These last few months have been hard on me and my muse. As I have been editing Emergence in hopes that it will get picked up by a publisher, I have realized how much emotion I have poured into this particular manuscript. In moments where I have had the time to draft something new, I have been frozen by the "what if" bug. Not the "What if my character did this". No this is worse, it's the "What if this book is crap and no one likes it?" bug. Followed closely by the "then why draft the sequel if its crap?" thing. Its been a very emotional ride.
One thing I did find that helped me, was a distraction, hense the "try your hand" title.
I am also getting ready for a baby that is due in the end of August. One day when I couldn't stand to look at my computer for one more minute I shut the thing down and went upstairs to the baby's room. I love the room, it is very peaceful in my house of chaos. As I sat there I realized that there was plenty of stuff I needed to do in there. So with no thought about my story I sat on the floor and just started to work on the things that needed to be done.
It was calming and I felt better once I had a stack of things accomplished on that mile long to do list that every mother has. I was actually able to pull up one of my MS that needed work and actually work on it.
Often times we forget that theres a cure in leaving the thing that had frustrated us for so long and in doing something else. I think we get in a rut of doing either nothing or doing the same frustrating thing over and over again that we don't see the option that is waiting just outsie of that "wall of inprisonment" of our own making.
How many times do we only see that one thing that is frustrating us and not see the solution that is right there jumping up and down waving its hands wildly?
For me I leanred a lesson, and I hope I dont forget it soon.
What is your distraction? Do you use it often, or do you let the problem override it? Do any of you use service for others as a distraction? Let me know, I am curious.
3 comments:
taichi is definately one of my destractions from normal frusteration
oh my, that's a lot of spelling errors i just typed. LOL And i don't care :)
had another thought while looking at your very pretty picture of cool frames.
I think writers NEED some kind of different project that can be done and accomplished in one sitting. I think a lot of our frustrations come from our books taking SO LONG to finish, longer to edit, and Eternity to possibly publish! We need something satisfying that we can create that is worth while and doesn't take a "???" amount of tiime... like your frames :) Like my journals. Something that can be DONE and FINISHED in a short time. it may help give confidence for the long run project, ehe? My thoughts anyways.
I have illustrations to balance with writing, so I'm distracted all over the place.
My kids keep my distracted too, though not necessarily in the serene kind of zen way I'd prefer.
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