tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859940184293909528.post8014186095361261302..comments2023-04-28T04:20:05.766-07:00Comments on WRITER on WRITING: A Few Times Around the BlockVirtual Strangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01040333093180694172noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859940184293909528.post-14955661835001149832011-02-18T08:51:35.408-08:002011-02-18T08:51:35.408-08:00I've been reading through your archives, and w...I've been reading through your archives, and while I love them, this is the first time I've felt compelled to comment. <br /><br />I'm with you 100%, Stranger. I don't see any conflict whatsoever. At my most ridiculous, I may have 3-5 projects going simultaneously, and whichever one wants to be written is the one that gets worked on. Once I feel I've gotten it to a "finished draft" stage, however, it tends to get more special attention.<br /><br />Also wanted to say thank you for all of the tips. I had been stuck for a long time by a variety of situations in life, and hadn't found the time to do any work for much longer than I was happy with. When I finally DID sit down to pick it back up, I was frozen. <br /><br />I happened to have found your blog, at that point, and the tip about the legal pad and blue ink did it for me. Not "finding my safe zone", literally a yellow legal pad and a blue pen. I just started writing stream of consciousness crap on one pad, and before I knew it, I had switched to another pad and knocked out 9 full pages of a story draft. Thank you so much!Ichaerushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01394324975468861664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859940184293909528.post-18423045789632798612009-07-25T14:35:17.579-07:002009-07-25T14:35:17.579-07:00Hullo, Anon. Just happened to glance back and see...Hullo, Anon. Just happened to glance back and see your comment here...<br /><br />Actually, there isn't a conflict at all. The point of these various tips/exercises is not to produce gold, it's to keep you writing and avoid getting blocked. Huge difference.<br /><br />If I'm stuck on A, I "move on" to B. I don't <i>give up</i> on A, because I have editors who will get mad at me and give that nice paying assignment to other writers. But switching to B keeps me writing so I don't stare at A for minutes/ hours/ days wondering how to solve this particular knot. It's a gross analogy, but it's like keeping a child distracted so they don't pick at a scab and make the healing process take thrice as long.<br /><br />The same thing holds for "priming the pump." If you look at the examples I gave, I don't think anyone's assuming you should write out that list of favorite Christmas presents or people you've slept with and then send it off the <i>The New Yorker</i> (well, unless maybe you've slept with a lot of really famous people). It's just a method for warming up the writing muscles, so to speak.<br /><br />As the very first tip says, any writer worth their salt is going to put out a lot of stuff that is never, ever going to be seen by anyone. First drafts, random thoughts and phrases, rough character sketches or story ideas-- and stuff they did just so they didn't stare at a blank page. It's only the rookies who assume every single word they set down should be sent off to a publisher, producer, or contest.Virtual Strangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01040333093180694172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859940184293909528.post-44228157639373772662009-07-10T21:06:57.728-07:002009-07-10T21:06:57.728-07:00Virtual,
Doesn't this post, emphasizing quant...Virtual,<br /><br />Doesn't this post, emphasizing quantity of writing, perhaps even over quality, conflict with your criticism about the folks who "finish" one piece and then move on to another? Isn't "moving on" or "priming the pump" the working equivalent of submitting 12screenplays to the same contest? <br /><br />I know writing is a complicated thing. Sometimes it doesn't all add up. But these seem in conflict to me. Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859940184293909528.post-42395436373674091482009-05-16T12:05:00.000-07:002009-05-16T12:05:00.000-07:00Frank--a very valid point. Most of the ranty blog...Frank--a very valid point. Most of the ranty blog is me making the assumption that if someone's here they're at least 3/4-serious about writing, but there's probably a post somewhere about the folks who only want to succeed on their terms and nothing else.<br /><br />Jeremy-- heck, that kind of fear's normal. Plus, even if your characters are "just" running around doing things, that's still more than half the stories I see on a regular basis...<br /><br />Chanpuppy-- if I didn't want comments they'd be shut off. Thanks for bumping the readership up to nine people. ;)Virtual Strangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01040333093180694172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859940184293909528.post-63811460743506925072009-05-16T10:22:00.000-07:002009-05-16T10:22:00.000-07:00Noting that fear is the biggest damnation of a wri...Noting that fear is the biggest damnation of a writer is correct, at least in my unhumble opinion. Fear of failure can make anyone twitch, or the fear of looking stupid, fear of being laughed at, or fear that none of it matters. You bleed everything you got on the pages and no one cares. That's hard to not be frustrated about, and it's very difficult to think about that and still be motivated to make the words.<br /><br />If I worry about that, my writing becomes much less fun and interesting, especially to me. And I've learned that if it isn't entertaining me as the writer, it's not going to entertain anyone else either!<br /><br />Many thanks for reaffirming what I've been trying to logic out when it comes to beating the block. No worries; let's write!<br /><br />Btw, an old friend of yours directed me to your blog because I was having block problems a month or two ago. I'm happy she did and hope you don't mind my commenting!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859940184293909528.post-88885749153005974682009-05-11T09:53:00.000-07:002009-05-11T09:53:00.000-07:00The biggie that I struggle with (in addition to yo...The biggie that I struggle with (in addition to your list): the sensations of blood draining from skull and stomach knotting because I just became deathly afraid (justified or not) that my story isn't going anywhere and it's just a bunch of people running around <I>doing things</I>. <br /><br />The only remedies I've found are to review/tweak my outline, or slip into denial and assure myself that I'll fix it in D2.Jeremy D Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16014827537536982326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859940184293909528.post-4995814391325772462009-05-08T05:54:00.000-07:002009-05-08T05:54:00.000-07:00I hope you don't mind me becoming a regular around...I hope you don't mind me becoming a regular around here. I find your thoughts helpful.<br /><br />Sometimes I feel like there might be something to add.<br /><br />Perhaps we should be afraid. Very afraid. Not of sharing the stage with Shakespeare, but of being naked. A body of work is a body, after all. Got writer's block? Maybe you are afraid of being seen. Because if you expect to publish your very best (And why would you ever want to do less than that?) you better be ready to show everyone your heart and your soul and the quality of your mind.<br /><br />Don't want to do that? Then keep your writing to yourself. Or find some other hobby. If you really have entertainments for the masses or wisdom for the ages, you won't be blocked.<br /><br />In my opinion.frank farrarhttp://immortalityandthezombieproblem.comnoreply@blogger.com