Here's some of what I did today:
~went to the gym for a cardioball workout (I'll be sore tomorrow)
~checked my e-mail (at least 17 times)
~emptied the dishwasher and reloaded it
~read scads of other blogs
~balanced my checkbook (and then grimaced)
~pet my dog, chatted with my dog (rather one-sided conversation), decided my dog needed to be brushed, looked for the dog brush, went to Walgreens to buy a new dog brush (and other personal care items), didn't find a good dog brush there, so went to PetCo and bought new dog brush (and some new rawhides), returned home and finally brushed the dog. He was unappreciative.
~e-mailed my husband three times. Read his responses.
~thought about doing laundry but decided to wait until tomorrow
~e-mailed some writer friends to see how they were doing
~checked dialidol.com (for the first time ever) to see who they predicted would get bounced tonight. They said it was too close to call. (It better not be Melinda!)
~did today's New York Times crossword puzzle (but held firm and wouldn't let myself start last Sunday's yet. That's gotta be a reward for something.)
~wrote a lame blog about not writing
Here's what I DIDN'T do today:
~get any damn writing done.
And no, it's not because of all that I did do. No, I can't use the excuse that I'm so busy it's hard to find time to write. I was completely flat today. No inspiration. Every sentence I started went nowhere. So, I kept inventing things to do so I wouldn't have to sit there, pen in hand, struggling to find my voice. (Best example would be the dog brush, I think. Or dialidol.)
But, by the end of the dog brushing episode, I think I have a place to start tomorrow. I mean, I'm 35,000 words in. That's halfway for me. I'm getting to know these folks pretty well. I like them, I worry about them, I think about them when I'm supposed to be talking to other people (I still talk to them, I just don't pay very close attention).
So, do you ever get stuck? What gets you unstuck? And hey, if you're feeling charitable, send some good writing karma my way, okay?
7 comments:
Talk about getting "stuck," Judy, Melinda certainly did. Although it's good for her in the long run, just as your off day was for you. Now she won't be a puppet to TPTB at "AI." She's a pro and will do well by following her own course to success, just as I suspect you're doing today with your characters.
Btw, don't you think that those characters become weary of being pushed around? ;o)
Yeah, about Melinda...
Anyway, one of my "tricks" when I'm making little headway is to change POV (which I did this week). Write the scene you're working on in whichever POV you're not using.
Or take a day off and shop for dog brushes. I've heard that will do wonders. :)
Well, my girl Melinda sure handled getting booted off well, didn't she?
And thanks to both of you for your suggestions--I had a 1500+ word day. Whoo-hoo!
Larramie, you nailed it about the caharcters--it's when I TRY to push them around that I run into trouble. I have to remember to listen to them.
Therese, while I can't switch POV (one narrator is 3rd person, the other one is in 1st--I think any other switches would be too confusing), I switched the perspective I was seeing them from. Then I wrote them in their own POV. I'm sure that makes no sense, but it worked.
When I'm stuck, I take a shower. I know it's strange, I'm strange, but I think it's the sound of water that lulls me, allows my mind to rest so the thoughts can come. In fact, I should have a shower right now because I've been checking email & playing with the puppy all day. I need to write.
Amy
hey Judy, whenever i get stuck (though obviously not with writing books, but research papers and now lesson plans) i just start perusing things in my apartment that i don't normally look at, all my old books, and photographs- it always makes my mind think of other things and memories that help me get inspired for whatever i'm attempting to write/do.
Judy, I am reading a GREAT book that you can add to your TBR pile and it's helping me a lot - The 4 hour work week by Timothy Ferriss. Your list looks VERY familiar (including the very last one - no writing done!) so I feel for you, honey!
So now my approach is that I skip over my stuck part and keep going ... and once I get in the flow again (which can take half an hour or one week), it's all good. But I am really riding myself to JUST ... KEEP ... WRITING (did you ever watch Between the Lions on PBS? I'm like that Cliffhanger guy ... must ... hold ... on ... just ... keep ... writing ...). Good luck!
We're with you, Judy! :D I did 2,100 yesterday, and today? Yeeeeah, nada. Instead, I listed a painting on eBay for a friend, played around with a new, totally unnecessary version of my website which I won't even need for another 8 months and won't need at all if I don't write the book I'm changing it for, dissected and diagnosed my Scooba, carefully monitored subsequent mopping of tile three times, marveled at how the color of the "Dirty" water barely changed (an alarming medium dove gray) when I emptied it three different times, filled the bird feeders, made bb-q sauce, and finally, because I bemoaned how unproductive I'd been for the day, gave up and opened a beer.
*sigh*
Wait, is this someone else's blog?
Oh, yeah, JUDY! Hang tough, cookie, you'll get there...
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