5.11.2011

check it out!

I know.  I know.  We barely post at all and now I'm going to redirect you.  Today we are over at Abby Minard's blog!  She interviewed us aspiring authors.  Please stop over at her place to check it out!   Just click HERE.  Really.  If you don't already know Abby, you NEED to (follow her).  Her blog rocks (and so does she)!

I planned to blog about something else terrific too.  However, the post ideas came to me at about 3:00 Wednesday morning while I was in between a deep sleep and a not so deep sleep during which I had some brilliant ideas.  A few of the ideas were things I wanted to say here.  The others were ideas were for my ms, the one I'm furiously writing while taking this blog posting break. (uh huh)  And let me tell you it's not going well.  Especially since every one of those ideas flowed right out of my sieve of a brain as soon as sunlight woke my five year old up from his sleep, resulting of course in my being woken up too.

I did work through my plot issues (again) while running my whopping two miles today.  Yay (not the mileage, but the ideas)!  Only... after my morning of teaching (The kids are checked out...apparently they're counting down and we're at 17 days until summer.  And I'm playing catch up since I'm a few lessons behind in math.  So I'm going warp speed, totally high energy, to keep them engaged and soaking up the curriculum before the final field trips, pool day, picnics, room cleans, etc that close out the year, stealing any extra time I might have had to boost those few students who almost got it.) and grocery shopping and picking up the kids to feed them and running to church to sort the millions of items (thankfully) donated for our weekend rummage sale and dinner and laundry and baths and games, whew, the plot has vanished from my mind once again.  But hey, now that it's Wednesday night, I'm too tired to write anyways. 

I'm sure they'll come back to me after a good night's sleep.

And so I sit here, trying to think  of just one of those ideas I had for you...and...nothing.

I'm sure it was somehow wonderfully connected to one of the blogs I visited yesterday.  I think one of them was about plot and how it's not just random events and actions that happen to a character or to tell a story, but a series of interrelated events that actually mean something and are caused by a domino effect, each event and each character affecting each of the others.  Nothing in your novel is random.  (ooh, look i found the link!)

Or maybe it had something to do with being a coward.  I read two blogs in which the writer confessed to having anxiety about sharing their work or receiving critiques.  I'm a coward.  I still need to gain confidence as a writer.  (Veronica Roth and Stephenie Messenger)

Maybe it was about how I need to quit comparing myself to other writers out there.  No, I don't view strangers on the street in terms of a thousand words waiting to be written on paper.  (@Tahereh Mafi) I stare at my ms without even ten words to write. 

Lately, words just won't come.  I freak out trying to figure out how to start a sentence.  It can't be with I.  How many "was" did I use on this page?  Holy moly.  Did I just spend three chapters telling?  Wait, the voice in this half of the book totally doesn't match the beginning half.  Who IS this character? 

So, maybe I was going to share another post I read about how we let rules get in the way of our creativity and totally stifle us with worry until we choke, afraid to make mistakes (found the link!). So instead we stare at pages and pages of white (or purple because I've recently changed my paper color in Word to lavender) waiting for the words to come. 

And when they don't, I take a break.  I go to sleep.  I watch a movie.  I read books.  (No words get written. That much is certain.)

Mostly what I need now is sleep.  My brain is mush.  No amount of wwnbd or music or writing letters to my characters or brainstorming or plotting can help me tonight.

I know that soon words will return and my brain will solidify.  Then I will write the final 10k of my second novel. 

Until then, I'm excited for our interview with Abby and hope you all go to check it out!

10 comments:

  1. And I thought I was busy! Don't beat yourself up about the disappearing plots. It's heartbreaking, but you'll find them again or think of something better. I've lost bursts of ideas for my plots from one stoplight to another when my daughter says something funny from the car seat. I'm like, "Ha! You're so cute...now what was that about the...*sigh*...son-of-a-bi***."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Relax Christy,

    Take in some much needed air and let the words in ... they will come to you when you least expect it. Your mind is concentrating on a million other things that need to get done. You will have the summer to write those 10,000 words.

    The general vibe I have been seeing in the blogosphere is slowing down. I know for myself I haven't blogged as much and I haven't finished the final edit on BG ..... honestly I haven't touched it in a week. Trying to my life back in order in Chicago.

    As in our own novels of life we have highs and lows and we need that extra time to regroup....

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am officially in awe of how you manage all that. I mean I do a lot- but wowie! Good luck rounding up the end of the school year and with your MS

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm in awe of all you do, too. So maybe you just need a mental health break to rest up and sleep and refresh your mind. Then you can come back to your wip with new eyes and new energy. I have found that a certain amount of prewriting not only helps a particular scene, but it also gives me something writing-related to do when I'm otherwise stuck. Lately I've been writing from the POV of different minor characters and just letting them talk on the paper about who they are and what they want from my story. It's not necessarily making revision of this wip go any faster, but I at least feel like I'm making progress every day.

    Good luck and rest up!

    ReplyDelete
  5. After today, I have six days with students. SIX!! How did that happen (and I have a lot to do in that time!!!)? And all I have to say about my progress is: Little League. Hours and hours of watching my son's baseball team (and driving around). That's my break - nothing is getting done at home (or in my book), but it's fun to watch a bunch of kids work hard and enjoy themselves.

    I can't believe you only have 10K left! Yay!!
    erica

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well, hopefully things will die down when school is over! The words will come when you lease expect it :) Have fun on the last days with your kids!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh noes... I hope you get back into the writing groove. I know something about getting the "blockage" because we're stuck on technicalities about our writing.
    10K??? Oh my, you're soooo close.

    ReplyDelete
  8. well...i've maybe written 3k since april/may. and the final 10k will only bring me to 40k...which for contemporary romance might just be enough. ????? or not. after i finish it and edit it and maybe add something of some sort in here and there i'll be on the lookout for a cp or beta. let me know if you're interested in a swap, mine for yours! christy

    ReplyDelete
  9. well... the post for thursday is back up (for wednesday?) and we lost the 7 or 8 comments we had...but hey! progress!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. LOL! you're so funny. I think it's end of the school year syndrome.

    My brain's been working the same way, and it's yard sale, huge work project, omg, it's the end of the year and I haven't bought any teacher gifts, ... syndrome. :D Have a great weekend~ <3

    ReplyDelete

Stay and chat with us! Share your thoughts.