Did You Hear That?

Douglas Adams once said, "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." I now fully understand what he means by that. They really do make a pretty noise as they go flying right past your head, as I am learning today.


Short of NaNoWriMo, this is the first deadline I've set for myself and I am nowhere near making it. But I'm ok with it, or at least I'm trying to be. I know what works for me and what doesn't. And getting severely homesick in the middle of my writing does NOT work for me. Sitting down and setting a timer so I at least write for 20 minutes DOES work for me (when I'm feeling unmotivated) (which is more often than I would like to admit). Making notes on a big sheet of paper taped to my wall works; not updating said notes when I have new thoughts does not. I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.


That being said I have re-set my deadline for September 30 and I know that I can make that one. Over the next couple days I'm going to make note cards for every scene/chapter that I've written so I know what is still left to get down. It doesn't help that I don't write linearly, but I'm going to tape said note cards on my big sheet of paper along my time line and fill in the gaps with what I know is missing. Sounds easy enough and if I can force myself to do it I know I can. Good thing this weekend is a long one (woo hoo 3 days!) because I'm going to need every spare minute I can get to get this organized. Wish me luck.

Some Up, Some Down

So here it is, Monday again. These things just keep happening no matter how much I try to get them to stop. Alas, it seems to be out of my control so I'll just have to deal with it.

This weekend was a little bit better than the previous. I actually did some writing and it was the first time in about a month that I had. And it wasn't just a few paragraphs or a couple of crappy notes. I finished two chapters and started a third. I'm proud of myself for actually doing it, but I'm still a little disappointed, too. How can I be disappointed when I put down about 3,000 (not so) quality words? Because I did it all on Saturday. Sunday was another day of procrastination watching cheesy chick flicks. I don't even like chick flicks, there was just nothing else on.

So turn the TV off and get to writing, you say. Love to but then I run into the problem that I have internet access. I've tried turning off the wi-fi connection on my computer but it is so easy to turn on when I don't feel like typing. I would just turn off our connection completely but hubby fantastic is a video game nerd and when I'm "writing" he is hanging out in a war zone with his virtual friends.

I must learn to move past this procrastination. Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited that I finally got some writing done and I think that this weekend was overall a success. Now if I can just carry that through the week I might actually reach my deadline (in 9 days, eep!).

Ugh

And because it bears repeating.... Ugh! I have not picked up a pen (or set my fingers to the keyboard) to make any progress on my WIP. It's pathetic, especially with a self-imposed deadline bearing down on me. I just seem to be stuck. And not just in my writing progress, I'm stuck in general. Since this page isn't about my life, per se, but instead my writing or lack there of, I shall not complain too much.

Too many things have gotten in the way of my creativity for too long. Now when I try to sit and write I turn on the TV or I Stumble for hours on end. I literally did nothing on Sunday but putz around the interwebz. I wish I could say that things are getting better in the real world and so I am able to jump back into my made up world but I'd be lying. So, as I've said before, I need to force myself to write. As of this post, I am sitting in my office (with the TV off) and I am going to set a timer as soon as this post is finished. 15 minutes is my goal for tonight. 15 minutes of what will be pure stream of consciousness nonsense but I'm hoping it will trigger something. I would be happy with just one sentence of usable material. We shall see.

PS - I will not make a habit of these whiny posts, I promise!

Did You Ever Wonder?

What would happen if Cinderella (pre-Prince) went to college? My current WIP is turning out to be a little like that scenario. I don't know how or when it took that turn but I was reading an editor's blog on the hook line and then started reading through my notes and what I have already written. There it was, in sparkly letters, right in front of my face.

It actually helps me a lot more than I thought it would. I was struggling with getting the story going. I've already written the middle and the end and now I need to tie it all together with a beginning. (Hopefully I'm not the only one who works backwards like that) Having that little insight pop into my mind really made me stop and think. Here's hoping it's enough for me to meet my deadline. Only 29 days to go!

Moving Forward

So I finally got some inspiration back last night. I just started typing nonsense and it started to come together into something that made sense. Once I reopened the doors I couldn't stop. I wrote a good part of another chapter last night before shutting down and heading to bed. And that's where the trouble started.

I couldn't sleep last night! All of these ideas for scenes were swimming through my head. I couldn't shut it off. Sadly, I didn't have a notebook near me (and I was too tired to get up and find one) so I didn't get to write it all down. I'm hoping that I can remember enough of it to trigger what I'm sure I'll be missing. One of the first things I did this morning is put a notebook and a pencil on my bedside table. I'm not going to let this happen again.

Why Now?

After writing at a fairly good clip for the last few weeks I have hit the proverbial wall. My imaginary friends have decided to stop talking to me. I sit at the computer and flip through random websites just hoping to get the glimmer of an idea to keep me going. Alas, I am here posting instead.

I'm not going to fully blame my characters for not talking to me. I am partially at fault here. I took the entire weekend off to celebrate the 4th of July and they we're so kind as to fix a gaping plot hole for me on Saturday. What do I do in return? I make a couple notes and walk away. I now am understanding why all those writing gurus tell a writer to "write everyday". Three, ok four, days off is a long time in the grand scheme of things.

I'm going to take the rest of the night off and hope (and pray) that this all comes back to me. I really want to get this novel done by the end of August. I don't exactly know why I set that as my deadline but I felt that I needed one and a month wasn't long enough to actually put some thought into this. Also, with it being finished by that point it will give me a couple months to prep for NaNoWriMo and then I can come back to it after the recommended three to four months for revisions. Sounds easy, right?

Feeling Good

So I finally sat down to do some much needed creative outletting (and yes, I made up that word) this weekend. And let me tell you, it was a productive one! I actually got two chapters out and on paper, well a word doc. If I do say so myself, and I will, they aren't half bad. I'm finally getting the hang of not just writing scenes and calling them a chapter but actually writing coherent flowing prose that someone might actually want to read. (Even if that sentence does not even come close.)

I actually had to force myself to walk away so that I could get some sleep last night, not that it worked for me. I kept thinking about where I was and wanting to go. After laying in bed for two hours I finally decided to take a sleep aid so I could at least function at work today. It helped me sleep but as for functioning, not so much. I just want to write not deal with stupid work. Boo! Oh well, lunch is around the corner and that will give me an hour to focus on finishing up where I was.

Also, while working on this current WIP, my characters from my previous attempt decided to pop up and remind me that they are still here. So now I have two stories vying for attention in my head and I don't know what to do. I really like where this current work is heading and I want to see it through, but I'm so proud of my first one that I don't want to shove it to the side. Oh the life of a writer! If only I could focus full time on those pursuits. I mean really, who needs a roof over their head? Or electricity? Or food? Just sayin'.

I guess I should get back to pretending to work now.