Do you ever feel this?

[Coco82]

That some days your writing is better than others? Off days I guess.

[James D Macdonald]

Well, yeah, everyone feels that.

Also, three months from now you won't be able to tell which words were written on good days and which were written on off days.

[maestrowork]

Keep writing.

Fix it later. That's what rewrites are for.

[Azura Skye]

Yep. Some days you feel like you're knee deep in mud trudging along and then others you feel like you're on roller skates just gliding along.

[Writing Again]

Yep.

[mr mistook]

I had a great night Sunday night, but last night was awful. I wrote for four hours, and at the end of it, I read it back and thought, "God, this stinks!"

It wasn't so much the writing itself that was bad, but where I had taken the story and the characters. The whole story just jumped off the rails and rolled off into a ravine. I plan to back-track tonight and start that section over.

[Gala]

Mr. M.
If you want to feel even worse, then go to a bookstore and pick up novels at random. Open to any page and read.

You'll find there's plenty o' writing worse than your wop, and plenty better than your published writing. And readers are buying.
:eek

That's my mindset these days.

[katdad]

Yeah, for sure. I'm in a saggy time right now. It's not that I can't write, I just don't want to.

I really burned the midnight oil getting my 2nd novel ready to go to the agent last month, and I suppose I'm a bit drained.

The brain is still cooking but when I sit down to write in earnest, I do maybe a page and then I save it and quit. Ho, hum.

But I have in the past week felt some of my creative energy returning, and I'll probably be back on track soon.

Thing is, I've now got 2 complete novels to my agent so it's all in the agency's lap now. I suppose I'm not too motivated to proceed on the 3rd novel too fiercely at this time, since I'm ahead of the game and don't really need to pursue the book until a bit later.

That would all change if I get a happy phone call from my agent, however. I think that would fire me up royally.

[Denis Castellan]

Katdad:

What if the third novel was the first to be published ?

What if it became a bestseller and helped get the first two novels published too ?

What if that brought you two full cans of midnight oil to get the fifth, sixth and seventh novels started ?

I'm beginning to like "whatifs" :)

Denis

[Nateskate]

Some days I feel like taking it all and throwing it in a burn barrel. Not because it's all trash, but because it seems the closer I am, the behinder I get.

[Mya Bell]

I always have several projects going at once so I can switch off on "off" days.

I also switch off between writing and editing, depending upon my mood and I move my laptop to different corners of the room so I don't get bored.

If it's a really off day, it's better to do something completely unrelated to writing.

--- Mya Bell

[katdad]

What if the third novel was the first to be published ? --- etc
Oh, absolutely, I'm aware of that.

I'm actually about 12,000 words into the 3rd book, with major characters fleshed out, and a reasonable plot synopsis and some good story line directions to go with.

I'll get the book into harness soon, probably in a week or two. I get bursts of energy when, as the "Gumbys" in Monty Python say "My Brain Hurts!"

Lying around listless is only a temporary situation -- I intend to finish the 3rd novel by late summer. I find that NOT writing eventually drive me nuts (nuttier than usual, that is).

[katdad]

If it's a really off day, it's better to do something completely unrelated to writing.
That's where I find myself for the last couple or three weeks.

And that's when I play pool, shoot pistols, chase women, practice my opera, and of course, drink beer. What else is life for?