This month’s topic: What are one (or two) writing projects you want to accomplish this year? What will be any obstacles you might encounter?
I would like to complete Book 3 in my Rodeo Romance Series and a YA novel I’ve out lined.
What obstacles may I encounter?
Romantic English poets of the time believed their poems magically arrived from an external source, so when their pens dried up and the words did not flow, they assumed the spirits, the gods, and/or their individual muses were not visiting them with favor.
In other words, writer’s block.
Here’s the simple truth: The very nature of the art of writing incorporates uncertainty,
experimentation, and a willingness to create art from the depths of who we are. Writing is a mentally challenging occupation, which requires hard-core, cognitive expenditure than many other lines of work.
Writing is not for sissies, and if you intend to write novels, screenplays, or plays, it will not be easy, and you will often come up against a wall of resistance. Just don’t call it “writer’s block,” call it what it is: not being prepared to move to the next level.
•
It’s not “writer’s block” I remind myself, I’ve simply lost my way—for a short time.
All writers reach a point when they lose their way, their work veering off into unforeseen directions or experiencing a surprise (like when a character you didn’t anticipate shows up). Rather than permitting this to sabotage your momentum, take a day or two to rethink your story.
•
Your Passion Has Waned
It happens. Because writing a novel requires immersion—thinking about it, crafting it, dreaming about it, obsessing about it—your brain may be on overload or just bored. It doesn’t mean that your writing is boring; it means that you’ve worked and reworked the material so much that it now feels boring—to your mind. Have a friend/ plotting partner read the chapter.
•
You Are Burned Out
It is quite possible that you’ve simply tapped yourself out. We all have our limits, be they physical, mental, emotional, and all of the aforementioned. Eventually your body, brain, or emotions are going to rebel and insist on downtime, which may come in the guise of what you may call writer’s block.
Keep this in mind: You aren’t blocked; you’re exhausted. Give yourself a few days to really rest. Lie on a sofa and watch movies, take long walks in the hour just before dusk, go out to dinner with friends, or take a mini-vacation somewhere restful. Do so with intention to give yourself—and your brain—a rest. Once you’re rested, you’ll likely find the desire to write has come roaring back.
•
Life Has a Way of Getting in the Way
Even though I say I have time to write, it isn’t always true. For writers with a day job and families, there simply are not enough hours in the day. The lion’s share of my writing is done during Winter/Spring/Summer break. I blog several time each week and write on Saturday and several hours two night each week.
I do find I do find mini ways to write. I jot notes during lunch. Send reminders to myself on my phone, and use my iVoice app to come up with snippets of dialogue.
I love to write. I love the magic of a mystical land. I love to hear how one of my stories brought an evening of enjoyment to someone’s life.
Stop by, visit the blogs of the talented writers, and see what they are planning to write in 2016!
Connie
Victoria Chatham
http://victoriachatham.webs.com/Margaret Fieland
http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/Skye Taylor
http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_seaDiane Bator
http://dbator.blogspot.ca/Beverley Bateman
http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/Connie Vines
http://connievines.blogspot.com/Bob Rich
http://wp.me/p3Xihq-BmRachael Kosinski
http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/Judith Copek
http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/Kay Sisk
http://kaysisk.blogspot.comAnne Stenhouse
http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/Hollie Glover
http://www.hollieglover.co.ukFiona McGier
http://www.fionamcgier.com/Rhobin Courtright
http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com/
