The problem is that I am distracted by everything that needs to happen in the rewrite. I believe that this will be the best thing I have ever written once I work on it a little more, but for now it is a mess. That I want to clean up right now. But I have to distance myself from the manuscript before I can attempt an effective rewrite. I'm not looking forward to the waiting period.
As for other goals... I reread a short story and realized that feedback I didn't particularly want to hear was right on. So that is a bit of rewriting that I didn't expect, but want to take care of this week, if I can fit it in. I still have a lot of prep I need to work on, but it's hard when all I really want to do is work on my blog and read. But I have to think about life after the current novel and screenplay. I'm miserable if I don't have something creative to work on and I want to minimize the downtime between projects. I know what the next projects will be... I just need to break them.
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I have decided that I have to get back into writing! Usually, I always joke that I only have one good idea a year so I have to save it for November.
ReplyDeleteBut I recently watched an old vlogbrothers post done by Maureen Johnson, back when John was on paternity leave, and she said that writing is kind of like playing the violin. You can't just go by a violin and expect to go home and be able to play it.
In the same way I can't buy a violin and only play it one month out of a whole year and expect anything to come of it!
Any ideas on where I can get some good writing exercises?
Oh God, I feel your pain. The more excited I am about something the harder it is for me to write it. And, believe me I also know about messes. I write out of order, think I have everything figured out.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't.
Then I have to write more -- but I love my darlings and don't want to kill them...it's a hot mess. Yet fun. Sort of.
Amy, hot mess is exactly right in this case!!! But I have come to LOVE writing out of order. :)
ReplyDeleteCourt, I think that coming up with ideas is a muscle... something that you get better at. So you just have to start sitting down every day for ten minutes and write ideas without thinking. For me, I like to do loglines. And I just make them ridiculous. [protagonist] wants [goal], but [antagonist] wants [opposing goal], in [unique location]. I just try to make it as shitty as possible for that poor protagonist. And eventually, you hit one that is good (about 1/10 is the number I've heard).
Interesting, thanks for the tip! I'll have to treat it like Mad Gabs and just try to fill in the most ridiculous phrases to see what happens!
ReplyDeleteBlogger has replies now. I'm so excited!!!
DeleteYeah, I like that for getting myself in the practice of coming up with ideas. :) But once you start writing down all your ideas, you won't be able to stop. :)