It May Be A Little Thing...But It's HUGE For Me

 Someone I know on social media posted a link to a short story fiction contest. I clicked on it and didn't think much about it. A few days later, I clicked on the still-open webpage...

Then, I thought about it more.

As writing goes, I've been in a major funk, a multiple month funk, even a multiple year funk. It's something I hate to admit, but it is what it is. I just couldn't bring myself to even open a writing program on my computer, let alone work on anything.

Something happened a few weeks ago. I just got sick of not writing. I opened a story I finished two years ago--finished the first draft, anyways. I started some basic edits, one chapter, then another. I've tried to do three or four chapters a week. It should be done with that round in a month or two. It's not much, but it was a start.

I think doing that little bit of editing made me save information on the short story. And because I saved the information, last week I sat down after writing my blog post and cranked out a 4k short story. It's not perfect, it's not finished, but it's a real thing. It's something that I'll submit and hope for the best.

Even if my story's not chosen, even if I get no feedback, I've already conquered a huge hurdle. I've written something. I felt so good, I actually began another short story for another contest that also ends April 30th. I don't know if I'm going to finish that story, but I'm going to try.

I remember a prolific writer tell a crowd of fans and fellow writers that he doesn't believe in writer's block. He says it is basically laziness disguised as an excuse. He's right, of course. I had no one to blame for my lack of production but myself. And when you're a writer who is not writing, the shame can compound upon itself to make matters even worse. 

Since I'm not a full-time author, if I write or don't write, I won't lose the house or fail to make a payment. In some ways, that's good, but in other ways, that lack of motivation makes a difference. I don't know how long this burst of writing will last. I'm enjoying it as long as it does.

The End...Two Simple Words That When Put Together Are Huge

 Last week I typed "the words." Those two simple words that when put together, are huge. 

And two words that don't necessarily mean what you think they mean.

This makes three novels under my belt. The first one will most likely never see the light of day, the second was published, and this is number three. Each ending was different, and by that I mean, my reaction to each ending was different.

Novel #1

Years ago two filmmakers and I worked on a screenplay project. We finished the project and I asked if I could write the novel to the story we created. Since they were filmmakers, they didn't care so I wrote it. If the screenplay ever becomes a film, I promise to dust off the story, or even re-write the whole thing. I'll keep you posted, but as of now, I don't believe it's going to get made. Too bad...I liked those characters. The novel, however, was a mess. Thin structure and massive P.O.V. issues. I can't remember the feeling I had when it was finished. Maybe I never typed "The End." Maybe it's not even finished.

Novel #2

If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you are probably sick of hearing about novel #2, Chaser. I wrote it to see if I could complete the NaNoWriMo writing competition that takes place each November. 50k words in one month. Turns out, I could complete the challenge. The book was accepted and published by Immortal Works on January 16th, 2018. I remember finished the first draft of that book. It had problems, yes, but knowing I had completed NaNoWriMo was a great feeling.

Novel #3

Of the three, this one took the longest to write. I began it in 2013 and because of several severe cases of writer's block it took years to finish. I wonder if closing a manuscript and not opening it for almost a decade counts as writer's block. I could not for the life of me figure out the ending, or how I would get to the ending. Once I figured that out, the end came rather quickly and I finished the last 20k words in a few weeks. Because of my previous experience with short stories and novels, I know there's so much more to do. 

I don't have a publisher in mind--it's a unique story. It will most likely be self-published, and I'm okay with that. Another reason I'm excited for this one is it's the first of a trilogy. Now, I just need to begin thinking about structuring the second story, which has its own challenges.

"The End" never really means the end. Just as the characters in a story continue even though we don't know the continuation, the story continues. The script evolves, hopefully it improves, the point-of-view tightens and the story packs more of a punch. Writing "The End" ushers in an exciting time...a tough time, but an exciting one, none the less.

Avoiding...Your WIP

I have a confession to make...

I haven't worked on, edited, looked at, or even opened my latest WIP (work in progress) story in over a month.

Now, for some of you, that may seem like no big deal, as if no progress on something that is a side interest and something that generates almost zero income for a month is nothing to worry about. But, to a writer, that's almost unimaginable. 

I've been working on this particular story for years. I jumped right in--as I usually do--when I first came up with the concept. I wrote about 20k words and then I got stuck. That happens a lot with me. Last year, I blew the electronic dust off the story and jumped in again. I added a new storyline to run concurrent with the existing one and got another 10k words. I even did something I almost never do--I outlined where I wanted the story to go.

A few months ago I added another 10k words, and then...

Nothing.

I know it's been more than a month because I haven't even implemented the notes from my writing group for early May. 

I remember when I got stuck writing my middle-grade novel that came out in 2018. I was working to complete the 50k word in one month and there were a couple of times when I just wrote and wrote--all to keep writing. I wrote stuff that didn't make sense. I wrote things that I had not researched or knew they'd be in the story. But I kept at it. On my current WIP, I've been doing that for the past 15k words. The problem is, it's not working out the way it did before, and I think I expected it to do that, to come together the way my novel did.

And since it's not...it's just sitting there, being avoided.

I know me. I know how I write. I know that there'll be something that kicks me in the butt and gets the gears moving again. The problem is, I don't know when that'll be. I still like the story and think it has legs, so much so, one of the reasons I've been avoiding it is because it's not reaching its potential, the potential I believe it has.

Theoretically, I can get it finished in a few weeks time, that is, if I do attack it. If so, I would be one happy writer. But, for now, it's not going anywhere, as long as I continue to avoid it. Looks like it's time to get to work.

When Inspiration Hits...

It was 1am Friday night.

That's when the story idea hit.

I was dead tired, but I couldn't fall asleep.

That's the way it goes sometimes.

If I finished all the story ideas I've started, I'd have at least thirty novels under my belt. Now, admittedly, many of these stories are not that great, which is why the currently reside in literary limbo. I always think the genesis of the stories is good, either the main character or the theme or the conflict--all have positive and interesting points. Sometimes, I'll get a couple of those points to run together, but something is usually missing. I'll begin writing the story hoping the other elements come to mind and I can keep going.

That's the problem (or, one of them...). Things don't come to mind. I wouldn't call it "writer's block" necessarily. I think of writer's block when you can't write, even though you know the story you want to tell. I may definitely be wrong about this--writer's block may be as unique a situation as there are writers. An author friend of mine doesn't believe in writer's block. He says it's just a matter of a writer stopping to write. Technically, he's right.

I've always found the term "writer's block" to be a convenient excuse.

Last week, I had the opposite problem--I had writer's express lane. I was so tired. Maybe it was because I had been up all day and did things to get ready for a party, for Thanksgiving--I don't know, but whatever it was, the ideas, the plot, the conflicts, the word play, the stories within the story, they all came rushing at me. I tried sleeping, but it didn't come. Eventually, I slipped off to dreamland.

Maybe I was dreaming and just thinking I was awake, because when I woke up Saturday morning, the idea was still there, but the story wasn't as strong as it seemed to be the night before. I didn't let that stop me from beginning it. I'm glad I did because ideas began to come to me as I started the first chapter. Yes, I could do that. Yes, I could make these characters be this way or that way. I even came up with something that didn't come to me the night before. It was a big step and something that needed to be figured out.

I've had ideas come to me before like they did last Friday. Sometimes I remember them--sometimes I don't. Last week was just another example of what happens when inspiration hits.

Submitting A Screenplay...An Exercise In Trust

Tonight I need to submit a screenplay for our screenwriter's critique group. I'm excited to do it, but there's always that little voice that tells you (or me...) that it's just not good enough.

I know it's for a critique group and it's our job to do what auto mechanics do when they want to learn more about something--they tear it down to its most basic parts, study them and then put it all back together.

Creating anything that didn't exist before (like a screenplay, or even this blog post...) requires several things, one of which is trust. There's a huge amount of trust that's needed for any project to be created and shared. There's entire libraries dedicated to Writer's Block. Those trying to overcome writer's block get lots of advice. Try this, try that, do this, write that. The advice can be useful, but in my experience, overcoming writer's block is a matter of confidence.

And confidence goes hand-in-hand with trust.

So, later tonight I'll e-mail my latest story. It's not my first time; I'm used to the process. Next week we'll meet and go to town. We'll rip it apart and participate in the age-old art of creation. I am excited and hopeful that when we conclude, we'll have something great, something that's the bigger than the sum of our parts. Good thing I trust those guys.