I haven't written a word since January.
Not. One. Word.
Kind of a new and depressing record for me.
Not. One. Word.
Kind of a new and depressing record for me.
Mama Jude's Pep Talk
- Thread starter heyjude
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Oh, shea. 
Is it just a much-needed break or is something more going on? You're not quitting on us, are you?
Is it just a much-needed break or is something more going on? You're not quitting on us, are you?
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No not quitting and nope nothing wrong, just can't seem to get into the swing of things lately. I'm a writer- that's all I know how to be but someone forgot to tell my brain that for the last few months.
Maybe its because I'm trying to force myself to write in a genre I don't read that often because I Might have a slim chance of getting an agent's interest. Or maybe its because I'm tired of only getting the nod from small houses. Or maybe I'm afraid I might not be good enough for anything else.
Or maybe I'm just menopausal.
Maybe its because I'm trying to force myself to write in a genre I don't read that often because I Might have a slim chance of getting an agent's interest. Or maybe its because I'm tired of only getting the nod from small houses. Or maybe I'm afraid I might not be good enough for anything else.
Or maybe I'm just menopausal.
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Have you tried writing something new? Or taking a long walk every day for a few days? Or reading a really awesome book?
That works well for me. It's the worst when you have a break and have to try to get back into it, though. I've also found that reading some of my old writing can help me get the feeling back.
That works well for me. It's the worst when you have a break and have to try to get back into it, though. I've also found that reading some of my old writing can help me get the feeling back.
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Shea. I don't know about anyone else but find that my writing comes mostly in cycles. Observe stuff -- think a bunch -- write a bunch, etc. Is it possible that you're in a phase where you're needing to take in more "world" so you can find fresh inspiration? If so, that's just part of the process.
Wishing you inspiration,
Lucie
Yep, what they said.
And sometimes Life Stuff happens and we get away from the words. We've talked about that before. Heck, I've been living it. With Easter and the other stuff that's been going on in my life, I had a long break, too, and I'm just now getting back into writing every day again. Er, or trying to.
Don't beat yourself up. Maybe that one Great Idea is lurking right around the corner, waiting for you so it can pounce and force you into writing it!
Wow, that was creepy.
And sometimes Life Stuff happens and we get away from the words. We've talked about that before. Heck, I've been living it. With Easter and the other stuff that's been going on in my life, I had a long break, too, and I'm just now getting back into writing every day again. Er, or trying to.
Don't beat yourself up. Maybe that one Great Idea is lurking right around the corner, waiting for you so it can pounce and force you into writing it!
Wow, that was creepy.
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One strategy that I've used is to always have more than one project bouncing around. When I get stuck with one, I just move to another. Sometimes this is really tough--my writing definitely goes in cycles, too--but it works often enough to keep me from going crazy and beating myself up about not writing too much.
Give yourself permission to take time off. Once you do that, the pressure and guilt should lift. Sometimes, when I feel unable to write, I do research instead. That can get me enthused again. If not, at least the grunt work is done for when the muse gets her ass in gear.
If you're menopausal, then the only thing that helps is
& 
Sometimes you need a break. I've found the more that I feel like I should be writing when I'm not, the worse I feel. It's okay not to write for awhile. The brain needs to recharge. Other things get in the way.
Sometimes you need to give yourself permission to write just for fun. Just for fun is very fun. You can be as silly as you want and it doesn't matter. Sometimes we need that too.
Sometimes you need to give yourself permission to write just for fun. Just for fun is very fun. You can be as silly as you want and it doesn't matter. Sometimes we need that too.
I love you guys- I really do. We all have our moments of sefl- doubt, don't we? Mine has just lasted a little longer than I'm comfortable with. I think if I write as namatu suggested, just for the fun of it without worrying if its good enough, or if it's marketable, the juices will start flowing again.
That and guess I need to give myself a break too, life has been a wee bit rough for the last few months and things are only now settling down, so what do I expect- right?
Maybe I'll do what Kaitie said and write something completely new and see what happens.
Thanks for being there for me guys.
That and guess I need to give myself a break too, life has been a wee bit rough for the last few months and things are only now settling down, so what do I expect- right?
Maybe I'll do what Kaitie said and write something completely new and see what happens.
Thanks for being there for me guys.
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Man I feel so stupid. Sigh ....
So I am trying to finish up edit corrections from an awesome editor on the book in my siggy, and I'm thinking am I really this illiterate? It was a good thing I put it down for so long and took a break from it because some of it is really stupid mistakes in punctuation and capitalization. I think when you look at something too many times the eye just skims, not that that is a good excuse either. And 10 times in 50 pages I put interrupter instead of interpreter.
I certainly don't want to be an interrupter to my readers (no matter how few) because they need an interpreter to get through it.
My apologies to awesome editor person for making it so tedious when I should know better. I'm feeling rather incompetent. I'm worried when I'm done with it and put it out there, considering it's a new slat on the subject, I'll sound like a total idiot. Some people will like it, but honestly, I'm trying to prepare myself for the people who really dislike what I say since the Indian land issue and their rights are a rather hot topic in New York again. At least the cover art is nice.
Me, feeling low in confidence right now.
So I am trying to finish up edit corrections from an awesome editor on the book in my siggy, and I'm thinking am I really this illiterate? It was a good thing I put it down for so long and took a break from it because some of it is really stupid mistakes in punctuation and capitalization. I think when you look at something too many times the eye just skims, not that that is a good excuse either. And 10 times in 50 pages I put interrupter instead of interpreter.
I certainly don't want to be an interrupter to my readers (no matter how few) because they need an interpreter to get through it. My apologies to awesome editor person for making it so tedious when I should know better. I'm feeling rather incompetent. I'm worried when I'm done with it and put it out there, considering it's a new slat on the subject, I'll sound like a total idiot. Some people will like it, but honestly, I'm trying to prepare myself for the people who really dislike what I say since the Indian land issue and their rights are a rather hot topic in New York again. At least the cover art is nice.
Me, feeling low in confidence right now.
Aw, History, we all have those words.
And someone will ALWAYS hate your book. It seems to be the way of the world. It's a rite of passage!
And the cover is really cool.
And someone will ALWAYS hate your book. It seems to be the way of the world. It's a rite of passage!
And the cover is really cool.
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Thank you Jude. I'll try to keep those things in mind. And I know your right. Just not feeling it I guess. It will pass, I'm sure.
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Figure I'd make fun of myself on twitter about the whole interrupter/interpreter thing. Made me feel a bit better. OH and the chocolate peanut-butter cheesecake my daughter is going to make will help too. Thanks Jude.
This is why I'm a big fan of letting things sit for a few months before making an editing pass for the small details. Your eyes need time to forget or you end up with a published book that includes "Palestininians." That's one of mySo I am trying to finish up edit corrections from an awesome editor on the book in my siggy, and I'm thinking am I really this illiterate? It was a good thing I put it down for so long and took a break from it because some of it is really stupid mistakes in punctuation and capitalization. I think when you look at something too many times the eye just skims, not that that is a good excuse either. And 10 times in 50 pages I put interrupter instead of interpreter.
, and I will never mention which book it's in, but I know exactly where that typo appears. Don't beat yourself up, History. You're working on it, and you can search and replace "interrupter."
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"Palestininians." Thank you for sharing that, Namatu. Yep did a search and replace, thanks.
I guess on a brighter note, it is a good thing I let this rest before picking it up again, especially since I will be self-publishing this one. Plus, since I've been working on this one, it has given my Milk Carton Murders time to sit.
Thanks you guys. I feel better.
I guess on a brighter note, it is a good thing I let this rest before picking it up again, especially since I will be self-publishing this one. Plus, since I've been working on this one, it has given my Milk Carton Murders time to sit.
Thanks you guys. I feel better.
HS, don't dispair despere lose hope. I think you may find that your book does a lot better than you imagine.
Land ownership issues are big here too. During the apartheid era the 'apartheid government' moved masses of people off their lands. (So did the British - as far back as 1820.) Now people are trying to claim their land back and ... "oops, sorry, the city of Johannesburg is now situated on your ancestral home. And you don't have the mineral rights to all those gold mines, do you?" And let's not even mention Zimbabwe!
Hang in there, HS. You're a good writer with an important issue. Even the interp.. interr... translator thingie will work itself out.
Land ownership issues are big here too. During the apartheid era the 'apartheid government' moved masses of people off their lands. (So did the British - as far back as 1820.) Now people are trying to claim their land back and ... "oops, sorry, the city of Johannesburg is now situated on your ancestral home. And you don't have the mineral rights to all those gold mines, do you?" And let's not even mention Zimbabwe!
Hang in there, HS. You're a good writer with an important issue. Even the interp.. interr... translator thingie will work itself out.
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HS - big hugs. I have a thing where sometimes it's as if my brain was writing a totally different book to the one my hands are typing, and random wrong words that aren't even related to the right one turn up in the MS. And it is so easy to miss it when you're looking over, especially when you've seen the same book a dozen times already in edits, so I wouldn't give yourself a hard time over it. And yeah, loads of chocolate.
Also, even on the tour when I'm telling the same story over and over I say the wrong things. Had a whole week where I consistently called St Vitus' Cathedral, only the biggest most famous thing on the tour that everyone knows the name of when they come here, St Giles, which is the church in Edinburgh. What city am I in again?
Also, even on the tour when I'm telling the same story over and over I say the wrong things. Had a whole week where I consistently called St Vitus' Cathedral, only the biggest most famous thing on the tour that everyone knows the name of when they come here, St Giles, which is the church in Edinburgh. What city am I in again?
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*Hugs!* Sorry I missed this yesterday.
I just wanted to say that I think it's normal to reread and have those, "What was I thinking?" moments. I actually gave a character three different last names in the course of a book once, and definitely was smacking my head on the desk by the end of that rewrite.
I just wanted to say that I think it's normal to reread and have those, "What was I thinking?" moments. I actually gave a character three different last names in the course of a book once, and definitely was smacking my head on the desk by the end of that rewrite.
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You guys are awesome for telling me your stories. I feel a lot better because of it. Thank you!
So to make myself feel better I took my scouts out to collect donations for the up coming BBQ + raffle.
Went to the town hall, and got permission to look at their old cemetery books to see if I could figure out who got moved out of the old cemetery in 1913 to build the library. (Went well)
Did a twitter thing and won an autograph copy of The Lifeboat.
AND sent in a writing prompt idea to WoW (Women on Writing) FB page. Guess they liked it and they are going to use it in the next month. So I get a couple sentence bio, and my booked named and a pic of the cover. So that was good inspiration to battle through edits without beating myself up.
So to make myself feel better I took my scouts out to collect donations for the up coming BBQ + raffle.
Went to the town hall, and got permission to look at their old cemetery books to see if I could figure out who got moved out of the old cemetery in 1913 to build the library. (Went well)
Did a twitter thing and won an autograph copy of The Lifeboat.
AND sent in a writing prompt idea to WoW (Women on Writing) FB page. Guess they liked it and they are going to use it in the next month. So I get a couple sentence bio, and my booked named and a pic of the cover. So that was good inspiration to battle through edits without beating myself up.