Writerly Ways

I wrote this in my head several times over the last few days but couldn't find any way to say that without being inflammatory so here I am scrambling for a topic.

Let's talk instead about how to lure a reluctant muse out of hiding. If there is one thing all the professionals seem to agree upon is that you can't wait for inspiration to strike. You need to write every day. There was once a community on LJ that was dedicated to that, 100 words a day. Things like gsd_rtfn help as well. Of course you can always 'fool' sites like that by writing on the new shinest thing but that doesn't really help your problem in the long run.

Of course, sometimes it can. I DO find it helpful to set a story aside to work on something else. The danger there is where I am now, surrounded by file folders filled with abandoned projects. As I said at the end of the year, one of my goals for 2012 is to clean that up. I finished one (and I do believe that Splinters of Silver and Cold Iron had to be my 2006 nano since I have files from my writers group dating to 2007 with the edits) and I have opened the last 3 chapters of Numb to find where I left off to finish (and that means I wrote this in 2004/2005) See what I'm saying about things lying too long.

That is obviously the wrong way to handle writing issues. Looking at my upcoming projects, I'm running out of time to push things off. Some times the muse goes cold when you won't let it write the story it wants. Witness my big bang. I lost affectively 3 months of writing time with it falling over Nano and the december holidays (not to mention the unexpected havoc of January). It doesn't want to shorten the story. I keep telling it to save the rest for later but it knows the story is going to severely suffer at this point and doesn't want to finish. I will not, no CAN NOT let it fall to the wayside since there are others involved in the project. How unfair would that be to them?

That means the muse must be lured out of hiding. For me sometimes the sheer competition is enough to get me going. I don't like to lose. Not finishing for a deadline equals losing in my book. The other thing that does really get my muse going is talking it out with myself or with someone on IM. Honestly, I think I find that the best muse sparker going. evil_little_dog will tell you that I do this often. Doesn't mean I take all (or even half) of her suggestions but it gets the creative juices flowing (and her talking to me resulted in some of Ed's bad behavior in her fma_fic_contest entry this time out.

So what do YOU all do?

Here's one of the creative prompts from ( Figment" )

yearly word count

2121 / 75000 words. 3% done!

Fma Big Bang - I'm well over 15K but honestly if i had time I'd only be MID story but that isn't going to cut it. God knows what will at this point.

Machiavelli Moon - unedited

Splinters - used old and apparently long forgotten edits for ch 3-5 from my writers group. I need to sit down with ch 2 and give it a good slice and dice

Numb - printed out the last bits for persual. edited ch 2

Geeklove & Scarred Soldier - are in bits so no word count but slow progress is being made.

DoS Attacks

No not LJ, not this time. MY BANK. OMG the people doing things like this need to have very painful things done to them. I would like to be able to pay my bills on time but no....assholes


As a note of warning to anyone trying that bean soup recipe, there's a typo (direct from foodnetwork). Obviously it is NOT 1/2 cups of chili powder. I mean, that would be 2 entire bottles and you wouldn't have 'spicy bean soup' you'd have a biological weapon. it was probably supposed to be 1/2 tsp or something. Just put it in to taste.

Some days I think I should stop getting the Columbus Dispatch on sundays and just settled for the chillicothe paper. It's just torturing myself with all the wonderful things I could do if I lived closer to the city (not IN it. Been there, done that never want to live in a city again. I just want to live like I did growing up. In the country but within 25 miles of a city). THe Harlme gospel for one, a show of glass and real orchids for another (though that'll be at the Franklin until april so I will probably get a chance to see it).

I was talking today with someone and I realized I KNOW OH voted to approve of gambling but I've seen nothing yet about it. I know Columbus was STILL resisting it and I have no idea if the casino was built or where. I need to look that up.

Today I worked. That is all. Worked.

Thankfully I DID think to check my work email because they forgot to send me paperwork for this exercise thing. I DO need to skip breakfast, bring work out clothes etc. I would not have had a clue. I'm already starting to lose my enthusiasm for this.

I just hope the year of the dragon has something good for me hiding in it.