Writerly Ways
Feb. 7th, 2010 12:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessProcrastination. It has to be one of the biggest problems a writer can face, right up there with lack of self-discipline. We dress it up in a lot of fancy terms, we have our excuses but what it boils down to is: we’re not writing. We’re distracted. We’re blocked. These excuses lead to one thing, failure.
If you read just about any how-to book for writing, they’ll tell you that you need to treat writing like a job. You need to make time for it. There’s only so much noodling around you can do. Making notes, making outlines, they can helpful tools but at some point you need to move beyond those and actually put pen to paper (or should that be fingers to keys?) and write.
Sometimes the word ‘job’ has negative connotations for some of us. I’m not, and I don’t think the how-to authors are, saying you shouldn’t have fun writing. You should. If you hate the thing you’re writing, you can almost guarantee editors and agents will, too. You need to like the story you’re working on. That’s important. If you’re just writing fanfic, you could probably be looser with your discipline. If you’re aiming to get something original done for a publisher, you need to be actually working on it. Not just talking about it.
Today someone on my writers’ group asked how do we quiet the distractions and write? I put that question to you. How do you do it?
Lately I’ve been failing to quiet them at all. Part of it has been I’ve been ill but the other part of it is I can’t keep myself offline. Well that is where my friends live and it’s my social outlet. That said, I don’t need to be obsessive checking my inbox or playing around on facebook. I need to just say no. And I do but for me the easiest way of doing this is to take myself away from the computer and work on paper.
I also use music a lot to help myself concentrate. Sometimes I find sound tracks that feel like the characters and put them on. Sometimes I just put on peaceful ‘spa’ music to help clear my mind.
Also, I’ve found having a few good friends you can IM/email/call helps especially if you’re stuck. Having a sounding board really helps with the blocked feeling. I’ve found talking it out really helps to get things moving. My friends often see things from other angles or toss out suggestions that just click, even without them reading more than a description of where I’m stuck.
Cleaning up the house, I found an old Writers’ Digest. It suggested trying to take 15 minutes a day and just write one page with the idea of a page a day makes a novel in a year. It’s not a bad idea (much like doing morning papers but a little different in that you’re not trying to get your mind fresh). I think we can easily find 15 minutes to try and write.
And for those of us stuck in the middle of our novels (and who doesn’t get stuck there?) Check out Justine Musk’s thoughts on how to handle the dreaded center.
I made minimal progress this week. I’ve added another 2,629 words to my two short stories (mostly the threesome). I really wanted to do more but I’ve been playing around which I guess is the whole point of this weekly blog
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no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 05:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 05:21 pm (UTC)Me neither :D So I try to also research the ideas or main elements for my story to see what details could be a good starting point to work with for the beginning of the story or the part I'm up to writing for. :D
I tend to have music playing while I'm on the pc, or I'll dig up something on YouTube.
Also, I keep a note pad and pen near my bed for those times I come up with a line and need to jot it down (may not turn on the light though, which makes it fun to decypher in the morning XD) because I'll never remember it the same way if I don't.
Also, there are times when I know I'll be off the pc, like when I'm watching tv, and it's easier to have a laptop nearby or a notepad/book to write while I watch tv :D
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 05:21 pm (UTC)So yeah. I just need to cut out the online distractions and try to just write down plot bunnies in fandom and limit myself to how much I write them.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 05:32 pm (UTC)Also, I keep a note pad and pen near my bed for those times I come up with a line and need to jot it down (may not turn on the light though, which makes it fun to decypher in the morning XD) because I'll never remember it the same way if I don't.
Also, there are times when I know I'll be off the pc, like when I'm watching tv, and it's easier to have a laptop nearby or a notepad/book to write while I watch tv :
i do both as well
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 05:36 pm (UTC)But, as you said, that gets me no closer to any of my original fiction goals. It's a balance and it's not easy to find
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 05:41 pm (UTC)The question is, what makes the distractions a more preferable use of time than writing? For me it's the issue on getting stuck. So I google around while I'm online doing other things until I find something useful for the story :D
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 05:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 05:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 06:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 06:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 06:36 pm (UTC)Also, one way to help with not being distracted is to just get out of the house and go to Panera or Moe's or ABC. My roommate and I kinda slacked off with that due to NaNo but I think we need to pick that up again. We have another friend who we invite along and the three of us just chill out there and write.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 06:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 07:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 07:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 07:44 pm (UTC)Well, I can write on pen and paper but I'm a cut and paste girl so I really find it restricting.
Re. avoiding the temptations of the internet, I occasionally go offline so I won't be distracted by the ping of the inbox, or ration myself (after I write another 500 words, I can go and answer my emails or check the flist). When I was doing my PhD I used to go to the British Library to get stuff done, but they now have free internet. Damn.
Things like kinkmemes and drabbling are a double-edged sword for me because on the one hand, they get me writing and in the mood to write more, but on the other hand, they keep me away from writing the bits that will never inspire me until I pretty them up with other ingredients, but need to be done anyway, i.e. plot expo, tough scenes.
My biggest motivator for getting stuff done is deadlines. Deadlines and fear of them. Cheerleaders and betas are a big help too.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 08:05 pm (UTC)I agree the kinkmeme's are helpful to a point and then because fanfic is way easier (for me) to write, I get overly distracted. I'vebeen here all day accomplishing nothing because Ive been playing around with fanfic
deadlines definitely help me too.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 08:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 08:43 pm (UTC)Part 5 rocks. I LIKE WHERE THIS IS HEADED. Namely, more Ed flailing, cheeky Winry and bad Ling.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 09:22 pm (UTC)I have to say, I don't understand your use of the icon given the fic. Ed's not into that! There's no way he's laying a finger on that jackass.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 09:52 pm (UTC)and at some point i need to you know clean the house
no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 10:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 10:05 pm (UTC)