it always surprises me, this resurgence of will for writing. no matter how disillusioned, how tired or discouraged i become and tell myself to take a break, not to pressure myself so much--i always return. i can't seem to make myself work on the novel, but this seems to be more of a self-confidence problem than a writing lust problem. no fix for that but to jump in and fricking do the thing, i think. *sigh*
a friend recently suggested i schedule one day a week to work exclusively on the novel--no matter what, if only for an hour or two. i want to try this; progress is progress, and a whole hog's butt better than what's happening now.
i wonder sometimes about fixing up my short fiction and submitting collections for publication, too--one horror collection, one magical realism. i know getting short fiction collections is even more difficult than novels, but i have the stories written. i know how to edit short fiction.
one thing i've noticed is my waning interest in critiquing others' work--for me, critiquing takes much more energy than writing. i need to project myself into the writer's mind, to intuit their intentions versus the product, and gauge whether they've achieved their goals with the work and if not, why? and if so, how? it's a lot of thinking, and each new critique reveals to me my own weaknesses with story structure. also, it's difficult to keep putting effort into critiques for people when i rarely receive one more than a step above, "dude, this was cool. rock on!"--on www.writing.com--not helpful, although i appreciate the sentiment.
even my goto critique site, www.scribophile.com, has its limits; and i notice myself posting for my critique fix and then feeling bitter because i just don't get the rush i used to from receiving critiques. i need to step back from so much interaction and focus on deepening my stories. and, of course, facing my novel demons. gack. well, i hope the writing life is good for everyone here, amidst the ups & downs. i admire you all, who plod onward in your effort to connect with readers everywhere.
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Aw, Laurie! I hope you feel better about all of this. I can't help but agree with your feelings about giving critiques; I suddenly don't have it in me anymore to do it, and for just the reasons that you've said.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good idea to set aside one day to work on the novel. You can do it as slowly or as quickly as you like; there's literally no pressure on you to finish. That can both help and hinder, but you should work with that and take it slow, make sure that you don't burn yourself out. But don't be nervous about writing it. (I say that even though I find myself in the exact situation. But I know quite well that I shouldn't be nervous.) Just do what you can.
One thing I've discovered is that comments and critiques are, generally speaking, worthless. One's belief in one's work should be unassailable. If you don't reach that, then writing will become, over time, impossible. Philip K. Pullman's words on the topic are helpful; you may want to pop by his site for more inspiration.
ReplyDeleteIt's rare for me to receive comments of any kind on any work I complete whatsoever. Most people comment, not because they are generally interested in your work (they're not) but because they want something back from you, or they just like seeing their own comment, their own name, their own snarkiness.
So: write for yourself, and for no other reason. Enjoy the process; believe in it. There's nothing easy about it.
Best of luck ...
Shawn
thank you both for your encouragement and insight--i'll be visiting mr. pullman's site, for sure. :)
ReplyDeleteEh, it happens. Whenever at times that I write a certain story that is long like The Deathly Harbinger in The Bizarro Realm, I seem to decrease my interest in it. However, I stayed true and still kept writing stories just like it.
ReplyDeleteIt'll happen when you somehow lose interest of something liek writing a story. Just Monday I was to write, but I took what I called a 'grace period.' One way to perhaps keep you writing, computer or on your journal, you can listen to music or put on your favorite tv shows. That helps me write whenever I'm extremely bored.
Heck, maybe said music will help you get ideas from your story. Right now, I'm writing a fractured fairy tale, 2 pages now. I'll get it done soon, because of my standing ambition to keep writing! I hope these tips will help you and godspeed, writing friend.
thanks, shigune--
ReplyDeletei do like your suggestion to use music. i often queue up tunes to suit my mood, or the atmosphere of the story i'm working on, to help get me in the mood. very helpful!