What I Did:
6/1 Word Count: 112 words today, 2152 words total.
6/2 Word Count: Maybe, like, 5 words. Not sure.
6/3 Word Count: 553 words today, 2705 words total.
What I Plan to Do Next:
Obstacles:
This schedule thing is tricky. One day I tried to ensure that I did my words early, before evening work. No luck. Yesterday I tried to write first thing. I got a few words in, but then got busy all day. Pain set in come evening, and I had to crash just to be functional for the rest of the day.
Today was just the usual writing anxiety. I think I really need to go beyond a mere 'look at the file' routine, and actually create a writing routine to ease myself into writing, and preparing for it. This would include:
1. Eliminate or manage any sources of anxiety, like if I'm not feeling like writing.
2. Ensure I won't be interrupted.
3. Close Twitter and Steve tabs, and any other interesting but distracting things that would entice me to refresh the page instead of writing. That way, even if I switch to refresh, I actually have to reopen the tab, which should result in my reason kicking in first...even if it's kicking and screaming. XD
4. Pick some music. Put on headphones. Press play.
5. Spend 5 minutes re-familiarizing myself with the last place where I was feeling good about the writing. This might mean ignoring some of the written-later-but-crappier bits.
6. Write until the album ends.
I think the REALLY big takeaway from the past three days is that if I can't figure out what happens next, it's because there are no hooks that lead to anything. Maybe the conflict is going sideways (e.g. territory where two characters just argue about 'Fire good! Help human! No! We make fire illegal! Fire hurt!') but it never goes anywhere, so I need to scrap what I just wrote and go back, maybe even change the scene, or increase character responsibility. Possibly some scene reordering. This issue tends to happen when I focus too much on the large scale, and characters feel lost. Instead, the characters need to have a sticky situation they got themselves into, a reason to act, something to fear or love, and a source of conflict that directly impacts them. Starting them off with limited freedoms instead of giving them free rein to wander does wonders. But I need to beware of too limited constraints! Like the ceiling suckworms!
I don't know what to say. This seemed to work for me today.
SEEMED. [Hope I didn't jinx it.]
6/1 Word Count: 112 words today, 2152 words total.
6/2 Word Count: Maybe, like, 5 words. Not sure.
6/3 Word Count: 553 words today, 2705 words total.
What I Plan to Do Next:
Obstacles:
This schedule thing is tricky. One day I tried to ensure that I did my words early, before evening work. No luck. Yesterday I tried to write first thing. I got a few words in, but then got busy all day. Pain set in come evening, and I had to crash just to be functional for the rest of the day.
Today was just the usual writing anxiety. I think I really need to go beyond a mere 'look at the file' routine, and actually create a writing routine to ease myself into writing, and preparing for it. This would include:
1. Eliminate or manage any sources of anxiety, like if I'm not feeling like writing.
- Am I worried that nothing is coming together because I'm only writing one sentence disjointed drivel? Go back to the last point at which it was good.
- Am I worried I'll screw it up? Only way to know is to add to it.
- Am I just dead bored with the story, and thinking of starting something else? If I've legit made progress and am just burnt out, I'm free to start another story. If I haven't even written the beginning scene, but am just frustrated, do a writing exercise to loosen up or go back to the last good point.
- Am I refreshing screens, hoping something will distract me so I don't have to face the dreaded WIP? Close Twitter the fuck down, and go back and recheck the other anxieties.
2. Ensure I won't be interrupted.
3. Close Twitter and Steve tabs, and any other interesting but distracting things that would entice me to refresh the page instead of writing. That way, even if I switch to refresh, I actually have to reopen the tab, which should result in my reason kicking in first...even if it's kicking and screaming. XD
4. Pick some music. Put on headphones. Press play.
5. Spend 5 minutes re-familiarizing myself with the last place where I was feeling good about the writing. This might mean ignoring some of the written-later-but-crappier bits.
6. Write until the album ends.
I think the REALLY big takeaway from the past three days is that if I can't figure out what happens next, it's because there are no hooks that lead to anything. Maybe the conflict is going sideways (e.g. territory where two characters just argue about 'Fire good! Help human! No! We make fire illegal! Fire hurt!') but it never goes anywhere, so I need to scrap what I just wrote and go back, maybe even change the scene, or increase character responsibility. Possibly some scene reordering. This issue tends to happen when I focus too much on the large scale, and characters feel lost. Instead, the characters need to have a sticky situation they got themselves into, a reason to act, something to fear or love, and a source of conflict that directly impacts them. Starting them off with limited freedoms instead of giving them free rein to wander does wonders. But I need to beware of too limited constraints! Like the ceiling suckworms!
I don't know what to say. This seemed to work for me today.
SEEMED. [Hope I didn't jinx it.]
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