Lately my sleeping pattern seems to be all over the place. Sometimes I go to be early and get up fairly early (for me). Other times I go to bed early and I’m lucky if I can sleep at all. Last night I went to bed late and overslept this morning. I hate the sensation of oversleeping. You feel like the day is shot. I’m scrambling right now to wake up and try to figure out what I’m going to work on. My mind is a fog. It’s going to take some serious cups of coffee and a long hot shower to get through this one.
On a progress note, I’ve made it through half of my original paranormal partial. I’m going to try to get through at least twenty more pages today. It’s taking longer than I anticipated due to the extensive additions I’m making. I am also breaking chapters up to make it a faster read.
I still haven’t gone back and rewritten the first chapter of my contemporary. Nor have I figured out how to turn my contemporary novellas into single titles. Sigh… My mind keeps telling me I’ll hit two hundred pages on each, IF I’m lucky. Talk about uncooperative.
How do you psych yourself up to working when you feel befuddled? I actually want to hear about all the progress everyone is making on their WIP, so that I can get energized to make the changes I need and rewrite the things that need to be rewritten. How is your writing going?
March 18th, 2005
How do I pysch myself up when I’m befuddled? Usually with a walk in the woods. Mostly with cookies or something bad for me. Reading helps a lot … Sometimes just a little distance really works. Give yourself a day off, or if you don’t have that luxury, a few hours to do something just for you. And if all else fails, remind yourself it could be worse, you could be asking customers if they want hot sauce with their tacos …
by Jill March 18th, 2005 at 11:07 amJill, I think I’d actually be pretty good at the drive-thru window. LOL!
Sometimes…
by Jordan March 18th, 2005 at 11:32 amI can say that it’s alot easier to surf the internet and read blogs than to write. But I’m going to.
by Evangeline March 18th, 2005 at 12:37 pmEvangeline, I think you just did. LOL!
by Jordan March 18th, 2005 at 1:03 pmLife is interfering in a big way for me(and spring break sure as hell hasn’t helped).
I do advocate time away. But no one (characters) are talking to me. A friend suggested I apologize for any possible transgressions (the theory being they’ll forgive me and come back and talk), but I keep forgetting to.
Sooooo I’m trying to not be so hard on myself, finishing up some contest entries I have to judge and working on revising an old novella (it’s in worse shape than me).
by Cece March 18th, 2005 at 3:54 pmI wrote seven pages today and hope to do more tonight. My WIP is at that early stage where I haven’t quite fallen in love with the characters yet, so it’s hard slogging at this point. Although someone had a drug problem today which was a thrill. Hey, I write those middle of the road romances…you take what you get for excitement. The good news today? I found someone in my writing group who is willing (and seemingly enthused) to mentor me. She writes in my area. The bad news? I got a promotion at work. Less writing time. And Jordan, would you get to wear a hat at the taco place?
by coffee jill March 18th, 2005 at 5:05 pmCece, I hear you on the cold shoulder and silent treatment. When it gets that quiet it’s time to walk away for a while. They’ll come back when you least expect it.
by Jordan March 18th, 2005 at 5:34 pmCongrats on the seven pages and newfound mentor, Jill. You should be thrilled. I’m kind of mixed on your promotion. I’m happy for you, but I hate to hear it’ll take away from your writing. :-/
by Jordan March 18th, 2005 at 5:36 pmCece, your characters are just plain ol’ PISSED at you!.
Afraid I have no answers–just lots of befuddlement of my own…it’s a paragraph here, one there, etc., etc…
I love my characters. They even whisper lines to me. Love the storyline. Have a partial at a major publisher, & haven’t finished the novel. Have blamed it on hormones, winter blahs, work stress and my cats.
All sad excuses–when I know the REAL truth is that I’ve been put under some kind of evil spell by a best-selling author who knows I’ll take the publishing world by storm,leaving her books in the half-off rack…
by Dreamweaver March 19th, 2005 at 12:00 amGee Dream thanks
You better finish that WIP!!!! I need a good laugh and your humor is FREAKING PRICELESS!!! I almost don’t wonder if part of it is knowing that there’s a partial at a major pub. that’s slowing you down. It does tend to put the pressure on and freak one out a bit.
Jill congrats on the promotion and the mentor. I love mine. She’s a godsend who’s talked me down from the ceiling more times than I deserve. And sleep is overrated
by Cece March 19th, 2005 at 3:34 amIf it’s any comfort, I’m not really writing at all at the moment… but I am doing tons and tons of my other creative ‘thing’ ie. web work!
When I’m ‘befuddled’ I have to allow myself to step back for a little while. I try to be kind to myself ie. have a coffee and some chocolate, and I try not to panic and ‘force’ things to happen. Eventually, I start looking at the situation in a more positive light and inspiration starts to seep in gradually… Sort of…
by Wendywoo March 19th, 2005 at 3:46 amMy writing has been going really slowly lately, Jordan. I’ve lost my mojo.
If I find it, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I’m just pushing myself one page at a time.
by Suzanne March 19th, 2005 at 6:20 amThanks for the congrats Cece. How kind of you! I was raked over the coals yesterday by a very bright person who picked apart my first chapter of my current WIP. Everything she said was totally accurate and made all manner of sense, but I SO did not want to hear it. This is my first work in the third person. My first two were done in first person before I knew any better. I truly believe I have lost my “voice” somewhere in the change over- there is definitely a distance there and the humor is lost. So you live and learn. And back to the keyboard.
by coffee jill March 19th, 2005 at 8:31 amSuzanne, I think that’s why I’ve decided to read through my paranormal partial again. I may not be getting one page a day, but I am managing to add a sentence here and a paragraph there. At this point I’ll take ANY form of writing I can get.
I can almost hear Stephen King in my head saying that if I’d kept writing steadily this wouldn’t be happening.
by Jordan March 19th, 2005 at 10:23 amJill…. I write in both so switching doesn’t bother me….too much. I prefer first though
Can I ask what you mean by before you knew better?
by Cece March 19th, 2005 at 3:04 pmif I’d kept writing steadily this wouldn’t be happening.
JOrdan..I hear you. I think that’s part of my problem. I’ve fallen out of the habit, along with pissing on my characters…..
by Cece March 19th, 2005 at 3:05 pmI’ve absolutely fallen out of the habit. It dawned on me today that I really haven’t written down any firm goals for the next few months. I need to do that ASAP.
by Jordan March 19th, 2005 at 4:40 pm