What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?

I'm going to post this here because I think it's worth reading for any creative pursuit. This is a list of filmmaking advice from Werner Herzog. While getting into trouble with the law maybe doesn't apply (or does it? he asks, a manic gleam in his eye), I think many of them help give me a kick in the pants to just sit in the chair. And as Herzog is a writer, I'm sure some of these stem from his experience off-set as well.

1. Always take the initiative.
2. There is nothing wrong with spending a night in jail if it means getting the shot you need.
3. Send out all your dogs and one might return with prey.
4. Never wallow in your troubles; despair must be kept private and brief.
5. Learn to live with your mistakes.
6. Expand your knowledge and understanding of music and literature, old and modern.
7. That roll of unexposed celluloid you have in your hand might be the last in existence, so do something impressive with it.
8. There is never an excuse not to finish a film.
9. Carry bolt cutters everywhere.
10. Thwart institutional cowardice.
11. Ask for forgiveness, not permission.
12. Take your fate into your own hands.
13. Learn to read the inner essence of a landscape.
14. Ignite the fire within and explore unknown territory.
15. Walk straight ahead, never detour.
16. Manoeuvre and mislead, but always deliver.
17. Don't be fearful of rejection.
18. Develop your own voice.
19. Day one is the point of no return.
20. A badge of honor is to fail a film theory class.
21. Chance is the lifeblood of cinema.
22. Guerrilla tactics are best.
23. Take revenge if need be.
24. Get used to the bear behind you.

http://www.openculture.com/2015/01/werner-herzogs-24-pieces-of-filmmaking-life-advice.html

It's hard to keep your hopes up when you've only sold five copies so far this month. But I keep hoping the next thing I try will be the one that finally does it. I don't know, but maybe paperbacks really are the key to this whole thing. I guess I'll know in a few months. Probably not, I suspect. Or do I?

*I am itching to get past a certain checkpoint in my book. It’s slow going, but I’m working on it. At least I get to start writing scenes with one of my favorite characters again soon.

* I want to nominate my protagonist’s legal guardian for the Most Absent-Minded Fictional Parent Award. The police just turned up a third or fourth dead body, and I’m pretty sure Legal Guardian has yet to discuss safety options (“Stay with friends, don’t go in the woods, etc”) with Protagonist. Granted, they’ve been a little busy lately, but I can’t believe I just now realized I haven’t written a conversation like that yet, to my memory lol.

Very difficult to move forward on any of my current projects. My story about fossil hunting wizards in America's Gilded Age of the 1880s is going slowly because I don't have a good sense of the voice yet. I suppose I ought to flesh out the main character some more, but there's also a part of me that says I ought to just write this draft and get it going. And I think that's what I'm going to do.

underpope said:

Very difficult to move forward on any of my current projects. My story about fossil hunting wizards in America's Gilded Age of the 1880s is going slowly because I don't have a good sense of the voice yet. I suppose I ought to flesh out the main character some more, but there's also a part of me that says I ought to just write this draft and get it going. And I think that's what I'm going to do.

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Total fly-by, here, but I saw this bit in the New Posts view and just had to say it sounds like an awesome concept...

As for my own writing, I've been so off my game I've barely even been reading this month, though I'm slowly getting back into the habit. (Fanfic exercises once again help grease the skids... I know I can't use it anywhere, but the words are slowly coming out of my brain at least, which is a step in the right direction.) No real reason for the drought that I can pin down, save general restlessness, inability to settle the brain, and letting life suck the stories out of me. Oh, and sinus issues, because sinuses remain absolute proof against a benevolent creation deity - at least one that favors humans and not infection microbes...

underpope said:

Very difficult to move forward on any of my current projects. My story about fossil hunting wizards in America's Gilded Age of the 1880s is going slowly because I don't have a good sense of the voice yet. I suppose I ought to flesh out the main character some more, but there's also a part of me that says I ought to just write this draft and get it going. And I think that's what I'm going to do.

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Please do, because I want to read this!

Girlfriend said that "I never thought someone would write a bloodbath that I'd love, but you did." She suggested a niche publishing house too. Now comes the task of editing.

underpope said:

Very difficult to move forward on any of my current projects. My story about fossil hunting wizards in America's Gilded Age of the 1880s is going slowly because I don't have a good sense of the voice yet. I suppose I ought to flesh out the main character some more, but there's also a part of me that says I ought to just write this draft and get it going. And I think that's what I'm going to do.

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It took me writing a few scenes I won't use and some chapters into the novel I'm writing to get a sense for the voice. It'll happen the more you write in that world. Thank goodness for editing and rewriting!

flarue said:

*I am itching to get past a certain checkpoint in my book. It’s slow going, but I’m working on it. At least I get to start writing scenes with one of my favorite characters again soon. 

* I want to nominate my protagonist’s legal guardian for the Most Absent-Minded Fictional Parent Award. The police just turned up a third or fourth dead body, and I’m pretty sure Legal Guardian has yet to discuss safety options (“Stay with friends, don’t go in the woods, etc”) with Protagonist. Granted, they’ve been a little busy lately, but I can’t believe I just now realized I haven’t written a conversation like that yet, to my memory lol.

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Both points, been there done that, and will again.

I have to poke and prod myself to keep it up, but I'm making some headway on the novel.

Just don't feel like writing.

About half way through #5 editing pass - mostly smoothing out the writing at this point. Also working with an artist for the cover art. I'll make some changes - the girl's hair, too much clutter that would get muddy when it's reduced to a thumbnail for sale on the web, the dark area (foothills) behind the city needs to be lightened or gotten rid of, and it needs to have the series name. The artist (found on Reedsy) is great to work with.

I feel like I write too much dialogue, but it might just be that I have not enough description. I like the dialogue, I think it's good dialogue, I just also think it's edging into talking heads.

In the situation where I have a vague idea as to how I want things to go, but no idea how to implement it. Which is pretty much the story of my life, in general.

I am just the most indecisive world builder of all time and it gets me into trouble because I change the rules as I'm writing and then have to go fix everything that doesn't make sense after the change. I much prefer working with/writing characters, the world stuff all seems to come out to cliche - but it's causing me to get stuck on an ending. So frustrating!

Zoe R said:

I am just the most indecisive world builder of all time and it gets me into trouble because I change the rules as I'm writing and then have to go fix everything that doesn't make sense after the change. I much prefer working with/writing characters, the world stuff all seems to come out to cliche - but it's causing me to get stuck on an ending. So frustrating!

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Yeah, I'm the same way, but with plotting.

CalRazor said:

Yeah, I'm the same way, but with plotting.

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How do you finally make up your mind?

maghranimal said:

A thousand years of history seems absolutely nuts to try and tackle in one novel. Have you considered a series?

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Honestly, no. I have yet to publish a single novel. Right now the thought of a series terrifies me. I'm having a lot of trouble writing anything at the moment. My routine is getting harder and harder to maintain. Increasing work demands and depression are making 1000 words seem like climbing Everest. I THINK I have figured out an angle for this story that will work, from the eyes of a different character. We will see.

The fact that I haven't been doing it.

It's been a rough few months for me in terms of work and school and family issues. Whenever I do have free time, I feel no inclination to write or edit.

This is problematic, as I wanted to release the third book in my World in Chains series by the end of April. I don't think that's going to happen. It's just not edited into shape yet.

Sparking my writing while not wanting to revise as I write. Starting my game story (again) with ideas I have tried before, while not overwhelming the player with too much information AND keeping them interested.
I haven't written anything in my two projects since early January this year. Other classes in college taking that time. I hunger for working on one of them - this game idea. Its just getting a flow of thoughts on paper and not always fixing them on the spot, as I said, is the hardest part. My perfectionist mindset reaallllyyy needs to take a back seat...like always.

Six weeks since jury duty threw my life into a tailspin. (By the way, the fellow we convicted is appealing, so all the tense and judicious listening, careful note-taking, and respectful deliberation we jurors committed ourselves to counted for NOTHING.)

In normal life, I'm working on three volumes of a seven volume series with three different writers' groups helping, one/volume. I haven't been able to return to that, but I'm no longer behind on my critiques for my fellow group members, and I've implemented almost all of their pertinent suggestions.

I feel like I've been deep under water for a long, long time, but at least now, I can see where the lighter surface is and paddle toward that.

The character who's starting to come clear as the real protagonist for my current project is trans. Their mother's bigotry is the catalyst for them going on the walk that catapults them into the fantasy world, and I'm worried about whether a homophobic and transphobic rant, even in the mouth of a minor antagonist, is something I can or should write.

I've been writing four individual mini-stories, with one for each of my main characters. It's been challenging because they usually travel as a group and its such a different dynamic, another big problem I had was that one of the stories just didn't fit with the other three. After lots of hard work it's finally coming together and it feels like it was worth it. I've finished the first draft so now it's just deciding on the order and the usual editing.

Petty troubles today! I'm Canadian, and I'm pretty sure "mom" is the more usual way of saying "mother" in my part of the world, but my default is "mum" from a diet of Harry Potter fanfic in my youth, so I keep having to correct myself whenever I write it. Oh woe is me.