Monday, November 2, 2009

Write Now

Sometimes the words won’t come. Sometimes life’s lovely little curve balls overwhelm everything else. Sometimes you just stare at the screen for a while and then walk away without a second thought.

This is me tonight. It’s been a day. You know, one of those days. I need to recover physically and I need to recharge mentally. I am drained. The last thing I want to do tonight is write, especially considering my Nanowrimo struggle yesterday (only 207 words and believe me when I say they are baaaad). What I really want to do- after eating a bag of peanut butter cups and having a good cry- is crawl under the covers with a book by an author who actually knows a thing or two about plot and pace and characterization.

But. BUT.

I won’t. I need to write. I need to persevere and carry on. My story is not going to write itself (although I rather wish it would) and I am not going to feel better when I am even farther behind than I am already. 50 words will be a triumph, given my state of mind, but I am not letting myself off of the hook that easily. If I want to be a writer, I need to write regardless of what is going on around me, especially when I am just starting out and still trying to find my footing. I have to. No ifs, ands or buts. Not any more.

Writing is not always easy, but neither is life. Sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches and find the words no matter how well they are hiding.

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How is Nanowrimo going for the rest of you? I know we're all setting different challenges for ourselves and not all of us are gunning for 50k. Has your story started out like you imagined or have you already switched things up? I'm still writing about a haunted house but the particulars, especially my main character's background and ties to the house, have changed drastically. I've also decided to switch from third-person POV to first-person and I think this will make a huge difference for the better. If something about your story isn't working, what are you doing to fix it?

3 comments:

Sheila said...

Oddly, I am breaking with my usual style and going with third person instead of first for this year's NaNo.

Mine is going well so far. My male lead did introduce him about two chapters sooner than intended, but he happened to be in the right place to pick Celia up off of a railroad platform, and rapport happened. Other than that, it's essentially headed where I indended.

So Far (tm).

:)

Sheila said...

Er, introduced himself, that is...

Sheila said...

Er, and in-t-ended, not in-d-ended. Sigh. I are a riter. I rite gud...

And a total non-sequitur: Back in the days of stone knives and bearskins, when floppy discs really were, my favorite word processing program was called "Write Now."