I have actually never subscribed to the idea that writers have a “Muse” to listen to, to inspire them to write. I know, radical rebel that I am, I have always firmly believed that butt-in-chair meant work would eventually get done, and once done, it was something that could be edited.
Now, butt-in-chair didn’t always mean “words on the page” to me. Sometimes it meant research, and sometimes it meant daydreaming… hmmm, quite often, it means staring off into space, “seeing” the scene and following the characters around, playing ‘what if?’ with various types of conflict in the scene. Eventually, words would get on the page, and I can edit. I am a much much better editor than I am a writer.
One of the things I’ve envied about other writers is their ability to give themselves word quotas and then live up to it. I want to do that. It looks so cool, to do that. It’s like a race and bam, you’re finished, and you can leave the pages behind for the day and feel good about yourself, because you hit a goal. And nobody makes you make the goal a high number, so you can even set it low, and feel good, because, hell, you hit it. People like me, on the other hand, writhe in angst over how little we’ve written and we may have actually written more than your minimum per day, but we didn’t set an end-goal, so it doesn’t feel like success. You’d think, then, with that sort of awareness, that I’d set a minimum number of words and be happy hitting them.
I cannot do that.
There’s just enough OCD in me to accomplish the task, sure. It’s just that this inner critic will start chiding me. “Well, yeah, sure, you hit that number. That was a wussy number. You’re a wuss. You should’ve doubled it. If you were a real writer, you’d be able to do twice that much in a day.” So then the next day, feeling all cocky, I’d double it, because I am competitive like that, and if I managed to make it, the same dialog would show up, with the added, “And yeah, just look at what a sloth you were yesterday. You should double this again tomorrow just to make up for your lazy ass.” So of course, I’d double it, and keep doubling it until the point where I’d have to write the entire novel in three days to accomplish my goal or feel like a failure.
I really hate that inner critic.
It’s the part of me, though, that pushes hard, that doesn’t allow me to slack off on crappy sentences, on weak structure or pansy-assed excuses for emotion that are about as strong as tinfoil. It’s the part of my psyche that makes me want to do better with each book and push harder to improve, to use the lessons learned to get to the next, deeper, level, to connect with readers in such a way that they’re either laughing or crying, but they’re saying yes! to that moment they’ve just read.
Maybe I don’t have a Muse. Maybe instead, someone assigned me a Drill Sergeant. And if I find that someone, one day, I’m going to kick them in the shins.
Anyway, I believe in just showing up for work. Some work will get done. You may not get a lot of words on a page, particularly in bad times, hectic times, but your inner writer will be cataloging and sorting and combining images and notions into useful tidbits and float them up to the surface for you to use. They may not feel like inspiration at the time. I don’t believe in waiting ’til we “feel” inspired. I believe we show up and the inspiration will follow.
But. And there’s always a but.
But there are times when life just stomps all the hell over you and you cannot sit down and write a coherent sentence if your life depended on it. It can be family stress or economic, job losses or job fears, illnesses, wrecks, or, in my case, a death in the immediate family. (My father-in-law passed March 1st. He will be sorely missed.) I couldn’t even think about writing anything. It was the one time I just did not miss it, as we watched him in hospice, and waited for the inevitable. Now, I’ve been able to write through a huge number of life’s stressors, including three major hurricanes which knocked out our electricity, but this one just–understandably–drained me of emotion. I had nothing to give to the page, because there was so much out there in life to feel and suffer and deal with.
So now… it’s time to get back into the swing of the story, this heart-wrenching story I’ve started that has grabbed me and doesn’t want to have mercy. And frankly, I’m a bit scared.
I don’t think you ever get to a point in your career where it doesn’t feel a bit scary to work on the next project… not if you’re challenging yourself. So that’s okay, that I’m scared. I keep telling myself it is, anyway, because it makes me feel less like a freak.
Bottom line, though, is I’ve got to jump back into the river of thought and swim. Figure out if I remember all those subtle layers I had been planning and if I’ve planted the right amount of clues/implications, built in the right kind of humor (very dark), included the right mix of characters who will be showing up again later. And so on. It’s like lying on a gurney and having the Drill Sergeant shout, ‘Get your lazy ass up, you whiny brat!’ and then he hits me with the shock paddles and I’ve got to leap off the table and get busy. (Really really hate the Drill Sergeant.)
I was mulling over this need, though, to jump back in, and trying to figure out ways of playing with my story that would ease me back into the world–without feeling like I’m goofing off, instead. I’ve got a few techniques: re-reading what I’ve done so far, of course. Read over my notes. Brainstorm on paper to sort of re-create that magical dream-state I fall into whenever I’m thinking of Story. I’m also going to play more with Scrivener over the next week or so–go grab photos from the web that epitomize the small town I’m creating, maybe find various people who look like the characters so I can feel more familiar with them again. I love Scrivener for this, because I can dump all of this in various files and cross reference it pretty easily.
So how about you? How do you handle taking a break? How do you get back into the flow? And for readers, that applies to any project you do, so your answers count!
All non-MSW’ers comments will be eligible for a $50 gift certificate, either to Mystery Lovers Bookshop (they offer free shipping–on almost ANY book, not just mysteries)… or Amazon or B&N. International people, you’re welcome to comment, but I have to be able to email you one of the above three from the US for you to use, so however you want to handle that is okay by me. Contest ends Friday night, midnight, CST and winner will be announced Sunday.
So sorry to hear about your FIL. ((Hugs))
Your inner critic has to be related to my inner critic…”The Bitch” “Why can’t you write better, faster, cleaner, smarter, funnier, etc” I just hate her.
You’ve listed all the “tricks” I been told. I’ve never used pen and paper but I know people who swear by it. My handwriting is so bad that I have trouble reading it later.
But what I do is read what I’ve written o get back into a project. It’s usually that simple for me.
Thanks, Cyndi. Maybe my Drill Sergeant and your Bitch could meet in a bar and get roaring drunk once-in-a-while and give us some relief! 😉
I’ve never been able to write it all out via pen/paper, either. I can write copious notes, fill entire five subject notebooks on one project, but if I start writing the prose, it has a tendency to meander. I think that’s possibly because I have treated the notebooks as a place for stream-of-consciousness, and my brain sees that and thinks, “Oh, goody, I can blather here.”
(And man, ditto on the handwriting. How on earth I got this bad is a complete mystery!)
I have no muse either, at least not that I’m aware of. I tend to the daydreaming scenes scenario much like you do. I’m definitely one of those “movie in the head” kind of writers. For me, the thing to deal with is the ebb and flow of creative energy. It comes and goes at times, and when it goes, writing is a complete pain. There is no compulsion or desire to play with or write down the story. The words are dull, flat, and lifeless. I get very little writing done at these times. Having now sold and the fact I will be on deadlines will make this interesting. I’m not sure at this point how my brain will adjust to having finite periods within which to write. I’m hoping it will behave and play nice, since I will no longer have a month or three to meander around in the “blahs.”
Jim, that’s it exactly. There are times when it’s just a pain to write, and so not what I want to be doing for the day. [I think the illusion that writers used to give off was that they simply sat down, checked in with their Muse like a Maitre D’ and waited to be served the sumptuous meal for the day.]
I love your description of having to see the movie in your head–I’m very much a movie girl, too.
Regarding deadlines, I thought I was going to have a major problem with them, but ironically, it sort of forced my brain to keep offering up stuff, sometimes at a much faster pace than normal. It’s amazing what panic can do for your creativity. 😉
I do get interrupted frequently doing projects around the home and it is sometimes hard to get back into the flow. Generally I review where I am, take a few deep breaths and plunge back in. Good luck to you, Toni, and your Drill Sergeant.
Thanks, GSM! Yeah, I’m the same way around household projects. (Warily eyes the half-decorated, sad, sad house.) If I take too long of a break, whole years can go by before something gets finished. eeeeek!
I have to really push myself to finish a project once I stop. I have numerous sewing projects I’ve started and haven’t finished. Sewing is not really my thing so I really have to force myself to do it. When I need to get something done I usually just get up and do it until it’s finished. If I stop, there’s no telling when it will get done.
Linda, I know what you mean about sewing. My mom and I used to sew a lot when I was in high-school. (Out of necessity, because I was so short and so skinny, we couldn’t find things to fit me that weren’t obviously meant for elementary kids. Not exactly what a high-school senior wants to wear.) (Sad sad longing for skinny days just ensued…)
Anyway, we were pretty proficient at it and I was always proud of the final results and glad to have done it, but there were swaths of cursing going on around that sewing machine that would have embarrassed a few sailors.
What kind of projects do you sew?
Ah, Toni – great post. When I’m writing, I love plowing ahead. But now, with 2 submissions out in limbo, I really don’t know what to do next — following up seems premature if they don’t sell, but do I want to start an entirely new project?
Meanwhile, I’m using the move and house-hunting as a reason to take a break. Although there will still be many hours/days when we’re doing nothing but waiting, and I know a writing project will keep me sane.
Oh, Terry, I think that’s possibly the worst time ever to try to come up with something new to write–that awful limbo time of waiting for responses. It’s just like you said… if they love it, you’ll want to follow up with that and if they don’t love it, you’ll at least *know* what’s not working so you can change your focus (with only 8 bajillion other choices, easy! ha!) And so you wait, all perched on that stupid fence. It’s just frustrating as hell, isn’t it?
It might be lucky that the move fell right at this time (or, rather, that you finished stuff up so you don’t have to worry about writing while moving). Is there a dream project you’d love to write? Something you’ve always been afraid of, that you can’t ~quite~ let go of the wish? Maybe tackle that one. [I don’t know why I’m asking you that today, but my gut said to ask, so I’m asking. ;)]
Thanks, Toni – the total change of venue (Florida to Colorado) will be inspiring. Lots of fodder. And, if nothing else, I will be getting edits on the book I just sold shortly, so I’ll have that to keep me focused on writing.
Oh, Colorado is sooo gorgeous. (My oldest son lives there, so we get to visit.) (Though, thankfully, not so much when it’s a blizzard.)
I kinda love the editing process. I may have been a masochist, though, but I adored my editor for the Bobbie Faye books. Except when I totally disagreed with her, LOL. She had great insights that helped me be a much better writer. She pushed me, hard.
Toni, it’s so sad to lose a loved one. My condolences to you and your family. After something like that, it just takes a little time and patience. I was writing my second book when my mother passed. I’m not exactly sure how I did it, it’s kind of a blur.
One trick that works for me is plain old notebook paper and freewriting. I do that for most of my brainstorming, character issues, etc. It’s not organized and it will go into the trash, but it gives me freedom to write anything, no matter how stupid. Then I transfer anything useful to my computer files.
I need to try Scrivener or something like it. I just haven’t had the patience to teach myself it yet.
Jen, thank you.
You know, it’s not like we didn’t know that some day, we’d start losing our parents. It’s also not like he wasn’t sick for a while and we could see things were getting rapidly worse. It’s just that it’s such a shock to your system when you’ve had your parents around so long… it’s like a given. The sun will rise, the birds will sing, and the parents will be there. It makes us too aware of how little time we might have with the rest of them, and that terrifies me.
I love my notebooks for the same sort of musing. We’re twins. 😉
You’d love Scrivener. (It’s just for Macs right now.) It is *super* easy to acclimate to. Extremely intuitive.
You can actually try it for free, for 30 days, and there’s a tutorial that, if you walk through it (I think it only takes about 30 minutes), you’ll know everything you need to know to use it pretty proficiently.
Here’s a link for those of you interested in trying it:
Scrivener
And here’s one that the Scrivener site says is closest to its product, but for WINDOWS users:
Page Four
Great post, Toni. My condolences on your loss. *hugs*
I have a “Muse” to speak of, but she moves in and out. Sometimes I get great ideas, sometimes I get bupkis.
Of course, my Muse is out to lunch right now, as I’ve had some serious writer’s block of late.
BJ
BJ, thank you.
On writer’s block…
Well, I’m going to sound delusional and contrary, here, but I don’t believe in calling it writer’s block, because you aren’t blocked. You’re just doing some deep thinking and listening.
This is probably a post all by itself, but I think there are times when we know, instinctively, that we took a left back there somewhere when we should’ve taken a right, and we don’t quite know where… or maybe we suspect, but re-doing all that stuff after that point is daunting and our inner writer balks and tries to rationalize. Only, it’s not getting more material up from the basement, from the boys or girls working there to float up the associations and ideas to move forward because they want us to go in a bit of a different direction, and they’re waiting for us to admit it.
What I do when I feel like it’s truly writers “block” instead of just taking a big break because of a life blow–and I don’t know if this will be of any help, so take it with a bucket of salt–is that I go back to each scene and see if I have one that I feel like I want to skim. That I “know” what’s in that one already and don’t “need” to read it. (That’s denial at work right there, the part of my brain that doesn’t want to see the flaws.) I mark those, and that’s where I’m going to start working, because if I can’t force myself to read, if the writing hasn’t captured me and compelled me to keep reading, then there’s the problem.
If all is well on the skim test, then I look at each section and start an exercise — the POV shift. I take the section and just write it from the POV of someone else in the scene. [This *rarely* makes it into the book–this is just an exercise.] I’ll let that character be the focus, what they’re feeling, their conflicts, their goals, and how those oppose the rest of the people in the scene, and I’ll look to see how they *see* the other characters–what am I missing? I’m always sort of shocked at the layers that will come out like that. 😉
Breaks can be a blessing and a curse. Once you taste the freedom of reading, resting, shopping, and all manner of well-filling, it can be hard to get back in the groove. My deadlines usually drive me back to my desk. That and the fact that I miss the high of a great writing day.
More love and hugs on your loss, sweetie. xoxo
Rocki, thank you.
And yeah, usually just missing the highs of the day is enough to drive me back to the computer, regardless of what’s going on. I’m compulsive.
Once, when I was having a particularly grueling month, I told someone I’d quit if I could. But it wouldn’t last five minutes before the itch to get back to it would start.
It amazes me, sometimes, that writers aren’t all locked up for crazy. 😉
I’m sorry for you loss. My father in law died two winters ago. My husband and his siblings are still struggling, it ‘s a hard adjustment.
As for getting back into the swing of things, I still don’t know how to do it. I’ve had a lot of stress in my life recently and have been unable to put any focus or energy into my writing. It’s just not there. I hope that I haven’t lost it completely. I know it will be easier for you though, your inner Drill Sargent sounds tough, my Muse is just a pain. 🙂
Thank you, Erika — and my condolences to your husband’s family, as well.
Stress is just the damned enemy, isn’t it? And it’s so intangible, so spread out over issues that we face, that it’s hard to feel like we’re not playing Whack A Mole on a minute-by-minute basis. I completely empathize.
Are you doing things for yourself in the midst of this stress to bring you joy? (Because you do deserve it.) Are you writing anyway, even if it feels like crap? (Because you’ll be surprised later how good some of it is.)
What are you doing for *you*? 😉
Sorry to hear about your FIL. That kind of thing really does sap all your energy (mental, physical and emotional) and it can take a long time to recover from.
I can’t do the “number of words a day” thing, though I try and try. My inner critic simply won’t allow me to write as badly as I would need to. I can do it for about two days, then I have to go back and edit, which cuts into the writing time, whcih means I don’t make quota, which means I feel guilty…
One thing I like to do is lie in bed just before I go to sleep (you can do this during the day if you get a break in your day) and close my eyes and imagine my characters doing things. Not necessarily things in the plot, though that’s generally how I figure out what happens next, but just…stuff. It helps me get to know them better and see where they’re going.
Don’t know if that helps or not.
Laura, thank you — and you’re right, it really is just sapping. We sat here for several days when we “could have” accomplished something and just wondered where in the hell the day went.
Great suggestion–I think I don’t do nearly enough of that. Just imagining other parts of their lives. Definitely on my agenda for today, thank you!
Hi Toni, my condolences on your father in law. I’m not a writer, but wow do I have one hell of an inner critic. That b*tch is almost crippling.
I’ve stopped setting goals because like you, I take it too far. My problem, however, is I also procrastinate. So… without goals sometimes it’s hard to get progress. Right now I’m somewhat floundering too – finally out of school and it feels weird.
My way of “getting back into the flow of things” is just jumping right in. Telling myself I must get X, Y, and Z accomplished. And just finish it – I can go back and tweak later if I feel it’s necessary/have time. Sometimes, just getting it done is most important, and perfection [hah!] can follow.
Limecello, thank you. And man, we’re going to have to get your inner critic, mine and Cyndi’s all together for drinks. Or send them on a safari or something so we can catch a break. 😉
I’m generally a, “Dammit, just jump back on in,” kinda gal, too. Although I remember so many summers, that very first time to go swimming, standing on the side of the pool, contemplating just how freezing ass cold that water was going to be and having a hard time remembering just why I thought this whole swimming thing was fun. Then, of course, you have the shock of the first plunge and you warm up and then you start having a ball and you think, ‘Why on earth was I worried?’
I’m still sort of at the dipping-the-toes stage, but this week, will be doing the full plunge. 😉
I’m so sorry about your family’s loss.
As for getting back in the groove, sometimes I have to force it. Even if it’s just making myself write one sentence. But sometimes if I’m away long enough, my characters start chattering away in my head and I realize I’m ready to get back to work. That’s fairly rare, though. Usually it’s the “force it” method. 🙂
Tori, LOL… And isn’t it kinda scary when they start chatting *about you* and you wonder if anyone else can tell you’re having an entire argument in your head with your characters?
(oh, please, someone tell me I’m not the only one who wonders this?)
Thanks, much, for stopping by today. I’m definitely going to go for the forcing it method!
I don’t really wind down on breaks. The same sleeping hours are kept, but when it is time to go back to work or school somehow I seem to be in a more relaxed mood. Maybe I’m calmer than I think.
Leni, man, if you could bottle that, you’d be a billionaire. 😉 When I approach days where there’s a major change (going back to school or back to work or out to something major, like a conference), I am like a cat who knows a tubful of water is imminent: twitchy, cagey, pissed off and looking for the exit. 😉 One day, I’m going to grow up and be all Zen, dammit, if it kills me.
sorry to hear about loss it is never easy
just try to go back to the beginning where everything is more calmer and relax
and i listento music or speakt o good friend
kh, MUSIC. Duh, I don’t know why I didn’t remember to do this, but thank you for reminding me. I usually create a soundtrack for the section I’m working on, which helps with mood / tone and getting into the flow, and I had not done that yet. Will do, thanks!
YAY!! Toni is back!!! As the biggest fan ever of your blogs, I sure have missed them!! 🙂
I have no idea how to answer that question. I’m the worst disciplined person EVER. But I wanted to give you big hugs.
******Big hugs******** (like, a million of them!)
Thanks, Barbie! 😉 Love the hugs.
When I start a project I have a good feeling and know that I must complete it to my satisfaction. I have a commitment to make and I always follow through.
Anne, you should bottle that, too. 😉 I admire that ability to push through no matter what.
Great post! I don’t know if I actually have a muse, but I do know I get hit with great ideas whenever I’m away from my computer. I keep pen and paper beside the bed, in my purse and also a digital recorder to use when I’m driving if something strikes me.
Emma, I am the same way. I have all sorts of scraps of paper on my desk with notes, and I think I single-handedly keep the Post It people employed. 😉
You know what my new favorite toy is? The digital recorder that’s included on my iPhone. Saved me buckets of frustration when I had to make quick notes after an impromptu interview one day–I’d have lost valuable details. I love that little convenience.
Life sometimes throws you curves and you have to deal, or nothing works. Illness and losing loved ones is the worst. I’m glad you were able to take care of yourself and your family.
When I need to regroup on a story, I re-read. It’s the only way to get back into a story, at least for me. I don’t labor over weak writing in my first draft–I just need to get the story down. But at some point, usually about 150 pages, I can’t go forward without going back and reworking the beginning, as if my subconscious is telling me I’m writing crap and need to fix it NOW. I’ve learned to edit as I go so my books are cleaner in the first draft, but I need a major revision once I reach THE END.
Last night, I was stuck. The book is fine, but I can’t write just fine. I realized that I had a lot of set-up I don’t need, and everyone was reacting rather than being proactive. So today I’m going through and trying to find where I went astray. I made a bunch of notes about what I think should be happening at this point, and see if I can get there.
Yeah, I’m doing that re-reading thing now. There’s no magic bullet, is there? (sigh)
I miss the days when I was so in the flow, the story just swarmed around me, constantly. But I’ll get back there. 😉
You’ll nail it. You are so great at that.
I took nearly two weeks off at Christmas. I missed writing after about four or five days. I needed a break, but not that long, and then it took me a good week to get up to speed. A day here and there doesn’t hurt my “muse” but anything longer than two days and I am a wreck when I sit back down.
Wish I had a great idea but I need a great idea.I got de-railed from my book when my daughter and kids moved in for a few months and now I’m having so much trouble getting back into the swing of writing even a few hundred words a day-week.
Carol, I completely empathize. My son and his daughter moved in–and it’s for a short period, I know, and I love having them, because it’s an opportunity to bond with my granddaughter that I may not have gotten otherwise (at this level), but wow, a day can go by really really fast.
Hugs to you, and fingers crossed that it all smoothes out soon and you’re able to get back to work.
Oh, Toni! I’m so sorry! Hugs to you and yours.
If I don’t rein in Iffy, she goes bonkers with her scissors. In my case, its a matter of staying focused and not running after her as she veers off on a tangent. To get back on track, I’ll talk to my characters. Out loud. And drink lots of coffee. When they start arguing with me, then I know I’m on the right track and the words start to migrate from my brain to my fingers. If I’m really lucky, the words actually make sense.
Hang in there, darlin’.
Thanks, Silver… and yay! I’m not the only one who argues with them.
I had an argument recently with a male lead, and I knew which direction he was supposed to go in, and he veered and dammit, would NOT cooperate. It’s amazing how real these guys are.
[Which reminds me, I’m really grateful to live in this era… otherwise, I’d be locked in an attic somewhere. ;)]
I’ve been ducking the men in white coats all day. Srsly! It’s my heroine who’s gotten all stubborn on me this morning. I’ve even threatened to lock her in the basement. Then she smugly reminded me I don’t have a basement, only a storm cellar, and the table on top of the door has too much junk and is too heavy to move. Dang it. 😛
A major loss in the family can shake up all of your family members for a long time. Sorry for your loss.
I have an inner rebel who hates to be told what to do, even if it is my Drill Sergeant, Muse, etc. doing the ordering! Talk about having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Since I write and have quite a few creative hobbies, I’ll usually pick up a craft project and try to get the mojo going with that and hope that it carries over into the writing!
Thank you, Janel.
I used to be crafty. (sigh) I loved doing all sorts of projects, and I’m not sure where that fell by the wayside. I still do photography, but even as I type that, I realized I haven’t done hardly anything with it in months. With spring here and things starting to bloom out, I may spend the weekend with my camera. 😉
When I take too long of a break and I can’t seem to get butt in chair, I go to Write or Die. It jumpstarts my heart and writing. Or I’ll post at my blog. Any writing at all will get me back in the saddle again.
Er, Jill? What is Write or Die? (That sounds like a reality TV show. 🙂 )
You’ll have to google Write or die, not sure of the url. It is an online website, now a downloadable program to write.
Basically, you set a time or wordcount. On Kamikaze mode if you stop too long it has a loud sound to scare the crap out of you and if you still take too long to write it starts deleting the words you just wrote.
So no inner editor, just write for the time or words.
Found it: http://writeordie.drwicked.com/
Oh, yikes. That thing *scares* me. 😉 Might be worth a try. LOL.
Toni,
I am so sorry to hear about your father-in-law. Hugs to you and your family.
I’m sort of going through the same kind of lull at the moment. Work pressure has been building for a few months, and I’ve had to travel more than I normally would. Then, a minor health setback totally derailed my urge to write. I hope that a little down time this weekend and my first meeting with a new writing group will help to rekindle the fire.
I’m not much of a believer in the muse thing either. I tend to be one of those people who just puts her head down and tries to power through the block. It may not work for everyone, but I find that once I plow through it everything else seems a little easier.
Anyway, I hope that life starts to smooth out for you soon!
Margaret, thank you! And man, I empathize on the health thing. I was derailed about three years ago with surgery, and even though recovery was super easy, it still knocked me out of the flow of the story long enough to mess with my memory.
I’m with you, though. I’ll plunge back in and a couple of weeks from now, I’ll look back and chuckle at this, because it’ll seem so simple, once I’m into it. 😉
Fingers crossed it’s the same for you.
I think we all need to take a break from things from time to time. The problem I have when I take that break I can’t get back into it. I took a break from my quilting about a year ago and still have not got back into it. I kept thinking I would back in the winter but didn’t happen. I got into books and been there every since! This isn’t much help for you I know!
Quilt lady, I did the same thing a long time ago when I was quilting. I don’t know why, either. I used to love it (though I can’t say that I ever did a whole lot with it, just small stuff), and I had plans for bigger things and then one day, didn’t get back into it. And that just kept dragging out until I realized it had been months and I put the quilting stuff up.
Odd, how that happens, huh?
But hey, I’m glad you got into books! 😉
Toni, So sorry for your loss. Even though one knows it’s coming, one is never prepared
when it happens. My condolences to the family.
I’m in the processs of cleaning out a storage room. I’ve set aside two hours a day to work on it and hope to have it completed in two weeks.
Thank you, Mary.
Isn’t cleaning out and reorganizing so satisfying? You can step back and see the progress daily and in the end, the space is so much easier to use.
Hello,
I’m back at school after a long layoff. It’s quite weird to be worried about tests and HW, again. I usually read a romance book as a ‘break’ from classwork. I do need a few hours when I have nothing to do, but relax & get recharged.
Jennifer, I completely understand how you feel. I went back to school after having been out for a few years, and it was just plain weird at first, going from a bunch of “real life” concerns into things like homework and projects. It took me a couple of semesters to feel fully like a student again. But I think the time off was the best thing for me. When I got back, I had a better grasp of what the professors were thinking was important to the class, and whenever I needed to go talk to them, they took me seriously. (Except my French teacher, who, at first, thought I was just lazy. ’til she realized I had never been required to take French or any foreign language in high school, because at that time, it wasn’t required. She didn’t realize I was actually 12 years older than most of the other students.)
School was, in many ways, a lot easier because I was older. I would have expected it to be the other way around.
I wouldn’t know! I haven’t gotten back on track. I sent my conductor, your drill sargeant, & Cydi’s bitch to the Bar Car then I slipped off to wait for the next train. The track is clear.
LOL, Renee. 😉
Like so many others, I tend to daydream when hit by that so unenviable writers block. However, my twisted sense of humor tends to assert itself when things are going poorly and my “movie in the head” (thank you Jim Duncan) turns into a classic Looney Toon with cartoonist hand and pencil entering the frame to edit my characters and/or dialog bubbles at will. I enjoy my side trips into the ridiculous. They actually allow me to let off my pent up frustrations, loosen up and allow the creative juices to flow again from one fanciful scenario to another until I find my way back to a more believable story line.
What can I say… what works for me… is only one twisted method for an equally twisted mind, but it works. 🙂
Jayne, that’s funny! It would be so cool to see that actually illustrated. 😉
(Which reminds me, I loved the movie with Will Ferrel and Emma Thompson — Stranger than Fiction — where the writer’s voice is in the head of the real guy, who happens to be her character.)
I’m sorry to hear about your father-in-law, I lost mine last in on Feb. 16th. It’s tough! A few of his sons haven’t been in their parents house since. The house, the holidays, everything is defintely different.
When I feel my mind wondering off to la la land, I change my scenery. I get up, go outside, take a walk or to do anything to cleanse my mind. Once I’ve done this I can settle back down and concentrate. This is about the only thing that seems to work. I’ve tried yoga, exercise, black coffee but they just make me tired or give me the gitters. You might give it a try. Happy thoughts!
Oh, Lisa, my condolences to you and your husband’s family, too. That’s so tough. I can imagine the holidays are going to be rough.
Changing scenery is great… though I get distracted and get busy doing something else! 😉 But with spring being so beautiful, I imagine I’ll be sitting outside with the laptop and away from the internet quite a bit in the next few months.
Toni
When I need a break, I go play at the computer or read a book. The reading part is great, except.. I look up from the book and the quick 10 min break has turned into 25.
Guess that’s why the baseboards haven’t been dusted in awhile.
I’m sorry to hear about you FIL. My best to you and your family =)
Catherine
Catherine, thank you.
I love reading, too, for a break, but dang it, I am terrible about it only being for a few minutes. I’ve had too many times when “just a chapter” turned into “holy crap! it’s four hours later!” 😉
Again, Toni, sorry about your father in law.
I am one of those writers who pushes through stubbornly and just keeps at it until I’ve hit whatever word count I’ve set for that day. I’m only taking a 4 day break from writing, after turning in Mercy Kill on Monday, because I have to get cracking right away on Raising Kane (I oversheduled my projects for the first half of 2010)…so I’ll desperately need a break when I get the next two projects off my plate.
So I’ve been stressed, but it’s self-inflicted and nothing as serious as the family issues you’re dealing with — I wish you were coming to RT
Thanks, Lori.
Here’s the thing, I have met you in person and we have cut up and had drinks and laughed our asses off and I *still* sometimes wonder if you’re actually human. You’re gorgeous, you’re talented, you’re prolific, and you’re cool. Fess up… you’re actually proof of life from another planet.
Hi Toni,
My condolences to your family. Parents are so irreplaceable.
As for the muse, sometimes I have a hard time getting back into the groove after a break. Reading a good book usually gets my juices flowing. Sometimes just a few chapters of something from my Keeper Shelf will inspire me to sit down and get going.
Also, sometimes I don’t start a story at the beginning but plunge into an interesting scene in the middle. Good luck!
Thanks, Laura.
You know, I think I may do this tonight–plunge into an interesting scene I’ve been itching to write. It doesn’t happen for a while, and I usually write very linearly, but I think getting this scene done will help get me back into the groove. Thanks!
Oh, Toni, I am so sorry for you and your family. The loss of a loved one is like having the rug pulled out from under you times a thousand.
There have been days that I can’t write a single word but somehow the next time I sit down and start the words start to trickle out and on good days it grows to a downpour.
Huge hugs to you and your loved ones.
Thanks, Holly. I’m going to content myself with a trickle for this next week while I get back into the groove. Let’s hope for more. 😉
I’ve been stuck for a while now. Family illnesses, friends’ deaths, universal frictions . . . I can fake myself into writing, for a while, with anger. But it burns out or sours what it touches. Need to get the love to burn brighter and better again.
Tom, hugs, my friend. You have been quiet and I’ve missed you round these parts and Murderati. I’m sooo very sorry to hear you’ve been going through rough heartbreaks of your own. We’ll join hands and figure out how to do this again. 😉
Sorry for your loss, Toni.
I’m a procrastinator and there usually isn’t any time left for me to take a break. Maybe I need to have my back against the wall before I can be productive.
Jane… thank you… and LOL! Ya know, that may be the whole solution… procrastinate ’til you’re up against a hard, unforgiving deadline. It’s amazing what I can do on a deadline. 😉
My sympathy to your family on your loss.
I think it’s a lot harder to re-start a project than it is to begin a whole new one, at least for me. I definitely go back over everything I wanted to accomplish when I re-start a project.
hey TMC, I read this one late, but it sure spoke to me. Any time I take a break – even for a day – I am *always* afraid to dive back in. I feel like a little kid on the high dive, terrified of jumping but unwilling to turn around and climb back down. Eventually…after hours and hours of procrastination…I dive in and it’s always better than I thought it would be.
Except, of course, when it isn’t. When it’s one of *those* days. And then I just paddle faster.
Sorry for your loss, Toni. I recently lost three of my best friends parents (second parents to me) in three weeks and it rocked me to the core. The only thing that seemed to help was going out in the snow on the first sunny day, shivering in my sweatshirt and coat, and soaking in the sun. It seemed to switch something on in my brain and I was able to write again. Good thing we had three days straight of sun. I think when we’re grieving, we tend to stay inside in our caves which does nothing but depress us.
Take care of you, you’re in my thoughts and prayers.