What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?

[Atalanta]

Crossed the 90k mark in my WIP today. *happy dance* I've been in this tunnel so long I'm not sure whether the light I'm seeing is from The End or an on-coming train.

 

[Marumae]

Currently taking a break from a project I've been working on for a long time to refresh myself. There's a new project I've been...simmering I guess you could say in the back of my mind, it keeps popping up inspiration for itself in everyday life and I've decided to give it some attention.

Now I'm trying to develop villains of the piece since I believe I pretty much have the "heroes" all worked out, but my attention keeps wanting to go back to the shiny romance I have in story, but I refuse to do darn it. I will have three dimensional characters who aren't just satellites orbiting the main couple of this story!

 

[Heezy]

Thinking that is time to start doing something else besides writting, my country doesn't really support any form of art and I don't wanna starve to death until something comes up.

 

[Wilde_at_heart]

Bludgeoning a special someone so I can concentrate

I kid, I kid...

 

[DragonHeart]

Got the comments back on my second draft yesterday and it seems that I have some work to do still. Not really a bad thing by any means; this is exactly why I have a beta. Looks like I need to add another scene and work on my transitions more. I can't say I'm surprised as this particular story wasn't even close to being well formed when I wrote it, unlike my newer work.

 

[WriterDude]

I've gone off plan!

My outline needs a major revision.

 

[Silver-Midnight]

Well, I'm probably still going to be on a writing break, despite, well, trying to write. I don't know. I guess I just have nothing to say right now. I'm not really getting any ideas. My mind is just completely blank. Or if I am getting ideas, I don't fully plot them through. I might try flow-charting. Maybe that will help me out some. Even if I don't stick all the way to the flow chart I suppose. I also need to look at mind-mapping.

 

[Putputt]

Awesome editor sent me the first two chapters of WIP. My gawd, I hadn't realized how much passive voice I use. And I am guilty of info-dump. Two things I regularly point out in other people's writing. 'Tis a turrible affliction indeed.

 

[kkbe]

Them that writes lumpy infodumpies can pat themselves on the back, 'cause that means they's writing. Something. Substantial. Which is what I have to do, instead of messing around writing sad haikus.

 

[Shenanigans!]

Finally made a decision with my writing. I have my main story I'm working on, but last term I enforced a 1000/per day routine to write another story. Once I finish preparing it for revisions and its next draft, I'm going to set it aside until spring and write another another story with the 1000 word routine. I want to write a story and edit my main one at the moment, not edit and edit.

I guess I can justify as an experiment in putting aside a project. Never done that before. It's kind of exciting.

 

[Atalanta]

My mind is just completely blank.

The last time I felt like this I made myself do a daily exercise: write 200 words to a random prompt. It was painful, and sometimes I couldn't even get those 200 words, but after four days something loosened up in my head (probably marbles) and my muse came out of hiding. Sitting down at my desk still felt like getting in line for the gallows, but it was better than nothing.

Good luck. We've all been there.

 

[Undercover]

I marvel at people that can routinely do 1,000 words or more a day, no matter what. I try to force myself, but it just gets harder. I got to 35K in my latest WIP and bam, I stopped and haven't picked it up.

I've gotten a R&R in the meantime and am enjoying that, with the incentive I received, so much so, I don't want to give it back. I'm still too nervous it's not good enough. Now I'm being really nit-picky.

Although, I promised myself when I do finally give it back, I will try, TRY...to work on the WIP again.

 

[u.v.ray]

Personally, I have long referred to writing as a terminal illness.

I am always writing. Even when I'm not actually sitting down to physically write. Every experience I have in life is all continually being composed in my head.

I carry a Moleskine everywhere with me and thoughts and observations are noted and always later injected into my work. I frequently wake up in the night to make notes.

Only a lobotomy would offer a reprieve.

 

[MakanJuu]

Trying to think of a way to describe two people jumping to attention at a noise in a way that flows well & properly explains the scenario without sounding too metaphorical or... bizarrely self aware, I guess.

 

[Silver-Midnight]

The last time I felt like this I made myself do a daily exercise: write 200 words to a random prompt. It was painful, and sometimes I couldn't even get those 200 words, but after four days something loosened up in my head (probably marbles) and my muse came out of hiding. Sitting down at my desk still felt like getting in line for the gallows, but it was better than nothing.

Good luck. We've all been there.

Cool. Thanks. I might try it. Although it seems not even writing prompts can bring me out of this. But I could still try.

Where did you find your writing prompts? Did you use AW or another site?

 

[Tepelus]

25 out of 49 pages of Godzilla chapter 3 edited and rewritten, and split into three separate chapters now. Heading toward the section where a major rewrite is going to happen and hopefully shrink it by a few pages/several hundred words or more. So far I'm enjoying editing better than writing down the first draft. It's nice to have something already to work with and reconstruct, even if I have to rewrite large chunks.

 

[Atalanta]

Where did you find your writing prompts? Did you use AW or another site?

I was actually so dispirited I couldn't bring myself to visit any writing sites, so the prompts evolved from random items on my desk.

 

[SianaBlackwood]

I'd like to throw my worldbuilding at the wall and then when it hits the floor I'll jump on it a few times. Why do characters need to worry about clothing, anyway?

 

[WriterInChains]

Moving from one story to another is hard!

Just finished a novel draft and it will sit for a while before edits -- at least a week or two, if not longer. Those characters are quieting down, and hopefully the new folks will speak up soon!

 

[Tepelus]

Congrats on finishing the first draft, WIC!

 

[srgalactica]

Holy hell! Getting 300 words written last night was like pulling teeth. Tonight will be easier...because I said so.

 

[WriterInChains]

Thanks Tepelus! I did a lot of editing on this one as I went along, so hopefully it won't be too cringe-worthy when I go back to it.

 

[kkbe]

Lord have mercy. Rather edit somebody else's than write my own. In my defense, that somebody is one hell of a writer and I love her story so far. . .

Still an excuse though. I blame on that little clownheaded twerp. So sweet but man, he's killing me.

 

[Atalanta]

Why do characters need to worry about clothing, anyway?

Ha! Sounds like somebody needs to change their setting to "remote nudist colony."

As for my own work, I'm hanging around AW and it's not even 1pm yet. Distracted much?

 

[triceretops]

Turned in major rewrite to publisher on chapters 3 to 5. Now I hope we're more in line with a plot that heads in the right direction. Glad we caught it in time--couldn't have been a lot worse.

tri