Numbness?

BoyBlog · May 22, 2007

Anyone ever feel this when writing? I don't feel numb during the writing, it's the pitching the story to editors, agents, and freelance.

Even when I sell a story, I can't help but feel numb over it like I don't care. When I get a good or bad or constructive review, I feel numb. The only time I feel emotion about writing is when I'm doing it.

Anyone get like this?

SilverVistani · May 22, 2007

Well, I've not done any story pitching, but I do understand feeling numb while getting a critique.... Of course, this is a necessary survival tool when you're an art major at a public university. Heh... heheheh... ;_;

Aaaanyway! ^_^() I do understand the feeling, and also I personally find that it can feel worse than disappointment or anger sometimes.

*pats your shoulder*

JoNightshade · May 22, 2007

Whenever I have to talk about my writing with anyone else, in person, I am overwhelmed by intense embarrassment and I turn bright red. Consider yourself lucky with just "numb."

Jordygirl · May 22, 2007

JoNightshade said:
Whenever I have to talk about my writing with anyone else, in person, I am overwhelmed by intense embarrassment and I turn bright red. Consider yourself lucky with just "numb."

Me too. It's like, gack! What do I say? And then once I start talking, Oh my god I sound like a babbling idiot... nobody's going to want to read it now!
Jeez, why can't I describe my own writing? What the heck is wrong with me?

As for the numb thing... never get it. I just get embarrassed.

TsukiRyoko · May 22, 2007

I do, but then I imagine my name in print, and that gets me pumped up.

Southern_girl29 · May 22, 2007

JoNightshade said:
Whenever I have to talk about my writing with anyone else, in person, I am overwhelmed by intense embarrassment and I turn bright red. Consider yourself lucky with just "numb."

This is me, too. I also question my storytelling ability, too, when I'm telling people about it. I usually wind up saying that I wrote it a lot better than I'm telling it.

JoNightshade · May 22, 2007

Southern_girl29 said:
This is me, too. I also question my storytelling ability, too, when I'm telling people about it. I usually wind up saying that I wrote it a lot better than I'm telling it.

I figure, I wrote the darn book because I couldn't tell the darn story in 5 minutes. Go read it if you wanna know. Blah!

Actually this is usually how things go:

"So, what do you write?"

"STUFF."

"Oh... uh... okay."

Cassiopeia · May 23, 2007

Uh you go numb because you hold your breath in an effort to stem the tide of emotions that you get when you are afraid of rejection.

Say this with me outloud...come on now...I know you can do it ~

Breathe, just breathe...won't help if I am dead when they make my story into a movie!

Elektra · May 23, 2007

TsukiRyoko said:
I do, but then I imagine my name in print, and that gets me pumped up.

Ditto

sunna · May 23, 2007

Southern_girl29 said:
This is me, too. I also question my storytelling ability, too, when I'm telling people about it. I usually wind up saying that I wrote it a lot better than I'm telling it.

Same here. I've gotten to the point now that I'll refuse to describe what I'm writing or have written, no matter who asks. Nobody in their right mind would want to read it if I had to describe it out loud. Maybe I should just memorize the hook I came up with and spit that out when asked. :tongue

I'm never numb. I wish I could at least manage objective. I'm working on that one.

justpat · May 23, 2007

I avoid telling people I write, mostly for the reason Nightshade mentions, I can't explain the book in 5 minutes. It always comes out sounding unimaginative and boring. (I hope thats not because its unimaginative and boring. )

Tymolee · May 23, 2007

Jordygirl said:
Me too. It's like, gack! What do I say? And then once I start talking, Oh my god I sound like a babbling idiot... nobody's going to want to read it now!
Jeez, why can't I describe my own writing? What the heck is wrong with me?

As for the numb thing... never get it. I just get embarrassed.

Oh good, I'm not the only one! People ask me what I'm writing about or what I'm going to do next and I start talking about it.... and suddenly I think I have three heads or have an arm growing out of my back that's giving me bunny ears or something.

Apparently I should have taken that public speaking course in college....

MelodyO · May 23, 2007

BoyBlog said:
Anyone get like this?

I pitched my novel to an editor at a conference last summer, and I was so numb, and in such a state of pessimism, that I read it from a piece of paper without even being nervous (which is like a miracle for me). She interrupted me half way through the pitch and said, "That sounds great! Send me the whole thing!"

To which I replied, "But don't you want to hear the rest ~~because I worked so frigging hard on it~~? Bwah! Focus, Melody. FOCUS.

And...then a few months later she quit the agency. Ha ha ha! ::contemplates becoming a crackhead::

JoNightshade · May 23, 2007

Tymolee said:
Apparently I should have taken that public speaking course in college....

Been there, done that, didn't help. So don't feel like you missed out.

BoyBlog · May 23, 2007

Cassiopeia said:
Uh you go numb because you hold your breath in an effort to stem the tide of emotions that you get when you are afraid of rejection.

Say this with me outloud...come on now...I know you can do it ~

Breathe, just breathe...won't help if I am dead when they make my story into a movie!

Hmm, I don't know. More people might see it then, I could do like Elvis, Tupac, and Biggie Smalls..

BoyBlog · May 23, 2007

MelodyO said:
I pitched my novel to an editor at a conference last summer, and I was so numb, and in such a state of pessimism, that I read it from a piece of paper without even being nervous (which is like a miracle for me). She interrupted me half way through the pitch and said, "That sounds great! Send me the whole thing!"

To which I replied, "But don't you want to hear the rest ~~because I worked so frigging hard on it~~? Bwah! Focus, Melody. FOCUS.

And...then a few months later she quit the agency. Ha ha ha! ::contemplates becoming a crackhead::

Thanks, now this will be running through my head everytime I talk to an editor. O_O;;

Numbness?

BoyBlog

SilverVistani

JoNightshade

has finally arrived

Jordygirl

Nothing doing.

TsukiRyoko

Forced into cell phone life

Southern_girl29

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has finally arrived

Cassiopeia

Otherwise Occupied

Elektra

Don't Call Me Sweetheart

sunna

justpat

QueryTracker

Tymolee

MelodyO

Waiting for love on the web

JoNightshade

has finally arrived

BoyBlog

BoyBlog