So I've been in a bit of a writing funk for about, oh...ten months or so. I'm not even kidding. I've barely touched my WIP in that time. I've had a revelation here or there, jotted down some ideas or a random line of dialogue, but that's it. Nothing major. No new scenes or major editing done at all. Part of me really wants to work on it, but another part just wants to avoid it.
The thing is, I've always had big, big dreams for this particular book, but I think I'm so hung up on them not coming true that I don't even want to bother. I know the road to those dreams is going to be very long and filled with obstacles. It's going to take a long time. I'm pretty sure most people are going to be against me. Finding the people who "get it" isn't going to be easy.
I've been thinking about giving up on those dreams because honestly, they're not realistic at all. But I've come to realize that I don't have to. I should use the dreams to motivate me, not to keep me from working. Because right now, the only thing standing in my way is me. I can't even start out on that obstacle-filled road if I don't get the book done first. So why am I already giving up?
I was thinking lately how bad I want these particular dreams and I thought, why shouldn't I have them? I think I've got something good and interesting here and even though not everyone is going to get it or like it, there must be some people out there who will. So why not try for those dreams? I won't know for sure if they're unattainable until I reach the end of that road.
Will this new found attitude lead to actual editing and writing? I hope so. I won't be able to get anywhere if I don't at least try.
Using those dreams to motivate you is an excellent idea. Just don't hold onto them so tightly that you don't leave room for new dreams, for new possibilities to present themselves. :)
ReplyDeleteI think you hit it head on. You're concern about it becoming all you want it to is hindering you. I have so been there. I agree with Madeline. Keep holding on, but also open yourself up to getting this story finished with no expectations. Just finish it. New possibilities will present themselves - as MMS said.
ReplyDeleteYou had a very good discussion with yourself in this post - and came to an excellent conclusion. We have absolutely no control over how people will react to what we create, so you can't let the fear of that hold you back. Break the project into smaller, attainable bits and start hacking away at it! Like Madeline says, your dreams may even evolve along the way.
ReplyDeleteYes! Use those dreams, girl! I hope your new attitude works wonders for you and your story, because I'm looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteA professor once told me that no work is ever complete, there are only deadlines. Shooting for perfection can hold you back. Each time I start a project I think it will go one way and then it turns into something totally different. I wish you luck!
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the funk! I had one of those too--pregnancy induced. Regardless, I find when we take the pressure off ourselves and just say, whatever I write is what I write, we tend to find the words again. Too much pressure will crush the muse. =)
ReplyDeleteI've been there before - that funk is a killer. I struggled to get through my first book (which btw is in a closet) and then I finished Champion in the Darkness after (looks down and mutters at feet) four years of flitting between writing happiness and non-writing funk. Sure, I "wrote" the whole thing during NaNo one year, but that was a second/third (who's counting?) complete rewrite draft. And then, I went through massive content changes after that. Oy. I didn't think anyone would want to read it, I wasn't sure that anyone who read it would like it, and I wasn't sure it was any good (on bad days, I still worry about the last one a lot).
ReplyDeleteIf I can get through the mess, you can too.
And you're right - someone will get it, and someone will like it! You are a unique, vibrant writer. Keep up the good work!
Don't let doubt get to you! I would doubt myself all the time but I never gave up. Although my series I really want to publish still doesn't have an agent, I'm not stopping. I also tried something else...I wrote a short story, sent it to a small press, and they published it! That story was Hurricane Crimes. Now I've published four eBooks with them. So even when you feel doubt creeping in, keep pushing on because if you give up, you really won't ever see your dream coming true. And even going a different route like I did can get you where you want to be.
ReplyDeleteI've often felt like you and considered giving up. Sometimes it is hard to keep going, but don't let the doubt get to you! Like you said, you won't know until you try - even if your dream isn't quite what you imagined, you'll get there in the end. I never thought I'd be an indie author, and yet, here I am :). I constantly think people will hate my writing, or that I'm doing everything wrong, but that's just my self-doubt talking! You can do it! You'll get there in the end :)
ReplyDeleteI think the important thing is to try. It is better to try to reach your dreams, then not at all. Maybe if the particular WIP isn't inspiring the revising or editing part, then maybe set it aside, let it stew a bit, and come back to it with clear eyes. I recently went through 6 months of a funk. In the end I decided to shelve my WIP and work on something new and somehow I got the drive back in me. But never give up. This moment is just one of those obstacles.
ReplyDeleteFunks happen. The last time I had one it took me a half year to get out of it. What helped was I stopped stressing over being in it. I did things that relaxed and I enjoyed (Tetris Blitz) and it helped lifted the fog the funk had over me. Also, IWSG and people helped. Their support really kicked the funk in the balls and pulled me out of it.
ReplyDeleteThat's right - why shouldn't you have them? You are just as capable and can achieve them.
ReplyDeleteFunks do happen. I went many months in between a couple of my books, wondering if I'd write anything else.
I hear you. I had a pretty unproductive 2014. When dreams start to feel more like overly-heavy expectations, it can crush your creativity. Experimenting with small projects, like a poem or flash fiction, can help you feel better creatively and in time the larger project will excite rather than overwhelm you.
ReplyDeleteFunks are a natural part of being a writer. Sometimes, you just have to jump in there and work at it, even if it isn't fun for a bit, because eventually you'll make that breakthrough and everything will begin working out again. Take the chance. I know you can do it.
ReplyDeleteYou have to try. I was in a fiction writing funk for the past couple years. Now that I've solved my plot issues, I'm diving back in.
ReplyDeleteKeep going and dreaming, Sarah. We can't hope to write something that will appeal to everyone but that doesn't mean we shouldn't still try to write a successful book.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Sarah. Go for it. I am always my own worst obstacle - I think that's so common, and the best thing we can all do is recognize it, and get out of our own ways.
ReplyDeleteDreams can be a great motivator and a great hindrance. I have a tendency to get too carried away in daydreaming how big my book/series can be. I often find myself getting caught up in what I want to accomplished in such and such year too. Every time that happens, I end up paralyzed from fear of making such dreams happen that I end up doing nothing. For me, I've realized it's better if I focus on the here and now. What I'm working on today than what I need to work on in 2020. It doesn't mean I still don't dream, but I try to not do so when I'm getting ready to write.
ReplyDeleteWe get in our own way, don't we? When I thought I lost my Muse (for over a year) I decided to write for fun. Never expected that's what I should have been doing all along. When we enjoy our work, readers will, too.
ReplyDeleteGood luck,
Diane IWSG #99
That kind of analysis paralysis is probably a good sign: this is a from-the-heart project. It *matters* to you. Try to worry about readership or sales or external signs of success. Obviously, this story is in you and wants out. Let it. Worry about the rest after the tale is told.
ReplyDelete:( I was in a terrible funk about a year and a half ago. The only that got me out of it was having a more stable family and personal life. I found out that when those things came together peacefully and without drama, suddenly, my creative self was more eager to play. Your last night is perfect...keep trying, and it will come!
ReplyDeleteStay positive! Just tell the story and have fun with it. Sometimes outlining first can be a big boost to our creative self.
ReplyDeleteYou have to keep believing in your dreams and work on them daily, otherwise they'll never come true. After a while, though, the answers will come and those dreams will turn into reality.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI think you've already found the key or the keys. You already know that it is up to you, yet sometimes knowing even that will paralyse you.
I will share something with you that someone told me a few month ago and that revolutionised my thinking towards myself. The person said, Patricia, be a gentle friend to yourself. When the person said that I realised how hard I was on myself. I could give everyone else slack, be understanding when they were in a funk, be encouraging and even give them a swift kick if they needed one to spurr them on, but I wasn't doing that for myself. I had high expectations of what I should be doing and how I should be, negating all of the wonderful encouraging advice I was giving to others. In other words, I was beating myself up. So, I am learning to be a gentle friend to myself and it's working.
So be a gentle friend to yourself.
Shalom,
Patricia