Wednesday, November 22, 2006
PERSONAL LIFE INVASION: FINDING MOTIVATION TO WRITE DIFFICULT
Relax: This is not a whiny entry about how I really should post more on this blog. Although I should. But I'm not writing to whine about that now.
I have an idea for a book. Close friends know it as "Project Ghost." I think it's a kick-ass idea for a ghost story, and it's been in my head for almost 10 years. I have about 15 chapters on it completed, but it's not done. My work on it seems to come in spurts -- the first spurt came when I was going through a tough time in my former marriage that eventually led to a divorce. The second came a few months after the divorce. The story has taken incredible shape, and I get excited just thinking about it.
You'd think that excitement would translate to actually writing more.
Funny thing about writing: To be a writer, you have to write. No ifs, ands or buts. Your writing muse may provide you with inspiration, but she eventually becomes a nagging wife, reminding you of all your shortcomings and lack of attention. She's there. She's not going anywhere. She will remind you of the beautiful potential that could become reality. She will help you find ancient, gilded temples and beautiful treasures under that mundane dirt...if only you'd spend a few hours digging.
I read writing magazines. I keep a journal for the story. I keep my characters fresh in my mind. But the toughest thing for me to do is to work on it. The job is partly responsible...I spend two hours of each day driving and eight working a night shift. By the time I get home, I'm ready to unwind, not get back in front of another computer, unless it's to spend some time looking for this creep. And getting up? Hoo boy. Official family members of the Mailbox can tell you what a joke that is.
I feel the same kind of guilt that I have when I know I haven't called a friend in a long time. I can see my characters tapping their feet, checking their watch, wondering where the hell I am. One character is torn between two fighting friends, another is discovering how powerful he has become in his new state. They are anxiously awaiting their next discoveries...and man, if they only knew how bad things are going to get, they wouldn't be so anxious.
I hope to make significant progress on the novel in the next few months. It's just tough to sit down and actually write it. Not exactly writer's block, but irritating enough. Maybe I'll post a few chapters on the blog when I get caught up.
Relax: This is not a whiny entry about how I really should post more on this blog. Although I should. But I'm not writing to whine about that now.
I have an idea for a book. Close friends know it as "Project Ghost." I think it's a kick-ass idea for a ghost story, and it's been in my head for almost 10 years. I have about 15 chapters on it completed, but it's not done. My work on it seems to come in spurts -- the first spurt came when I was going through a tough time in my former marriage that eventually led to a divorce. The second came a few months after the divorce. The story has taken incredible shape, and I get excited just thinking about it.
You'd think that excitement would translate to actually writing more.
Funny thing about writing: To be a writer, you have to write. No ifs, ands or buts. Your writing muse may provide you with inspiration, but she eventually becomes a nagging wife, reminding you of all your shortcomings and lack of attention. She's there. She's not going anywhere. She will remind you of the beautiful potential that could become reality. She will help you find ancient, gilded temples and beautiful treasures under that mundane dirt...if only you'd spend a few hours digging.
I read writing magazines. I keep a journal for the story. I keep my characters fresh in my mind. But the toughest thing for me to do is to work on it. The job is partly responsible...I spend two hours of each day driving and eight working a night shift. By the time I get home, I'm ready to unwind, not get back in front of another computer, unless it's to spend some time looking for this creep. And getting up? Hoo boy. Official family members of the Mailbox can tell you what a joke that is.
I feel the same kind of guilt that I have when I know I haven't called a friend in a long time. I can see my characters tapping their feet, checking their watch, wondering where the hell I am. One character is torn between two fighting friends, another is discovering how powerful he has become in his new state. They are anxiously awaiting their next discoveries...and man, if they only knew how bad things are going to get, they wouldn't be so anxious.
I hope to make significant progress on the novel in the next few months. It's just tough to sit down and actually write it. Not exactly writer's block, but irritating enough. Maybe I'll post a few chapters on the blog when I get caught up.
Labels: PERSONAL LIFE INVASIONS, WRITING
// posted by MoJoe @ 04:11 
Comments:
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Jeez, somebody is whiney. I mean, I sleep on the office floor to make sure my paper gets out on time and you're moaning about this. Yikes.
Hey, we need to talk about you know what. Yeah, that thing.
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Hey, we need to talk about you know what. Yeah, that thing.
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: 6:50 AM
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