Write or die—or yanno, wheeze a lot and get heart palpitations

[pjthompson]

I gave myself an ultimatum Monday: although it is permissible to be stuck on a thorny conundrum for the ending of my novel, it is not permissible to not write. Therefore, I further ultimatumed myself, if I didn't work on the novel, I had to write something.

Typically, as soon as I told myself it was okay to put the novel aside for the moment and write something else, I wrote the opening sequence of chapter 28. Better yet, when I flexed my fingers and sat down to play, I found that in my absence, my backbrain had come up with a partial solution to my conundrum. It isn't pretty, but it may get me through the end of the damned novel. Then I can set it aside for awhile, let it and me breath and clean our wounds in separate corners before I come back into the ring and beat the hot holy crud out of it. (There! Two different metaphors in one paragraph! Wrrrrrrriting!)

In the between times, I've been rewriting old stories and sending them out, and thinking about how I want to finish off a new story I've been toying with for months, letting it think it's gotten away from me, then pouncing again, flipping it up into the air and seeing how it lands. (Three metaphors in two paragraph. Gosh. Ain't ebullience grand?)

This is where I don't make any statements about feeling good and productive and ebullient for fear of jinxing the whole damned thing. Let's just say that there is movement in the land and an excess of metaphors, and lo, it is . . . you know, that word that I dare not say that means not sucking so much.

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Not going to say anything that might contribute to jinx except it's so cheering to see productiveness happening. (I figure if I make this comment all about me, then Murphy will look the other way.)

[pjthompson]

Yes! When one sees productiveness happening, it can be cheering. :-D

[jandersoncoats.livejournal.com]

My ultimatum is often a concession to my inner five-year-old. When my inner five-year-old doesn't waaaaaaaaanna write today, I tell her, "Look, just sit down in front of the computer/pad of paper/stack of napkins for twenty minutes. That's all. Just twenty minutes. You don't even have to write anything. Just sit there. If you still don't want to write at the end of twenty minutes, you can get up and go on with your day."

Nine times out of ten, I'm writing by minute five, I lose track of when minute twenty passes and I'm dragging myself away from it by the end of my writing hour. The one time out of ten it doesn't work, I can get up without berating myself and get something else done.

Though I must confess that the inner five-year-old idea isn't mine. I read about it somewhere long ago, but I've forgotten who to attribute it to.

But it works!

Okay, like anything, it works most of the time.

[pjthompson]

I used that technique successfully for years, but it hasn't been working lately. I guess the inner five year old finally got wise to that trick. OTOH, I'm thinking that once I get past this terrible freeze I've been inhabiting lately, maybe it will start working again. It is a very effective trick.

[frigg.livejournal.com]

brain manipulation. :)

[pjthompson]

Yes.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Welcome back in the ring; keep swimming against the tide; all play and no work...er....um.

*shuts up before she jinxes something* :P

[pjthompson]

Welcome back into the ring to you, too! I was just thinking last night, "Where the hell is Miq?" :-D

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I'm back, baby! Oh yes, I'm back. And swinging. ;)

[pjthompson]

Swing on, baby!

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

You are getting really good at manipulating yourself like this. :-)

[pjthompson]

Heh--that's half of being a writer, I think.