Join the "I don't want to write" club...

BAAAD MAESTROWORK. BAAAADDD. There, are you inspired now?

Although I see your little green light thingy has gone off.

So GOOOOOD MAESTROWORK. GOOOOOOD.

I don't want to...

1) edit my work. I hate hate hate that moment when you fall off the cloud and realize it's not the deathless prose it felt like when you were writing it. mostly, I think, because it forces me to look objectively at my writing, and see what I'm good at and what I'm not good at.

can't we just skip that part?

2) outline anymore! before or after the fact. it just shows me plot holes I don't want to think about.

yeah, I think that covers it for now.

maestrowork said:

Inspired by the thread in Office Party...

Here's a thread to post your confession, your woes, your dilemmas, and for others to badger, pound, and threaten so you will get your BIC.

I will go first:

Here I am, at my favorite coffee shop, and had my files opened and ready to go... and I just didn't want to do anything. I kept coming back to AW to see if there are new posts. What's wrong with me?

I think it's because I'm starting on a new project and it's scaring me a bit because I'm not sure what direction I want to take this. Making a decision is not my strong trait, and I feel that as soon as I commit to a decision, I can't easily turn back. And that stops me in my track and I would rather do anything else....

Click to expand...

The need for instant gratification? Writing can become such a lonely profession...and unless you read a critique (good or bad) or happen upon someone that talks to you about your book, there is really (as far as I can tell) very little instant feedback. You write alone. You submit and wait. The book is published...and you wait....

At least here, you write something and within minutes (seconds sometimes) someone is posting a reply. Someone has read your words and has an opinion about it - good or bad. You've actually connected with someone else...which (IMO) is what a lot of writing is all about. Connecting with your readers.

I'm struggling with rewrites right now because I'm just physically tired. I usually write best when everyone is asleep - but that means I'm typically writing between 9pm-2am. Getting up four hours later and caring for a 9 month old and a very active 3 1/2 year old (and for the past month a moody 13 1/2 year old) has simply worn me out. I know I'm not the only one trying to write like this but when I repeatedly fall asleep in front of the computer even after drinking a can or two of Mt. Dew, there's little more I can do but simply shut down and go to bed. I'm looking forward to writing this weekend, but some home repairs are going to cut into that time...

<sigh>

I'll keep plugging forward...but Ray, I do know what you're feeling. Good luck getting into the new project!

Take care -

I don't wanna write because:

1) I still can't feel my right index finger
2) I'm in the middle of a huge editing project, and I'm scared it won't turn out the way I'm hoping
3) I keep stopping to contemplate a partial that's out to a small but legit publisher - which causes
4) Seeing everyone say if it's good enough for one, it's good enough for another and knowing that's not true - which makes me think
5) I'm not even gonna mention if I get accepted with this small market. Which brings me to
6) If I don't get in, I should really pack my bags and head back to e-pubbing like I've been doing for so many happy years.



Someone pass the Midol, please.

Or the bottle. Rum will do.

I want to write, but I'm uninspired to promote the books I've already finished. Does that count?

I don't want to write because

1. The book is done and gone through the first few rounds of editing, which is exhausting, and,
2. I've lost a fair amount of faith in it and myself, and
3. No one has finished it yet and provided me with any criticism, and so
4. I don't even want to think about a query letter.

I don't want to write because I'm afraid that all I'm doing is jotting down a sequence of disjointed and tense moments, and that the entire thing is going to collapse like a house of cards any paragraph now.

I don't want to write because I'm about three days of writing away from finishing the novel I promised myself I'd query, and I am a yella'-bellied crybaby.

My brain doesn't seem to want me to write anything. I sit down, stare at the screen, get distracted, look at the WIP again, get distracted AGAIN, and then find out I have other stuff I'm supposed to be doing (like... work??? ugh).

I posted this somewhere else but I'm also deathly afraid of writing a bad ending, and so I'm procrastinating until I can think up something worthy of my reader's attention. Even if no one else reads the ending I don't want to disappoint myself with a horrible ending. All that effort for an anticlimactic piece of bunny poo? No thx. <twitches>

maestrowork said:

I think it's because I'm starting on a new project and it's scaring me a bit because I'm not sure what direction I want to take this. Making a decision is not my strong trait, and I feel that as soon as I commit to a decision, I can't easily turn back. And that stops me in my track and I would rather do anything else....

Click to expand...

While I suspect I have no more pressing imperative to tackle the next scary project, I think that running at the ones that scare me is a good thing. If it doesn't scare me, then I'm not pushing it and I risk doing something blah.

But then that could just be moy own personal insanity.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.*

*the short answer to what would be a very long, very emotionally driven, angsty, ranty post about why I don't want to write. Never post angry.

swvaughn said:

Never post angry.

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I would never post if I followed this bit of advice. I am always angry. It's a challeng to distract myself with funny posts and my all time favorite, writing novels.

But yes, I understand what you're saying. I'm just being difficult (another stress reliever).

I'm at a friend's house, on the laptop. I've got my WIP loaded but all I'm doing is another edit pass and it's hard work and not stirring the creative juices. I'd be home, but we don't have central air and it was 99 degrees most of the afternoon with a heat index of 107. I also had the fun of doing some errands in my truck which has no AC.

PS: The truck is a nice dark brown color too.

I'm scared to get going on my first novel (third attempt? fourth? I've lost count) because I'm afraid it will suck beyond my worst nightmares. I keep editing and writing at the same time, which is like driving with one foot on the brake pedal. Then I delete the whole thing. The irony is that revising is my favorite part of writing. But right now I have no rough drafts to revise!

When I do sit down and write, I only can do it in 15 minute increments because the guilt kicks in. Yes, I feel guilty when I DO write! I feel like I'm wasting my time, that I should be doing more constructive things, that I'm being selfish, blah blah blah blah.

I want to write but:

1)Half the office is on vacation, a third of the office remaining is incapable of understanding what I do, but perrfectly capable of standing around and asking me what I'm doing so I've had to come in early...

2) My daughter is trying to become a juvenile delinquent (quent is such a quaint term..too bad I had to put the 'delin' in front of it.) and I'd prefer her to become a vet, a VET, an actress, a producer or an elephant trainer...so there's that.

3)Because of my work hours my home hours are cut, so there is more work to cram into fewer hours, and dear daughter can't do all of the chores. (Most..yes...but not all)

4)The friends I advised to 'file extensions and I'll help you out in July" have now started appearing.

5) And for some strange reason my friends want to socialize with me and they don't understand that when I take both phones off of the hook and refuse to answer e-mail that does not mean 'I have fallen and cannot get up so you better come over and talk to me for three hours'.

6) I ran out of money for the home repairs and I'm now finishing up all by myself.

7) In the few minutes I do squeeze out, I sit and read over all of the unfinished projects (4....2 novels...3 shorts...damn..that's FIVE!) and get overwhelmed and black out.

8)Ray is wearing my bra again.

Jaycinth said:

and I'd prefer her to become a vet, a VET

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That could take some time. First, she'd have to join the military, then get through training AND find a war (okay, no stretch) then get out of the military and file for benefits.

But - - it's a goal, anyway.

I'm...apprehensive...about writing, because the next thing I'll do is cut 3000 words cold.

And they're good words!

Just not the right ones.

And I don't like doing that. But I will. Just don't want to.

I got some editing done, then was drafted as a playmate by my five-year old. She's now watching a movie, so I should be able to get more done.

Jaycinth said:

8)Ray is wearing my bra again.

Click to expand...

Suddenly I am inspired to write.

Barbarique said:

Tell y'what, Ms. Meow, anyone who can conjure up a simile like that has a very excellent chance of writing a novel which won't suck.

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I second this. The motion is on the floor.

You're only allowed to feel guilty about wasting other people's time -- and that takes no effort at all. They will all do that for you. No feeling guilty about doing what you want with your time!

Can I get back to this thread after I finish sending off this query to an agent?

Then I promise I'll say I don't want to write.

RayRay...I too am the least focused when I am starting a new project. So I know what you mean. That's probably exactly the problem in your case.


I always get excited about a project and then, once I reach the zennith of my excitement I convince myself that a dead donkey wouldn't even be interested in reading my stuff...so why write it. I'm climbing that hill right about now. I'm doing it with my eyes shut this time.

My current problem is I do want to write...but I have to finish a non-writing project that's way overdue. And craziness is happening at work that necessitates overtime (nice, but eats up evening hours), and choir practice is starting again, and...........................................

Yeah. I want to go get lost in a story somewhere!

I thought of some great new ideas for one of my chapters while I worked today. It's the only way I can stay alive in 94[SUP]0[/SUP]heat/104[SUP]0[/SUP] heat index weather.

When I got home I wanted a cool shower, dinner, and my nice comfortable couch. Goodbye ideas...