Skipping over a few passages and returning later to fill in the blanks, in a paint-by-word fashion, seemed to help, at least for this particular "Kellen Wechsler" chapter in Before the Blood.
It also meant I could make progress while not getting too drawn into the story, since I was the editor-on-call this past weekend.
What's now remaining in chapter seven is several scenes that go together (where inspiration is still slow to materialize), and several smaller exposition sections that I broke down into a couple paragraphs each, and then assigned each grouping to a night, Sunday through Wednesday.
And then I didn't get Sunday's section written, LOL.
However, I also sifted through nearly one thousand backed-up emails on my AOL account. including some very important ones that were overlooked amongst social media notifications, doubles I had ignored, items that needed to go into community calendars, etc.
While doing so, I'd handed off the fabrication of last night's dinner to Daniel, who didn't fabricate nearly as quickly as I could, so I wound up helping out, and suddenly, POOF! It got late.
Still, despite missing church again, it was a rather productive weekend, overall. I'm also getting a little more confident "minding the shop," as it were. Some things that would have rattled me just a few months ago, I now handled with ease.
Of course, I still have much to learn, and I'm eager to learn it. In addition, from a writer's block point of view, I learned several things.
One: It's okay to procrastinate in front of the computer if your brain is simmering at the same time.
Two: Just like insomniacs are told to get out of bed if they can't fall asleep, I now try to walk away from the computer if ideas are just not generating and find something else (i.e. a non-writing activity, and yes, they do exist) to do.
Three: Skipping over details that need research and coming back to them later serves two purposes. It doesn't stall the muse when it's working at warp speed, and it gives you something to do when the muse is taking an extended nap.
Four: Breaking up troublesome passages into smaller, easier-to-manage scenes helps to coax a reluctant muse into action.
So, overall, the view over the top of the coffee mug (a white one with blue letters saying "The Herald-News," a gift from our marketing manager) on this brisk and chilly Monday morning is a sunny one, and I'm joyfully anticipating a new week.
Hope you are, too. (Raising coffee mug). Happy Monday! :)
It also meant I could make progress while not getting too drawn into the story, since I was the editor-on-call this past weekend.
What's now remaining in chapter seven is several scenes that go together (where inspiration is still slow to materialize), and several smaller exposition sections that I broke down into a couple paragraphs each, and then assigned each grouping to a night, Sunday through Wednesday.
And then I didn't get Sunday's section written, LOL.
However, I also sifted through nearly one thousand backed-up emails on my AOL account. including some very important ones that were overlooked amongst social media notifications, doubles I had ignored, items that needed to go into community calendars, etc.
While doing so, I'd handed off the fabrication of last night's dinner to Daniel, who didn't fabricate nearly as quickly as I could, so I wound up helping out, and suddenly, POOF! It got late.
Still, despite missing church again, it was a rather productive weekend, overall. I'm also getting a little more confident "minding the shop," as it were. Some things that would have rattled me just a few months ago, I now handled with ease.
Of course, I still have much to learn, and I'm eager to learn it. In addition, from a writer's block point of view, I learned several things.
One: It's okay to procrastinate in front of the computer if your brain is simmering at the same time.
Two: Just like insomniacs are told to get out of bed if they can't fall asleep, I now try to walk away from the computer if ideas are just not generating and find something else (i.e. a non-writing activity, and yes, they do exist) to do.
Three: Skipping over details that need research and coming back to them later serves two purposes. It doesn't stall the muse when it's working at warp speed, and it gives you something to do when the muse is taking an extended nap.
Four: Breaking up troublesome passages into smaller, easier-to-manage scenes helps to coax a reluctant muse into action.
So, overall, the view over the top of the coffee mug (a white one with blue letters saying "The Herald-News," a gift from our marketing manager) on this brisk and chilly Monday morning is a sunny one, and I'm joyfully anticipating a new week.
Hope you are, too. (Raising coffee mug). Happy Monday! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment