Upon making the decision (and purchasing airfare) to attend RWA Nationals in Dallas this July, I felt a ton of pressure. I liken it to what I imagine a freight train or semi truck would feel like. Last year at nationals, I made a goal to complete two books, well a fully revised and at least first draft of a second, and obtain PRO status.
Guess what I accomplished of that? Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. And here it is, time for another convention and I'm no further than the last one. The way I figured, my first nationals was to get used to the whole thing and see how it works and the second one would be game time.
I want to have a completed book I can talk up and pitch, rather than a WIP. I'd also like to get that PRO status so I have the option of attending the PRO events. And to be honest, I felt a bit naked without the PRO ribbon. In the minority for sure.
So I'm trying to get back into the groove after some of those lovely curveballs that life throws us all (sensing my sarcasm? I hope so). And some of you may recall that I had dropped my WIP for an idea that wouldn't leave me alone. It kept tugging and pulling at me. So with the help of you all and this blog I made the decision to divert my attention to the new idea. For a few days it was flowing like mad. Then hell broke loose and I stopped writing.
Well, it's time to get back in and I went through and read my notes and about 10 measely pages and the light is off. No flow. No ideas. My muse is on vacation. Let's hope it's not retirement... But I can't afford to waste time, I need to get cracking. To me, I have a deadline and I'm hoping to meet it.
How do you all deal with your personal crunch times and/or deadlines? Be it an upcoming conference or convention you want to have a book ready for, or a visiting agent/editor to your chapter meeting, or even just a time of the year where writing is easier for you like summertime for teachers - what do you do to get yourself going? Or are you still looking for the answer to this question? Something tells me the answer to this is like knowing the meaning of life.
Oh, and I'm sure it doesn't help my case that I spend time repetitively watching videos like this. I mean over, and over, and over, and over. But it's so cute?!? How can you not watch it?!?
P.S. I've missed you all like crazy!!!
12 comments:
Lisa! It's so good to see you blogging again! And to see you at the meeting! I've missed you!
I think part of getting back in the groove is connecting to everything you relate to writing. Friends, writing, brain storming.
You've had a lot happen in your life to knock your muse for a loop. Take a deep breath, pick either one of your WIPS or just sit down and burp out your feelings about what has transpired to keep you from writing. But the thing is you have to write something to get yourself back in the groove of just writing. Put those words down, whatever they are, and soon the muse will pop in and say, Hey, what about this that we were working on? And you'll be busting out pages like crazy!
It is all in the mind set, I believe.
Oh thanks for that link, my pregnancy hormones went into overdrive and I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. So I did both :)
About deadlines. I'm weird. Or maybe I'm just nuts in the way that all people who are crazy enough to attend law school/graduate are. But deadlines work for me in a way that other things don't.
Now, I have to be careful because too MANY deadlines can wreck havoc with my health, but the magic amount of deadlines = my personal zone.
I NEED external created deadlines: taxes, start of semester, class tomorrow, due date, promises, etc to get cracking. Deadlines that *I* make are decidedly less effective for me.
So for me that nationals date would be like a great big whip spurring me to action. What I would do is pick ONE of the many goals that seems most meetable by then: GET A WIP FINISHED. I'd make an editor/agent appointment so that I had a true deadline. I'd focus on PRO status after the conference.
But, I really don't have the magic bullet. Deadlines work for me, but in the absence of them, (or sometimes even with them), I too have a really hard time getting going. Long absences are the worst. I'm working my way back from a block now, and what I'm doing right now is just trying to find that voice again--thinking about story ideas more, re-reading sections, trying to get my head around these characters again so that they start talking to me. But I can't do that with a closed a document. So I start with that. Open document. Stare at screen. Pray for divine intervention.
Hey Lisa,
Welcome back, girl!
I try to meet my personal deadlines. I set them. I commit to them. And if they are paid stints, I meet them. But without an editor-induced, check-at-the-end-of-the-deadline, sometimes life does get in the way.
I just climb back up on the writing pony the next morning, and the morning after, and the morning after that. If I don't get my writing time every morning, I am a cranky bear.
Each morning I get closer to my personal deadline, even if I sometimes file an extension. Like now. I'd planned/hoped to be done with this WIP by March 15th. I'm two weeks extended and still not done. But everyday I'm closer and the first 50 pages is polished and the synopsis is written, so I can start sending it out next week and pretty up the rest while I wait for all those requests for fulls. : )
You've still got until July, girl. Start writing. And then keep writing. And the next day, write somemore. That's the secret. Simple.
Hey there, girlfriend! You've been busy...I see you blogged at lisa-pulliam.blogspot.com too!
I'm weird like Wavy. I need concrete deadlines, too. I neve rmake the self imposed ones, but give me something concrete - like my agent needs this ms by this date or someone's waiting for it by this time and I'm there. I work well under pressure - always have (though I might bitch and moan during the process. LOL)
I think we need to brainstorm together. That always gets your juices flowing. You know hwere to find me. Ooh...we could get Alice in on it too now that she's crossed over to the dark side...
Hell, we could just include the whole group and do it here. ;)
Because - yeah, like I forgot to add - I LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea of yours and I want you to write that damn book so I can read it!!!
Lisa--Alice here:
The baby is adorable. Okay, put down the mouse and move away from the monitor.
Whew.
Here are my words of wisdom: THERE IS NO SECRET. Frankly, I'm not sure there's a meaning of life, either, but hey, that's just me.
What everyone has said here about deadlines both self imposed and external is valid. You know which kind you respond to best. I have a friend who enters contests because of the deadlines. She needs the pressure of someone waiting.
I seem to have come equipped with internal motivation. Outside deadlines help, too, and like Eli, I bitch at them, but they work, and if they have money attacked, yea! But in the end, somewhere along every angle of writing comes self motivation. Sure, you may have a deadline, but you had to write something to get the deadline, right?
This means---it's all inside of you. You. So you find the things that work best to get you going. That can be small goals. Two pages, even. Successful goals that reinforce your motivation.
I think what Eli suggested (brainstorming, tell me if I can help) might work well for you. After spending some time with you last summer, I came away with the impression that talking about your idea--to a point--works for you. But you have to be careful not to talk it out, too, and perhaps that's what is happening to you. A writer is a story teller and if you are telling the story--to friends, etc.--some of the drive to put it on paper might be dispelled.
Not much help here because there isn't a magic bullet, but who ever suggested attacking one of your goals and reaching it before nationals and saving the other for afterwards is right, I think.
We all have these life changing miserable situations that knock our socks off on occasion. The trick is to find some new socks. You will do it. Do what someone above me suggested and write. Just write about what is keeping you writing if that's all you have. Establish some rules for yourself and keep them. No games or email or anything else for, say, an hour. Set a timer. Don't break the rule even once. Give yourself a chance. maybe if your muse sees you are serious about getting serious, she'll come back!
Hope something in all our collective words is what you needed to hear. I am so excited you are blogging and coming back to your writing pals. We've missed you!!!!!
Alice
Gosh, I wish I had something insight to say. I'm with Wavy on the deadline thing - I get jazzed by them. But I only do great with a certain amount - too many tend to damage my calm.
Hey Alice, if you're reading this your suggestion worked!
Donna Z
Donna--Way to go. We'll form a whole group of anonymous!
Alice
Bloggers Anonymous - Is that people who want to quit blogging or continue? LOL
Glad you made it Donna Z!
Lisa, It sounds like everyone is giving you great advice! But I like Alice's idea the best. Set a timer and don't do anything but write in that hour. It doesn't matter what you write, just do it. The first step to getting back into it is writing those first words.
Damn. I wish I could set the timer and do nothing but write for an hour.
Hi Lisa, It sounds like I'm not the only one who hasn't seen you for a while. I'm glad we both made it back to the last meeting and are online again. I've found my solution to getting back to writing, but it's expensive. I spent a week in a motel in Roseburg with nothing but pen and paper, a couple of writing books, and our barely-begun manuscript. I started each day with 30 minutes of stream-of-consciousness writing (writing whatever was in my mind fast and without stopping). Then I had breakfast and read a little in one of the writing books. Then I started reading our printed-out manuscript until I found a place I could do some writing. After an hour or so, I let it go and played the rest of the day. This past week Jim and I went to a motel in Waldport to do some research (our book is set near there) and writing. Jim wrote a new scene and I typed all my handwritten pages into the laptop. We formatted our manuscript, pieced it all together and discovered we have almost 9000 words! Now we hope to stay in the groove without having to go to motels to write. Maybe finding a different place to write would help you, too. A place without other duties calling out to you -- maybe a coffee house. That would be cheaper than going to a motel. I hope you'll soon be writing up a storm.
Paty, it feels great to be back involved :) I've missed you all so much!!! I love, LOVE your idea. I think that could definitely work. I'm going to give that a try tonight.
Wavy, hahahaha! I'm the same way with external deadlines, usually. But that doesn't stop me from procrastinating and oftentimes not getting them done...yeesh. Divine intervention, now that might be the key.
Danita, it all sounds so simple! You're right, that's really all it is, just keep working at it. I guess it's a good way to practice willpower...
Eli, that always does work. I read through some of my notes last night from when we brainstormed last time and it got me thinking a bit. Weekly yahoo brainstorm chat sessions everyone!
Alice, the baby is so addictive...I still watch it daily... Finding new socks, I like that! And what you're saying about talking it out makes sense too. I feel like I've thought about the idea so much without really getting anywhere that I burnt myself out. Now it's just a matter of jumping back on the horse. No games or e-mail for an hour?!?!?!? Sacrifices... :P
Donna, great to see you commenting! Glad the anon worked for you :)
Barbara, glad to see you back too! I'm so happy to hear you were able to get back into the writing groove. And you have some great ideas, I'm definitely going to give that a try.
Wow, ladies! You are so motivational!!! THANK YOU!!!
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