Last night, I wrote THE END, finishing revisions on my current work-in-progress (wip). I've loved this book, but I was ready for it to be over. Looking back, I realize that its my own fault this has taken so long. There have been several stalls. Sometimes its life; sometimes its just me.
As anyone who knows me will tell you (my husband could probably expound in great detail upon the subject), I'm a very emotional person. I get upset easily and have a negative bent to my outlook on life. I've realized this creates some emotional roadblocks for me, especially with my writing.
A major one with this book was that I received a request for it. Now, you'd think that would be great, but I kept letting things get in my way to delay sending it out. (Please note I do at least take responsibility for my actions. :) It only took me about six weeks to realize I was scared.
Because if you never submit anything, then you can't be rejected.
Now I've realized another thing. If I hang onto a project too long, don't start on something new and fresh within a reasonable period of time, then I lose my enthusiasm. This can lead to ugly things like cleaning the bathrooms or taking out the trash instead of working on the wip. (My husband is howling with laughter at this point. I hate housework!)
This is why the type of challenges like Smarty Pants was talking about on Friday work very well for me. They are tough. I have to push myself, but I love getting into the story and staying in it. Using that accountability to force me through those emotional stalls that I let stand in my way.
Here's hoping I can learn from my mistakes and up my production time with new manuscripts. But only if they're also better....
Do you find that emotions stall you in your work? How do you work through those roadblocks?
Angel
7 comments:
Oh yeah! Emotions stall me big time. It's easy for me to get excited about something and twice as easy for me to get un-excited.
Most times I just have to let whatever stalled me work itself out. But sometimes I need to meet a deadline and I just have to push through. The stuff I write then is usually junk and has to be re-written a couple times before it's good. But maybe that's a good exercise in perseverence?
Next time things get ugly ya wanna come over to my place and clean the DH's bathroom? *g*
PM
This is exactly the reason why the whole PC clan was on massive cleaning duty yesterday. Even I can't rationalize cleaning a bathroom that was just cleaned.
I'm giving myself about 15 more minutes on the internet to finish up blogging and emails and then I'm off to write. SP and Instigator have challenged me, so I'd better bring it.
Guess I'd better get cracking on my 7 then instead of reading online gossip columns...
SP
Congratulations on finishing your revisions, Angel--and best of luck with that submission!
I agree that it is really easy to let emotions get in the way of writing--I think because writing itself is such a challenging, emotional process. And fear? Oh, yeah, I think that's the biggest hold up of all--for everyone.
Great blog, by the way! I'm another Alabama girl--way down in Mobile, and it's nice to see a group of writers getting together and supporting one another like you all are doing.
Welcome, Cynthia! Great to see another Alabamian drop by.
Yep, friends can be great in pushing you to get a move on with it! I know it felt really good this morning to be able to post to my goals group that I wrote The End! And that I'd finished half of my goals for the month. Woohoo!
Woo-hoo, Angel! Way to go!
Kathy
(too tired to think of meeting any goals right now)
You sound like me. :o) Requests bring panic, so glad I'm not alone in that lol
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