But that doesn't mean I'm not getting any writing done. Because I am. I finished the edit of Chapter 8 last night. I can't really call that too much of a victory because it's probably the easiest chapter in the whole book to edit. But progress is progress, right?
Well...some progress can be distracting. I have been getting some work done. A decent amount, actually. Not ridiculous, but not minuscule, either. The only problem is that it's not UL I'm working on. It's the still and probably forever unnamed Book 3.
I just can't help myself, really. I went to a friend's wedding on Saturday and I got this idea for a scene at a wedding and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I just had to get the idea down before it disappeared. On Monday night I wrote almost three pages of this scene. It's a bit heartbreaking and I absolutely love it.
So you'd think I'd stop after the scene was done, right? Haha, WRONG. I kept going. I've written a few tidbits for the last chapter of this book before, and I just kept going with it for a bit. But it's not my fault! Sometimes I get slammed with inspiration at the worst times--like when I'm trying to sleep. Like yesterday morning when this little gem popped into my brain:
Notice the 5:00 AM, please. Yes, on my vacation. When I should be sleeping. And do you think I come up with these psychotic lines on my own? Because I don't. They just pop randomly into my head out of nowhere. My muse is real, people. And he's a jerk.
I feel like I can't ignore the inspiration just because it's not the book I want or should be working on. So I should be working on the first book but I can't stop thoughts from the last chapter of the last book (when I haven't even written most of THAT book, either). It doesn't make any sense!
I should ignore it, right? Or maybe create some kind of reward system. Like, finish editing a chapter, let myself write nonsense for a half hour. Something like that. I really don't think the staycation goal of ELEVEN CHAPTER EDITS is going to happen at this point. And I know I should be glad to spend every day writing, which I am. But I really want to get this novel done--the first one. So badly. It's just going so slowly. Distractions don't help! I mean, at least I'm not getting distracted by a different series and different characters (I see you waiting patiently, Shiny New Story), but still.
I just can't help it. Sometimes I have to write what's in my head. Even if it's the wrong book.
LOL! When the muse strikes, I always give it the reins for a short time, just long enough to get the ideas down in their entirety (note wise & as many as 20 pages of manuscript), then kick myself back into gear. There's something to be said about when you're writing that passionately. =)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely write what's in your head - you can store it for later. If you don't, those perfect words will disappear and you'll never retrieve them. Trust me, I'm a big 'I don't need to write that down, I'll remember it' failure!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should give your muse a sleeping pill so he sleeps through the night and doesn't wake you up too early :-) But, even if it isn't the writing you had planned on doing, you're still writing and it sounds like you're writing good stuff that's energizing you. That can only be a good thing.
ReplyDeleteHehehe! Inspiration has a way of coming on us at the most inconvenient times. Keep on pushing forward! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm all about chasing inspiration when it hits! Woot woot for that writing bug. :D
ReplyDeleteI'm forever up at all hours of the night with random story thoughts that I have to get down before I forget. One never knows when or where inspiration will strike.
ReplyDeleteEdits go slowly, in my experience. One needs to take a break from them once in a while, lest one goes cross-eyed and crazy. Sounds like working on Book 3, or whatever strikes your fancy at the time, is a good way to do that. :)
You need to tell your muse you're on vacation.
ReplyDeleteRun with it. Who knows where it will lead.
It's always difficult, finding a balance between capitalizing on inspiration in the moment and keeping the discipline necessary to finish projects. There isn't a right or wrong answer. Process works differently for all of us. Good luck balancing your seesaw!
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Balancing Act
When I get time off from work, I always plan on getting a lot of writing done during that time. It never works out that way. Sometimes just bumming around the house is necessary to recharge the muse. Even if he is a jerk.
ReplyDeleteI'd celebrate the fact that you are getting words down, even if it's not the project you want to be working on. Must be a challenge though, having a muse with ADHD.
ReplyDeleteSometimes when the muse strikes, you have to follow. You could look at it this way: when you finally get to book 3 that's less work. LOL
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel. I'm in the middle of a WIP that I'm determined to finish before I go back and finish a different one that has been left in tangles, and then "Shiny, New Idea" shows up and flaunts ideas at me in the middle of the night - so I spend an hour writing those ideas down, and then I fiddle with them again. Then, in the morning, I go back to my WIP feeling guilty, which doesn't exactly help the writing process.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to have Patricia's attitude on this - the new idea will be ready when I finish the current WIP. I might allow myself to flirt with the new idea now and then when my current WIP is dragging, but no more than an hour. :)
I can see both sides of this. On the one hand, it's hard to battle away on edits when a "shiny" new idea tempts you. And you're supposed to enjoy writing so if a fun scene pops into your head, why not write it? On the other hand, the project in edits deserves your full attention even if it's hard, and you'll feel SO GREAT once you finish it! Wishing you luck!
ReplyDeleteIt's the same series, so you're just working on a different part of the story. Call it planning ahead! Hopefully it will help with the book you should be working on in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI say go with it! :D
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