you do...it's what most writers do. Okay, go ahead, take the day off."

"I can't"

"You can't?"

"I can't."

"This isn't writer's block or some strange off-shoot is it, 'cause I don't think I can deal with that right now."

"No. I have to write. It's the time I've set aside and I have to write."

"Okay, so why have you done that, set the time aside?"

"Because I want to write, I've always written stories and I write. It's what I do."

"Then sit down, shut up...."

"...and write, yes, I know. Am I procrastinating again?"

"No, yes, well maybe - I can't be sure."

"Time to get to work."

"At last we agree."

The Writer's Indulgence - procrastination

Okay, here I sit. I'm supposed to be writing, I tell myself I am, actually, I'm writing this! But, well, as writers we all know about procrastination. I'm supposed to be working on my newest romance novel. I don't have a publisher's deadline, but I have my own and I usually stick pretty close to them.

But, today, the procrastination but has bitten. I've hit a rough spot in writing the latest chapter and I'm a bit bored with myself - not good sign. It's more like I just don't wanna!

Will I get back to it? Yes, shortly actually, after I have my little rant at myself here. This is happening at a stage about 2/3 of the way through the book. It's a fantasy romance. I need to plunge on through to the end so I can begin the editing and rewrite process (and so I can move on to other projects). But there's this little stumbling block - a place where things just aren't working.

So, I surf the web, I chat with folks, I post helpful links for writers at my twitter page (http://www.twittter.com/PeggyBechko) I need to write a new article for my Ehow page as well. Don't want to leave the folks there who read my articles on writing just hanging. But, well, there's this rough spot in my romance novel and...

So many times writers tell new writers you have to apply the seat of your pants to your chair and write. You do, it's true. 99% of writing is sitting there and doing it. Probably partly why when I'm procrastinating I'm still writing - like here. It limbers you up and gets the brain to fall in line and get busy. At least that's my theory. It's worked for me for years so I know it works for someone.

Time to get back to it. I'll probably only get a page or two written today, but tomorrow will be better - probably more like 5 - 10 pages.

It's good to have goals.