In the last 19 days I've written 5 blog posts.
Where the hella re they you might ask?
Well, I got so far as to post two of them but I pulled 'em off shortly thereafter. They didn't quite convey the feeling or sentiment I wanted.
Here lately my writing has followed that same path. I write lots of words, only to delete them later on.
Okay, I don't actually delete them. I stopped doing that years ago after realizing that the mood, the notion, the aura I've captured might not be right for this project but it could be used somewhere else. That's right folks I am a word hoarder. I have an entire computer folder stocked full of discarded bits of stories, plotlines, and wayward thoughts. I have later used many of these passages in a differnet spot so I beleive in the practice.
My current issue is with the fact that this file is growing faster than pile of ex GOP candidates.
And my works in progress are not.
Is this due t me being in a real writing slump. Or an imagined one? Am I too critical of myself, or just being true about what I'm creating?
Hell if I know. It's now that I miss my old critique group. Over the last years my group dwindled but sadly the three of us that remain never get together and that is mostly my fault. You see time has become my enemy. People used to ask me how I found time to write, work full time, be a dad, a husband, blog, tweet, facebook and still breath comfortably.
Now I too am asking, how the hell did I get all of that done. Of course, some measure of success has muddied the water. I have my promo stuff for the feedstore chronicles, my freelance gig writing football stories, and I've been busy fulfilling tasks for the reality show. (no, nothing is settled, but I am still optimistic that I will be able to share news soon) So here I am at what should be the tail end of yet another post that I'm not sure is worth posting.
But I'm going to do it anyway, hoping it will relived the pressure of a 19 day dry spell so that I can think about the next post instead of the the slew of ones that I let slip away.
11 comments:
Perhaps it is just time for your concept of 'writing' and what/how you need to do about it is evolving? You want to do what has worked before, while your muse wishes you could find 'beginner mind' and beginner mojo once again. . . till next time. . . perhaps..
Seek your (writerly) salvation with diligence, Trav.
Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
>< } } ( ° >
Perhaps some re-prioritizing is in order. As our lives change, so do other things.
Time never increases. But sometimes things slack up a little. Hang in there.
What Charles said. Stuff like this is cyclic. The only reason valleys exist is because they're surrounded by peaks. You'll get there.
Take a break, do something different.
Now Mr Travis! When all else fails - post your favourite meaty recipe! LOL!
Embrace the slumps! They happen, they linger, they go away!
ENJOY your writing!!
p.s. I have lots of discarded writing I keep in a folder called "off-cuts". :-)
Take care
x
The post does clear up a few issues. Thanks for sharing the information. I am very happy for you that your writing has met with some measure of success, but with that success does come other obligations. That's life. Carry on.
I'm a proud word hoarder. I even have a huge Rubbermaid tub full of old manuscripts that I can't bear to throw out.
Writing slumps suck. This, too, shall pass.
(BTW, for some reason, you and a bunch of other Texans were in my dream last night and you fended off a would-be attacker for me. I was grateful. And I found you in a bar. Drinking beer. Ha!)
Thanks for the encouragement and advice guys and already things are looking up. After all now I'm rescuing damsels in distress and getting to drink beer while I'm at it.
You know, truth to tell, the only way I get out of a writing slump is to do yard work. For however long it takes. And if that doesn't work, then I clean the garage. And if that doesn't work, I tackle the basement, the shed, the closet. If all else fails I scrub the kitchen floor on my hands and knees. Usually by then, I'm exhausted and in not finding anything else to clean, I sit down at the keyboard and miraculously words appear. Try it, see what happens.
(I think the trick is to make yourself believe you don't WANT to write and entertain your physical self so that by the time you finish cleaning, you have no other choice BUT to write.)
Perhaps you need to make that Pink Floyd song "Time" as your writing/blogging theme song.
"Ticking away, the moments that make up a dull day. Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way."
Post a Comment