I'm working on a new novel - which is a good thing. At this moment, however, it's not motoring along lickety-split and flowing out of my fingertips. So - what's a girl to do?
I have found, that in writing, as in life - the best thing to do is "keep on, keepin' on." (Thank you Gladys & Pips!)
What that means for me is to keep on writing even when it's far from perfect and I don't think I'll ever find my way back to the story. But, you know what? Eventually I see what's NOT working and am able to noodle out what IS working.
It might seem like wasted time - but, I guarantee, no writing is wasted. It might not be used in a story, but it's like being on a path that suddenly disappears. You have your direction - you keep on moving towards it - and eventually you find the path again. The steps you took on the pathless ground were just as important in getting to your destination as the ones on the path.
Now I must beat a path to the day job!
What sort of tools do you have in your writing box to get through rough patches? I'd love to know!
I move to another location when my writing gets stuck. Let's say being at home is a little too distracting for my own good, I got to Starbucks, put on my earphones, blast the muzak, and start typing away.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that no writing is wasted writing. Even if you scrap it later, it was part of the journey that got you to your final piece.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck!
I've always been an over-writer. Write about 3 times as many scenes as the story needs, and then figure out the ones that work later. It's not the best method, but it's the only one I know.
ReplyDeleteI've deleted entire chapters and started over... which hurts, but sometimes is the only thing to work. Right now I'm having trouble finding my way through the current book I'm working on. Wish there was some magic trick to get through it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I find the best way to get through those challenging patches is to keep writing. But it's hard to get myself to do it, though, when it's so much easier not to. The strange thing is, once I get writing and get going, then it does get easier. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the great comments! Keep on Writing! :)
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ReplyDelete