Anyone else get this feeling?

Pikabuddy · Mar 19, 2012

Whenever I have free time, I consider my options available to me: working on my novel, curling up with a good book, taking a walk through the woods behind my house, unwinding with a few games on Xbox, or putting a DVD in the DVD player and watching a good movie.

In the back of my head, I know that I need to be working on my novel everyday, yet, at the same time, I have this reluctant feeling of sitting down at the computer and producing words. It's kind of like an "I'll get to that later" feeling.

On the contrary, when I finally do get myself working, and I write the last sentence to the scene or chapter, I feel proud of myself for completing what I started. A sense of self-worth, almost.

This happens every, single day.

It's the most annoying set of feelings ever, IMO.

Does anyone else feel this way?

Mr Flibble · Mar 19, 2012

Yup, every day.

I'm fine once I start, but getting started..this is why determination is a trait a writer needs in spades.

totopink · Mar 19, 2012

Feeling that very same thing right now.
Gah

MostlyBecca · Mar 19, 2012

Oh yes, all the time. Starting anything is always hard for me. I'd much rather sit around, think up ideas, and let someone else do something with them.

Pikabuddy · Mar 19, 2012

Glad I'm not the only one!

goldhorse · Mar 19, 2012

There is a very good reason I'm on the forum right now instead of finishing my writing.

I'll think of it later.

backslashbaby · Mar 19, 2012

It depends on whether my mind has come up with anything new in the meantime

Usually I'm excited and write the new part, so no I don't feel the way you describe. Then I get stuck and annoyed and feel that way

KellyAssauer · Mar 19, 2012

Pikabuddy said:
working on my novel...

Dang it,

I knew there was something I was forgetting.
.

leahzero · Mar 19, 2012

goldhorse said:
There is a very good reason I'm on the forum right now instead of finishing my writing.

I'll think of it later.

Can you think of mine, too? I want to play one more game of LoL.

Dozmonic · Mar 19, 2012

Starting's always hard for everyone I think. As a race we're predisposed to laziness

However, if I have some idea what the next scene I'm going to write holds, I can tear through it much faster. Having had time to think about it - or acting out various renditions of it mentally beforehand - can really help

heza · Mar 19, 2012

This weekend, I "spring cleaned" my room; that's how much I didn't want to work on my WIP. It's like anything else that I know I need to do but don't really want to start (or continue with, I guess, because I have at least started it). I'm a procrastinator, and I get distracted very easily.

But it's not that writing isn't fun for me--because I'll write non-WIP stuff all the time. I actually like the process of writing. I think I'm actually very afraid of my WIP. I don't want to actually take steps I'm pretty sure will set me up for failure. (I can be pretty down on my prose, sometimes.) The more I write, the closer I get to rejection. Terrible hangup for a writer to have.

MKrys · Mar 19, 2012

Absolutely every day of my life. And it's effing frustrating and annoying. So yeah...

SomethingOrOther · Mar 19, 2012

Getting started is the most difficult part.

The solution is easy, though. And not "relatively" easy--easy easy.

Before you start any of your alternative activities, work on your novel for just 10 minutes. After that, if you want, you can do something else.

Half of the time, you'll end up working noticeably longer than 10 minutes.

The other half, you won't, sure. But the 10-minute sessions you string together, coupled with the longer sessions, will far exceed what you're doing now.

This advice, summarized in slogan form, would be ~~Bada Bap Bap Baaaa, I'm loving it!~~ Start Early, Start Often.

Logan! · Mar 19, 2012

Absolutely, yes. Whenever I have free time, writing is always last on my list of things I want to do. I'd rather do something more fun and mind-numbing. But every time I sit down and start writing, I remember how fun and exciting it is.

Layla Nahar · Mar 19, 2012

hmm. Interesting. I try to think of writing time and free time as mutually exclusive, eg seeing writing as something one schedules, rather than writing as a leisure activity. (this is different from saying that I have an easy time getting started! I just mean that I see writing as a thing that requires regular maintenance.)

jeffo20 · Mar 19, 2012

I usually look forward to getting started, but I am a slow starter all the same. I'll check e-mail and blogs and AW, get an extra cup of coffee. Get rid of an extra cup of coffee. So I kind of know that I want to write, but it takes me a while to finally settle in and get started.

Nazurelle · Mar 19, 2012

I'm working on an outline right now . . . and browsing the forum . . .

randi.lee · Mar 19, 2012

Double yes right now because I am on the last chapter of my WIP and nothing inside of me wants the story to end.

It's funny- minus my current mindset there are times when I am completely amped to write as soon as I wake up, resulting in twelve hour writing sessions. Then there are other times where the response to whether or not I should write is "Meh. I think I'll re-watch another episode of Lost."

As so many of you have mentioned it's extremely frustrating and, IMO, a complete waste of perfectly good writing time.

Fallen · Mar 19, 2012

Great. A thread that reminds me of how guilty I feel about NOT writing today -- where's the ignore button...

WriterDude · Mar 19, 2012

Layla Nahar said:
hmm. Interesting. I try to think of writing time and free time as mutually exclusive, eg seeing writing as something one schedules, rather than writing as a leisure activity. (this is different from saying that I have an easy time getting started! I just mean that I see writing as a thing that requires regular maintenance.)

This is what I'm trying to lean toward thinking about maybe doing. Separating leisure time from writing, whilst simultaneously, keeping writing separate from chores. Beer time is scheduled, but isn't work. Writing can be too.

What I wonder most though is how others manage to write and maintain full time jobs and perhaps long commutes, do the house work, family commitments, friends, cook, eat, clean etc, without slipping a disc. I really struggle.

crunchyblanket · Mar 19, 2012

Yup. I'm terrible for doing this, actually. The only solution is arse in chair, fingers on keyboard.

SomethingOrOther · Mar 19, 2012

Oh that's what I was doing wrong. I thought it was ass on keyboard, fingers in chair.

Jamesaritchie · Mar 19, 2012

Yes, and that's why I have a starting time that I don't violate. No matter how I feel, habit makes me sit down and write when writing time rolls around.

lolchemist · Mar 19, 2012

I think everyone goes through this at some point or another but the secret is to convince yourself that this is a job (and it CAN be if you finish your novel!) convince yourself that this is a job and that you HAVE TO have x amount of words done by midnight. You just have to. If you don't, the boss will fire you, you wont be able to pay your rent or bills and you'll be out on the street.

They don't even have to be good words. Just write something, usually I find that even if I'm not in the mood, by the time I'm 300-400 words in I somehow get in the zone.

HoneyBadger · Mar 19, 2012

Nope, not anymore.

I used to have the *worst* sticktoitiveness, but now I write every day, except for pre-approved (by me) days off. I have two little tiny people who demand a lot of my attention, so there are still loads of walks and outside times in my day, but when they're asleep, I write. Sometimes I eat something, but mostly, I'm writing or revising (I've yet to figure out how to write *while* revising, but oh well, can't win them all.)

Yes, that means no tv, no just-chillax-and-read-reading, no video games (a buddy of mine was a programmer for Kingdoms of Amalur, but fortunately he understand that I haven't even played the demo yet!) but really, I don't miss any of it, other than the curl-up-and-read parts. I like writing.

Anyone else get this feeling?

Learning more every day

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Squeee

Learning more every day

Oooh look at the pretty pony!

~~~~*~~~~

The Anti-Magdalene

The colors! THE COLORS!

Quietly obsessing

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Seashell Seller

Tyrant King

Sometimes it hurts instead

Certified Non-Genius

Stood at the coalface

Writer?

the Juggernaut of Imperfection

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Shooting stars.

terribly loud, emotionally distant

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