The Muse Is NOT In

wee · Sep 18, 2007

Does your muse act coy,
Does she wander to & fro,
Does she tie you up in knots,
Does she leave you hanging low?
Does she give you the cold shoulder
While your manu starts to mold-er,
Does your muse ... act ... coy?

I got me some good facts. I read me about a million books about four different cultures, all the way down to whether they traveled in TENTS (woot!) and why the clowns pee on each other before religious ceremonies... :Wha:

And my hubby is gone for another four days, so my evenings are free to put the kiddies to bed & to writewritewritewrite .... so why do I just want to watch Law & Order reruns and post idiotic rants on AW? Why? Why?

The other day it came to me in a BRILLIANT flash, how I needed to proceed. But it came to me at a time when I couldn't possibly put it on paper. Now I have time, and I'm looking at it ... and just feel flat. Blech, leammee alone.

When your writing falls flat, do you wait a while & come back? Do you just push through & hope to fix it later? Would a 9th cup of coffee help? Should I set up a routine, like my kids' bedtime ritual, that would eventually signal my brain to switch into writing mode?

:e2bike2:

woah, what was that? Writer's rock?

wee

Doogs · Sep 18, 2007

Let me just say...I feel your pain. I think anyone who has written over any extended period of time probably has.

It took me 3 1/2 years to write my first draft. But...looking a bit deeper...it took me less than a year to write the first eleven chapters (of fifteen). And then the wheels fell off. I got 40 pages (that in itself should have been a sign) into Ch. 12 and decided to rewrite it. And rewrite it. And rewrite it. All in all, it took me 252 days to write that bloody chapter. 252 days of pain. 252 days of halting progress, of writing two paragraphs one night and going back and rewriting them the next.

The most maddening thing of all? Chapter 12 is now so bloated that I'm planning to cut it by at least half.

Fast forward to earlier this year. After much toil, I found myself four sections from finishing the book. So I set myself a deadline. I wanted to be done by the time the wife and I went on our road trip to Colorado. I gave myself two and a half weeks per section. I buckled down and wrote. And I finished in half the allotted time.

Some of the lessons I learned along the way (and am still discovering as I gain perspective and the benefit of hindsight):

A big part of my meltdown/writer's block/whatever was, I think, a struggle with some personal demons. I've always had a bad habit of jumping into something, getting obsessed, going overboard, and then losing steam 75% of the way through. that was actually one of the factors that drove me to write the novel. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. But I wonder if the Chapter 12 meltdown wasn't some form of self-sabotage.
Routine is VITAL. Get yourself on a schedule. Stick to it, even when the going gets rough.
If it helps focus your thoughts, write longhand (bonus...you can't use a pen and notebook to procrastinate on the internet).
If you are beating yourself over the head trying to find that exact right way into a section, or that exact turn of phrase for what you're trying to convey...DON'T. Get the basic idea down and come back to it in the revisions. I wish I had done this...because so many of those paragraphs I agonized over are getting revised, rewritten, or cut anyway. Looking back, I wonder how much time I could have saved if I'd been able to turn off my perfectionist streak (or at least turn it down a bit).

c.e.lawson · Sep 18, 2007

Oh, poor wee. I SOOO understand your frustration. I'm a mommy and a wife, too, and those blocks of guilt-free time to write are so precious. And when they come and you can't take advantage of them...well...it's entirely frustrating.

I think everyone eventually finds out what works for them, probably through trial and error. I happen to be one of those people who write more efficiently when I've worked out the scene in my head prior to sitting down with the pen or computer. I have to know where my scene is starting and a pretty good idea of where it's going to end, as well as my characters' emotional progression throughout. Then the words come. If I haven't worked that out in my head before hand, it's like fighting a losing battle. So in my world, mulling things over is a wonderful tool. I don't mind mulling. Sometimes I mull for days or even weeks before the scene becomes vivid. And then I can write. It just flows.

When I know I'm going to have a special block of writing time, then I put my mulling into hypermode, to mentally prepare something to write in order to use that time. Sometimes a certain song or movie or book can inspire me to imagine the scene. It doesn't always happen, though. And if there are outside stressors or I'm to tired, then forget it. I can't be creative if I'm tired or stressed. Sometimes my mind just needs a period of rest and clearing.

Now - maybe I should try the BIC method when I'm blocked, just to see if that works for me. I don't know if that would work because I've never forced myself to try to write day after day when the words aren't coming. But I try not to stress when I'm blocked because I have completed every story I've set out to write, whether 22 chapters or a several page short story. So I know myself, and I know I'm going to finish my WIP. That's why mulling doesn't bother me.

I wish you luck through this. You can do it!

c.e.

Diviner · Sep 18, 2007

Writing switches on writing mode for most of us. I start out dragging my feet, but then something happens and i am up and running. I'm not saying it is good. But it is writing and it does move the story along. And i am going to have to rewrite the whole thing anyway, or at least edit it, so what do I care if it is less than wonderful.

When the writing bursts out in a torrent of words as if I have given over my brain to my fickle muse, great. But even then some rewriting is necessary. So slogging along, though not much fun, is the best answer when I face a difficult passage or when I am not sure what comes next. So tie those doubts in a bow and start scribbling. It works for me.

Puma · Sep 18, 2007

Maybe I'm an oddball, but when I'm writing, really writing - I write every day. I look forward to the writing as the "me" time after work and all the evening obligations are taken care of. There are even days when I write before work. But, it's not unusual to see me sitting at the computer with my hands waving around in the air as I work through exactly what it is I want to say. I mull when I'm driving - and it's really nasty to have the perfect phrasing pop in my head when I'm on the way to work in the morning. Puma

girlyswot · Sep 18, 2007

I completely sympathise, wee. Earlier this summer I had six weeks off. I knew I would be doing quite a lot of travelling, so I planned to take notebook and pen and use the time for writing. Result? About 1000 not very good words. Then I came back to a 100-book reading list and an intensive course of Greek to prepare and teach and suddenly the muse returned with a vengeance!

I find that all kinds of things stop me from writing - being too tired, being miserable, being worried, having too much time, having not enough time...

Sometimes, because I only write for fun, I don't let this worry me at all, and I just don't write. But when I'm nearing the end of a story and I think the block is related to that rather than something external, I find I do have to make myself sit down, plan and write. If it's not flowing, then I find that the outlining and planning really helps me to get into the story and find a scene I'm excited about writing and then it gets easier.

lkp · Sep 18, 2007

wee, don't forget to give yourself permission to suck. It can be bad. It can be lame, It can be painfully cringe-worthy. Just allow yourself to get it down.

After I have had a flash of insight, it can be even *harder* to write because what I put down on a page is so woefully weak compared to the vision of clarity I had in my head. But as long as I get it down, something down, I often come back and decide it really wasn't so awful after all. And if it is, it can be edited.

san_remo_ave · Sep 18, 2007

wee said:
When your writing falls flat, do you wait a while & come back? Do you just push through & hope to fix it later? Would a 9th cup of coffee help? Should I set up a routine, like my kids' bedtime ritual, that would eventually signal my brain to switch into writing mode?

Can't hurt to set up the routine.

When I first joined AW I was surprised to discover that I was not alone in procrastination/distraction. It's sooooo easy to let oneself get distracted. Heck, I'm doing it right now...

Many folks do talk about BIC (butt in chair) time and not without reason. That means schedule a regular time to sit at the computer, prepared to write and do not get up and do anything else until the allotted time is done. If you write nothing in that 2 hrs, you write nothing. But chances are, your muse will get fed up without distraction and begin filling the creative pipeline.

Thought that was a lot of bunk until I did it for NaNo last year. And found it really does work! I find it's actually harder to keep the appointment than to kick my muse into gear.

Best wishes!

wee · Sep 18, 2007

Thanks for great replies! I'm doing BIC this evening, starting after I write this reply (I have given myself about 3 minutes, so I have to type this fast!).

My big excuse is wanting to also exercise, because I'm trying really hard to not become a slovenly housewife (been there, done it, and worked my rear end off --literally! -- trying not to put it back on). As a mom, everything you do that isn't about your hubby or kids causes a small spasm of guilt. I don't write well in the afternoon, so I could get up early & write first thing, then exercise during naptime. I usually just sit around & look on here instead anyway during that time.

Doogs, I loved your commentary on self-destructing a bit when you are nearly there. I've been doing that my whole life. Wonder if it is fear of success? What if I write a great book, but never write another one? I don't think Harper Lee regretted being a one-book wonder, so I should quit my bellyachin' and hope for one, one first, then worry. :-D

Today I sat down wrote out a list of "chapters", what action was occurring in each & from which viewpoint. Each "chapter" may end up being 2-3 actual chapters; it's more like breaking it down into sections, to remember where the story is headed, decide which major events will be staged. Starting making a character list, who will appear as major players throughout the book. It may not help at all, might completely change, but it did help me with that panicky feeling of, "but where does it go after chapter four?!"

Now it is time for BIC. Good night all! I'm going to try not to reappear here until I've made major headway. When I do reappear I'll let ya know. Thanks for the words of inspiration!

wee

Unique · Sep 18, 2007

oh, heck yeah. my muse is a (insert very bad word here)

Stupid muse. :poke:

Sometimes even my journal sounds inane.

So I go back and read old ones and laugh at myself.
Or pat myself on the back for surviving. {shrug}

PastMidnight · Sep 19, 2007

Huh, I thought I already replied to this thread. My reply is off floating somewhere in cyberworld, I suppose!

Anyway, I hear you, wee! I'm going through a rough patch myself right now and have been pretty frustrated. After I finished my first revision of Repose, I thought I would let it 'stew' as I've seen suggested so often on this board. It doesn't seem to be working for me, because all I can think about is further revision. Even scheduling BIC time on the new WIP, I find I can't stop thinking about the previous, and I'm lucky if I get 200 words a night.

So I don't know if the slow work on the new WIP means that the idea sucks, that I need to do more research, that I'm just too tired, that I'm too busy, that I need a new schedule or just that I should put it aside and concentrate on my revisions of Repose. I've done the preliminary research, roughly outlined this one, scheduled writing time.

Arghhh!

PastMidnight · Sep 19, 2007

c.e.lawson said:
But I try not to stress when I'm blocked because I have completed every story I've set out to write, whether 22 chapters or a several page short story. So I know myself, and I know I'm going to finish my WIP. That's why mulling doesn't bother me.

I've been trying to convince myself this very thing, c.e., except I have the disadvantage of having never completed anything until now (hence my self-skepticism). But I'm trying to learn to trust myself now. As I worked on Repose, there were times when I hit a wall and thought that it would go into my usual pile of uncompleted things. But I found, after a few days of stepping back and mulling (the way you do), I was always able to figure out a solution, and often a solution that had me dancing around the flat in glee. It's hard for me not to get down about hitting that wall, as I don't have such a record of successfully completed projects behind me like you, but I am slowly learning to trust myself!

PastMidnight · Sep 19, 2007

Wee, how did the BIC go?

pdr · Sep 19, 2007

BOS and BIC

It's a terrible time, motherhood, family, husband, your own life. You are pulled in many directions.

All I can say is that you have to make a decision.

Either write only little things like poems for your kids, and stories for them and the family and do little bits like that until they are teenagers.

Or you carve out for yourself every day one hour for writing. You do it before everyone gets up, or at nap time. At night you are often too mentally exhausted, kids do that to you, to write creatively, although you can edit.

But one of the things a writer has to have is the discipline to do this every day.

I would advise you to make time now simply because I didn't when my children were small and I regret that. You can't see into the future and you might find that like me, when you should have more time, with children gone, in fact, for various reasons, you have less.

Unique · Sep 19, 2007

After I finished my first revision of Repose, I thought I would let it 'stew' as I've seen suggested so often on this board. It doesn't seem to be working for me, because all I can think about is further revision. Even scheduling BIC time on the new WIP, I find I can't stop thinking about the previous, and I'm lucky if I get 200 words a night.

You know that's just a suggestion, right? If your head is still so much in the other story I'd suggest going back to it. It would probably be wise to do your revisions separate - don't insert them into what you have now - in case you decide you prefer the original.

Progress will be slow on your new work until you reach that place where you can say, 'Yes, I'm done with this - for now anyway'.

JMO, YMMV, tax, tag and title extra; void where prohibited.

(Anyone seen my muse? My scotch is missing and the b**** took off with my favorite pen!)

c.e.lawson · Sep 19, 2007

PastMidnight said:
Huh, I thought I already replied to this thread. My reply is off floating somewhere in cyberworld, I suppose!

Anyway, I hear you, wee! I'm going through a rough patch myself right now and have been pretty frustrated. After I finished my first revision of Repose, I thought I would let it 'stew' as I've seen suggested so often on this board. It doesn't seem to be working for me, because all I can think about is further revision. Even scheduling BIC time on the new WIP, I find I can't stop thinking about the previous, and I'm lucky if I get 200 words a night.

So I don't know if the slow work on the new WIP means that the idea sucks, that I need to do more research, that I'm just too tired, that I'm too busy, that I need a new schedule or just that I should put it aside and concentrate on my revisions of Repose. I've done the preliminary research, roughly outlined this one, scheduled writing time.

Arghhh!

You know, PastMidnight - I can definitely understand where you're coming from here. One thing I've learned about myself is that I have trouble working on two projects at one time. My main inspiration/energy is on one story at a time. My mind or personality, or whatever likes to know that one task is completed before I go off and start the next one. I just feel more comfortable that way and I can concentrate better. I'm not saying that's 'right' or the way it should be or the way most people do it. Everyone is different. Perhaps for you it's even a little more than that here. You might be feeling the pull of revising because you are THAT close to finishing your first big story. That is a heck of a milestone and maybe you need to do that first, sit back and give yourself a big pat on the back, and then go back to your new project during the time when you're dealing with the publishing side of things for Repose.

There's no one right way to do these things. You have to do what works for you. If your heart is pulling you to get back to Repose, then why don't you do that? I have to feel that inner inspiration/excitement/energy about my story, and if something else is calling me, then I take care of that. In the long run, the time I spend after I've cleared my mental 'baggage' is much more efficient.

It can't hurt to try a different tact and see what works for you.

Hang in there. You'll get past this, and I have great faith you'll finish Repose - it's too good a story not to!

c.e.

wee · Sep 19, 2007

This morning I applied the BIC method. I did break a cardinal rule & have gone back to my first chapter, the one I posted for SYW. I had decided it needed more & needed to set up a few things, explain better, and other things wait for later.

I replaced 1.5 sections of that first chapter with nearly 2,200 words. Based on that I'm guessing that the original chapter with around 2,000 words will be between 6,000-8,000 when I'm done with it, and then I can break into the main story. That will leave a lot of room for editing & cutting when I come back to do real revision.

What I wrote today ... does not have the feel of pure magic to it. In fact, it seems like it employs a great deal of poopy writing. Uncle Jim advises that this is true of all writing, and that when you let it sit and rest for a few months between writing & revising, a lot of that poop sifts out of it.

So I wrote 2,200 words of poop today, and feel really good about it. This evening after bed (because my evenings are free with hubby gone this week) I'll do some more BIC and read some more of a new book I found for research. And more BIC early tomorrow morning.

My overarching goal is of course to be a famous writer and make so much money that we can so whatever the heck occurs to us for the rest of our measly little lives. But more short term, my immediate goal is to hammer out this whole dumb story without giving up! No matter how poopy it gets before it's over.

My B is still sore from sitting IC for an hour. An hour! That's all it took. Sheesh! I guess we all need reminding from time to time how laughably easy it is & that we should get back to it.

When the writers on the romance boards occasionally bring up people like Nora Roberts who have written hundreds of books in multiple genres, it is amazing to find that she simply says, "I went to a Catholic school & the nuns taught me to be very disciplined." Just plain discipline, to sit down & to do the thing we love most to do anyway.

It reminds me of exercise -- how I put off & avoid doing all day something that makes me look better, feel good, and have more energy. What is that all about?! When I sit down & make myself write, I suddenly remember, Oh yeah, I like doing this!

And pdr -- I think you are right about making time now anyway. When I give myself this time and can spend into my writing the energy that might turn into vague discontent or haggard motherliness, I find that the rest of the day those little things like playing Barbies (ick!) and doing dishes (double-ick!) and laundry (triple-ick!) just fly by. (Oh, I love playing with my kids, except for Barbies. Barbies are like slow torture for me. I would rather climb a tree! But my girl is all girly-girl, not tomboy-girl like me.)

silly, silly wee

wee · Sep 19, 2007

PastMidnight said:
I'm going through a rough patch myself right now and have been pretty frustrated. After I finished my first revision of Repose, I thought I would let it 'stew' as I've seen suggested so often on this board. It doesn't seem to be working for me, because all I can think about is further revision. Even scheduling BIC time on the new WIP, I find I can't stop thinking about the previous, and I'm lucky if I get 200 words a night.

So I don't know if the slow work on the new WIP means that the idea sucks, that I need to do more research, that I'm just too tired, that I'm too busy, that I need a new schedule or just that I should put it aside and concentrate on my revisions of Repose. I've done the preliminary research, roughly outlined this one, scheduled writing time.

Arghhh!

I've been thinking about this, how I'll summon the mental energy to let this sit & stew after FINALLY finishing it -- I'll be so revved up about that, I already know it! I'm thinking that unless I feel very motivated to move on already, I may set a goal for a number of short stories to write in-between, and flood those poor editors' slush piles for a few months. Just keep the creative flow going, the writing muscles working, but nothing too long, until it's time to come back & revise. A while back I did some research on the very high-paying markets & I'm thinking of trying to target some of those. A publication in one might help draw attention in queries, too!

I wonder if being able to work on books back-to-back is a trick you learn after you've written several & the overwhelming excitement of just FINISHING ONE wears off a little.

Guess we'll see!

wee

ETA: what about keeping a little notebook & just scribbling down ideas for revising the old one as they come to you -- story threads that could be boosted, etc. Then force yourself to just make the notation & move on for now? Then on re-read you can go over all these notes & see which ones are worth pursuing.

PastMidnight · Sep 20, 2007

Wow, 2,2000 words, wee? Way to go! It is hard, but you're right, a bit of discipline is sometimes all it takes.

Thanks for all of the encouragement, everyone, and for the reminder that one method does not work for all. Perhaps I am just one of those who won't be able to let a story sit and stew before revising.

wee said:
And pdr -- I think you are right about making time now anyway. When I give myself this time and can spend into my writing the energy that might turn into vague discontent or haggard motherliness, I find that the rest of the day those little things like playing Barbies (ick!) and doing dishes (double-ick!) and laundry (triple-ick!) just fly by.

This is a good point. When I was trying to finish this WIP, I wanted to be writing 24-7. I was irritated that the kids didn't seem to see this and actually wanted me to play with them, I was irritated that my family wanted to eat dinner at night, I was irritated that anyone wanted any moment of my time. And, the few sentences that I managed to squeak out amidst the noisy children were horrible and always had to be scrapped later that night. So I made a rule that, I had to sit and write for at least an hour after everyone went to bed, BUT that I wasn't allowed to write a word during the day. And my productivity actually went up. Like wee said, I knew I had that writing time waiting for me at night and so I didn't worry about it during the day. I was able to throw myself into the playing and cooking and whatnot without thinking that I was eating into my writing time.

BardSkye · Sep 23, 2007

My muse appears to be off singing quartets somewhere.

I had planned to do some quality ruminating while sorting receipts last week but ended up getting put on a different job for a bit and that blasted muse used the opportunity to escape.

I'm not one who can BIC. I think best when my hands are busy doing something else.

The Muse Is NOT In

wee

just a little

Doogs

c.e.lawson

Diviner

Puma

Retired and loving it!

girlyswot

lkp

san_remo_ave

Back at it

wee

just a little

Unique

Agent of Doom

PastMidnight

Oponionated

PastMidnight

Oponionated

PastMidnight

Oponionated

pdr

Unique

Agent of Doom

c.e.lawson

wee

just a little

wee

just a little

PastMidnight

Oponionated

BardSkye

Barbershoppin' Harmony Whore