I know I blather on a lot about my
writing, and about how much I want it and how much I'm trying to juggle with
it, but I had an epiphany a few days ago: writing isn't hard.
The last time I wrote anything was
July 22nd - I've not written anything for 8 weeks, according to my log book,
and I've also missed 8 weeks of pictures (it's a Wildlife Photographer of the
Year diary, so I'm going to enjoy those 8 pictures while writing this). But,
back around the end of July, I realised something: if I continued to work on
the second book of my trilogy as I was, there was a chance it would never get
published. If the first book was never signed by an agent or published, then
there was the chance I'd waste 4 more years writing things that wouldn't be
likely to be published in the coming few years, so I would also postpone any
possible success by 4 years because I'd not have written anything new.
Fortunately, a new idea came to me around that time for a new book, and it was
an idea I was very excited by. I figured the time was right to put the trilogy
to one side (I plan to keep the trilogy and its plans safe and try again in a
year or two - I'm going to continue to send it out to the agencies I've not gotten around to yet, and I'm hoping that the release of
the Hobbit might peak an interest in fantasy novels) and try something new.
I put together a vague plan for
the idea I had, and over time I elaborated it to make it an almost
fully-functioning plan. But then I got distracted by the idea of Grumble CaveMonsters, so the plan was never finished. There's one detail near the end of
the story I'm foggy on, but I've learnt that once I start writing and get to
know my characters and my plot, those foggy bits get cleaned up by themselves,
long before I reach them.
I stopped work on this
not-quite-finished plan about 5 weeks ago to put my full force into my new
shop. Since then I've barely written anything but an interview with VividPlease
and a few not very interesting blog posts, but this morning, I had my epiphany.
In my head, I've built up this
idea that writing is hard, that I need to be in a certain mood, and that any
number of things will keep me from doing it. This has been building up since
around February, so it's been there a while. This morning I realised what a
load of rubbish it was, I remembered how I used to write about 4 to 6 pages a day every
day for a few months straight before going back to 2 pages, and how it
would be the only thing I'd do in a day. I might be looking after my mum now,
but I have time to myself in the evening, and more than enough to fill 2 pages.
For once, I put all my stupid
thoughts to one side, picked up a pen, grabbed some clean paper, put it down
and ran to the bathroom to wash my hands (my hands have to be smooth and clean
so they glide across the paper smoothly so I can keep up with my train of
thought - I'm weird, I know), came back again and just started to write. I
managed 3 and a half pages this morning, and I'm going to do a lot more
tonight. I've just started the story, my characters, as empty as they are at
the moment, are coming along very well, and I'm already fond of the story.
I have one habit that I do have
trouble with, though, and that's the TV. Once that thing is on, it's on.
If I was watching something, it's very difficult to turn it off and write.
Instead, I end up watching more and more things. If it's a series, I'll plow
through the disc. I can make it through 3 Bleach discs in an evening and have
nothing to show for it. Yes, there's lots I can do with the TV on, I can make
jewellery, I can make monsters, I can make stuff, I can paint, I can brainstorm
- but I can't write, and out of all of that stuff, that's the most important
thing I have to do.
But a few days ago, I started to
write again, and I have to tell you: it feels awesome. I forgot how nice silence
can be. No noise, nothing to distract me, just my pen and my paper. I forgot
how nice it feels to slide a pen across paper, how nice words look in blue ink,
how free my mind feels when I'm writing, even with a plan. The beginning of my
plan is the most elaborate, so I do have framework set up, but despite that, I
still feel so free.
I love writing. I want to do
nothing more with my life but write. I want to create worlds and discover the
people and creatures that live there, and the forces at work. I don't even care
how stupid or pretentious it might sound, because if you don't understand what
I mean, you've never written before. Sure, I "create" the characters,
but as soon as a face has formed, they already have their own personality for
me to discover - but I'll elaborate more on that with my How To Build a Story
posts I have planned. I've got about 5 of them ready to go, but I refuse to
post them until I'm satisfied that I have the rest of them finished first.
Anyway, I've wasted enough of your day with my rambling. I just feel so
good. Remember that you can still get 10% off of Grumble Cave Monsters (which
is already at 25% off as it is) with the code GoodMorning until the 26th. I
just wanted to tell you all how happy I am right now <3
Hey lady how do you feel about customizing a few of your baby monsters? Iz thinks they're pretty much the cutest things ever. I was thinking maybe a his and hers kinda thing?
ReplyDeleteThey're so stickin' cute!