Some work done today. I'm at UVU (thankfully), and it turned out to be a good thing. Yesterday, I went on about how saving stuff helps me later on, sometimes. Well, this time, it was my writers' group that helped. One of the readers is behind the forereaders of my book. Because of this, I'm able to look a little further back than what I normally get to do. This time, it was super fortuitous: All of the stuff I talked about yesterday (with reusing previously crafted stuff) I had already done about thirty chapters before. Not all of it was used in the earlier chapter, so I was able to salvage the work of yesterday and tighten it up a little bit, but it was a good lesson in showing why I can't rely on my memory from stuff that I wrote back in February for what I'm working on now.
Today, I wanted to talk a little bit about what I do when it comes to writer's block. The opening line of Henry V is very much my prayer (though not often literal): "O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend/The brightest heaven of invention..." I'm always worried that, if I don't plan the scene out in my head, anticipate the writing session, and, in many ways, envision the words I'm going to use, I'm not going to write well. I always hope for my Muse of fire to ignite my words and passion for the story I'm telling...and that is not always the case.
I have proof of that in today's writing session. It just did not go well. I ended up fiddling around with grades and emails, watching a little show and tidying up the work from yesterday. It was super lame, and I was this close to just walking away. But, because I was at the library, I had a great incentive to use the time well. It's kind of far from home, and I don't like the idea of wasting gas or time or travel.
So I took a walk. I went from aisle to aisle, staring at the sundry titles available. I didn't stray far, but what I did do was allow my mind to kind of expand away from the two or three failed attempts that I had already suffered through. This simple 5 minute break (and a handful of Skittles) helped me to conceive of a brand new interlude that I had not considered before. Now two characters that I introduced easily thirty chapters or so ago are dead, and the tension that that brings with it is really helpful.
Writers' block is only in your mind. I'm not always able to overcome it--I still rely on the Muse of fire to help me out--but sometimes being in the right place can really help. Now I think I'll reward my hard work (just over 1,600 words today...not what I had hoped, but it's on track for my goal) by playing video games or something.
Today, I wanted to talk a little bit about what I do when it comes to writer's block. The opening line of Henry V is very much my prayer (though not often literal): "O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend/The brightest heaven of invention..." I'm always worried that, if I don't plan the scene out in my head, anticipate the writing session, and, in many ways, envision the words I'm going to use, I'm not going to write well. I always hope for my Muse of fire to ignite my words and passion for the story I'm telling...and that is not always the case.
I have proof of that in today's writing session. It just did not go well. I ended up fiddling around with grades and emails, watching a little show and tidying up the work from yesterday. It was super lame, and I was this close to just walking away. But, because I was at the library, I had a great incentive to use the time well. It's kind of far from home, and I don't like the idea of wasting gas or time or travel.
So I took a walk. I went from aisle to aisle, staring at the sundry titles available. I didn't stray far, but what I did do was allow my mind to kind of expand away from the two or three failed attempts that I had already suffered through. This simple 5 minute break (and a handful of Skittles) helped me to conceive of a brand new interlude that I had not considered before. Now two characters that I introduced easily thirty chapters or so ago are dead, and the tension that that brings with it is really helpful.
Writers' block is only in your mind. I'm not always able to overcome it--I still rely on the Muse of fire to help me out--but sometimes being in the right place can really help. Now I think I'll reward my hard work (just over 1,600 words today...not what I had hoped, but it's on track for my goal) by playing video games or something.
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