Is. not. the. writing.
Oh, you saw that coming did you? Well, aren't you smart. No, the easiest thing about writing, in my opinion, is the writing. The hardest part is all. the. damn. THINKING. TOO MUCH THINKING!
I know how to write. And when I know what I want to write, it all flows out and onto the screen like a delicious refreshing mango smoothie pours into a cup. But when I'm not sure what's going to happen next, when I have to spend hours and hours thinking about my plot, it's like a thick, chunky milkshake with peanut butter and bananas that refuses to budge and you end up having to scrape it out with a spoon and it just plops into the cup and sits there staring at you like "seriously? milkshakes are supposed to be smooth too..."
(I'm on day 11 of working 14 in a row. Smoothies and milkshakes are my life.)
Same with my MS. The little cursor blinking angrily as if to say "That's the best ya got?" if I manage to spill some words onto the page. Sometimes cursor gets impatient when nothing comes out. "Umm, hello? I haven't got all day. I'm here to be in front of your words. WORDS, WHERE ARE THE WORDS??"
And then it's back to the thinking. Where am I going with this? What needs to happen now? you suck as a writer. Well, what could happen? HMM?? Think.
Think.
Think some more.
Still. Thinking.
4 comments:
Instead of asking What Happens Next?, try asking "What could go wrong?"
Make a list, cross out anything that doesn't have something to do with the story, cross out your first three answers, then pick the thing that has the most potential for disaster. :-)
Thanks Deb, great advice!
Why don't you try writing some lyrics or poetry to take a break?
Sometimes you don't have to think as hard when you do that and at least you're still writing and putting down ideas?
Just a thought.
And Ouch Charlie... 14 days straight? dammit, now I gotta go get a milkshake...Like the bad guys in taken said, "Good Luck"
- Nick A.
good smoothie analogy
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