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Where did the month go? I’d nearly forgotten what day it was!
Life has been stressful this past 30 plus days which has kept me from truly focusing on writing. And I really wanted to go all out for this year’s NaNoWriMo but, that never really happened.
Oh well. Perhaps next year.
How do writers who are also parents, a spouse, with full time jobs find the mental energy or ability to keep the focus until a project or book is done? I’d really love to know!
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As a writer, it is a good feeling when you can declare a draft of your book finished. At least until it’s time to begin the edit and revision process.
How many times are you able to do this?
A dozen of times? More?
For me, I was able to do this once.
It was a book I wrote back in 2008 for the National Novel Writing Month. It was titled Hope Falls. It was a science fiction-horror story.
I still have this draft although I am not sure if it will ever be published.
The story and the characters remain in my head. They want their story to be told.
But there are so many plot holes and changes that must be made.
So much…
Yeah, I’m intimidated as heck.
So, it continues to sit. I may get to it. Then again, I may not.
Wait, my muse is telling that I did complete one other book.
I wouldn’t call it a book; it was more of a novelette sized story. A romance one that I wrote specifically for Wattpad. Okay, okay I finished two books.
Drafts.
This newest story may have more hope to see publication of some form. And since it was so short, I don’t feel quite so intimidated to go back and start revising.
Does size really matters? Does this means that the bigger the project the more intimidating it appears when you begin the editing phase?
Hmm..it is true that I tend to focus the majority of my time on the short stories, and more often than not, they are released into the world for others to read. And in fact, just about every book I’ve attempted have been abandoned before I even get to the middle part.
What does this mean for me?
Perhaps I’m not cut out (or destined) to be that prolific writer who could churn out more than two books each year (Nora Roberts is the first to come to mind), and I’m really okay with that. After writing for as long as I have, I have learned to take the middle ground in that I really enjoy (and prefer) to write the shorter stories, and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
This month’s question for IWSG (for more info on the Insecure Writer’s Support Group click here): If you could pick one place in the world to sit and write your next story, where would it be and why?
There are so many places around the world I’d love to visit and use as inspiration for a story; but, I kept going back to one general area.
Adirondack Mountains.
And a place where I would write that story?
Mirror Lake Inn.
These mountains are where I grew up. A place I will always call home no matter where I live. It’s a place where my heart and soul are constantly longing to return to. And it’s a place I haven’t been back to for twenty years.
*Sigh*
Mirror Lake Inn is a resort located in Lake Placid.
Lake Placid, New York
Site of 1932 & 1980 Winter Olympics
Lake Placid is a quaint but magical village just a short seventeen miles from my childhood home.
Downtown Lake Placid
And why Mirror Lake Inn?
As I grew up in the area, I’ve always heard how great this place was. And being a resort, I’d love to come here where all my needs are met so I can focus on the writing while basking in the beauty of my surroundings.
Judging from the pics, this place is gorgeous!
Spending a week here would do wonders for my muse and for my mental health. I’d be outdoors every moment of the day for sure! Best time to visit? These mountains are simply breathtaking in the fall so that would be my first choice.
Can I afford this?
Mmm, at this point, not really. But who says I can’t dream about visiting one day?
*Sigh*
This month’s question: Has your writing ever taken you by surprise?
When I penned my very first story at the age of eleven, I had no expectations on where writing would take me. What started out as a challenge ended up being a lifeline that I’ve used time and time again.
Writing took me on a journey to places I never dreamed I visit. Experiences I never thought I’d ever partake in. It enabled me to meet like-minded individuals from all over the world, from all walks of life.
Writing changed me.
In fact, I think it might have saved my life more times than I care to admit. Whether or not it kept me from insanity…well, that depends on who you ask!
Writing has been the one constant in my life while the rest has been full of chaos and changes.
I guess what I never expected when I wrote that fateful story all those years ago was how writing would change my life.
Something it’s still doing.
As I sit here at my desk, I see a future that holds more changes and yes, even heartaches. But knowing that I have my writing to hold on to as I travel through the possible dark path ahead, I believe I will be just fine.
*This post for the monthly IWSG is a bit late but hey, better late than never!
From where I’m sitting, it’s the 4th of July. The house is quiet. My guys are off in New York for another week so I have the place all to myself.
Now, it’s just a matter of getting myself focused enough to work on a few projects that I know I should be working on.
Alas, distractions abound!
The silence is too loud. The house too empty.
So, I’ve been binging on rom-com movies as well as all of the Jaws films. Oh, and don’t forget the Bourne’s saga.
Sheesh.
And the few times I did manage to sit my butt down, the cats acted up.
Meaning, they’ve been staging break-outs by busting through the window screens in the sunroom. And I mean, they destroyed all three screens! I was so livid.
How do I explain this to hubby?
Anyhoo, I’ve spent at least two to three hours of my time in the past three days hunting down and rounding up the cats that did get outside. Now, I’m faced with having to keep my house closed up (and the weather’s gorgeous outdoors!) for fear of them busting through other window screens.
Distractions. And more distractions.
I’d thought that with the guys gone and my having all this abundant free time to spend on writing would enable me to be very productive.
In fact, it’s been totally the opposite!
Grr…
I’m finding that having certain constraints with the guys around actually kept me more focused and in line. Being busier with life actually yielded more fruits where with too much free time and no constraints whatsoever have caused me to be so — lazy.
Now, I’m down to the last five plus days to get done what I should have been working on all along. Question is, will I be able to stay focused long enough to do it?
What about you? Does having free time inhibits your productivity rather than enhances it?
This post is for IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group), and this month’s question: Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why?
Right from the get-go, I’ve always been drawn to the darker sides of things. My first story I ever wrote (around eleven years old) was about a creepy house where a girl entered on a dare and discovered a decapitated head in a fridge.
Pretty morbid, eh?
So, I started with horror, then it became horror-paranormal to horror-apocalyptic, and now it’s mainly suspense. Through these genres, the common theme always centered around death.
When my cousin (and best friend at the time) Darren passed away just before our fourteenth birthdays, I was hit with the stark reality that we were not invincible or immortal. That even kids die.
Since then, I have experienced several other deaths of family members and friends. Many of them died well before they were at the peak of their lives, or even able to realized their dreams.
This have always weighed heavily on me.
And showed up in pretty much whatever I wrote be it a short story or a poem.
A loss of some form. The darkness that’s constantly there. .
I enjoy writing both horror and suspense mainly because it’s cathartic for my broken heart, and it’s my way of dealing with the pain.
What about you? What’s your favorite genre to write/read? Why? I love to know!
Last Monday, I put out a poll asking writers if they saw any advantages to blogging on a daily basis.
*45% believed that writing daily posts will enable the blog to thrive
*36% did not
*18% selected “other“
-“I think it depends on the content more than the frequency.”
-“Probably not, though sometimes these month long challenges do bring new people.”
Here are various other comments that were included with the reponses:
“Quality vs quantity. I’d rather post once a week with something that followers want to read instead of posting daily and have followers delete it.” –Darnell Cureton, Fictionista
“I think putting out too much material can be overwhelming for readers. I find that the blogs whose writers post just once or twice a week are the ones I read religiously and look forward to.” –Susan Richardson, Stories From the Edge of Blindness
“Writing every day doesn’t mean your blog will thrive. In order to have a thriving blog, we have to interact in a meaningful way and that means we have to support the blogs that support us. Unless, of course, our blog is for information purposes or we are selling something to someone, then it may be different. Perhaps it comes down to relevant content, whatever the genre of the blog. ” –Poetry From the Inkwell
“I do post everyday, I think if it helps me, then it could someone else. I write a lot in advance and whatever is on my heart. And I even go back and read what I wrote last week or month even year. It may be different with everyone.” –Rebecca Jones, A Daughter’s Gift of Love
“I think writing every day helps … maybe not posting them every day. I loved the accountability of the #Write28Days and knowing that I had committed to posting daily made me do it. But as someone mentioned … the quality does suffer — unless you are a professional journalist.” –Hulda Bennett, Hearts Fully Alive
What about you? Do you have any other thoughts on this poll and its results/comments?
…you feel like a total reject?
This usually happens when we start comparing ourselves to other writers and authors.
And when we do this, ever notice how the doubts creep in, and suddenly all our writing just stop?
So my question to you is this: What do you do to combat this?
