Monday, October 13, 2008

I'm just not that into it

So I’m back writing again, sort of (a story too boring to share) but I’m just not into my current manuscript right now.

This makes me feel bad. Really bad. I love this story, but I’m no longer feeling it.

However, a friend emailed this morning to confess she’s having the same issue with her work in progress, and it’s making her feel bad. Guilty. Really, I think I should start a self-flagellation club for writers. Hair shirt, anyone?

As usual, though, I digress. Ahem.

Anyway it made me realise there are always times when we lose the love for what we’re working on. We have all these real-life demands and distractions and we also have a heap of new ideas dancing around on the edge of our awareness; nice, shiny, ideas. Mmm, fresh.

Ideas are easy. Fun. Stringing enough of them together, mulling over how to polish their raw potential so they really sparkle, that’s harder. It’s work. Sometimes it’s fun—so much fun it’s a wonder it isn’t illegal—but at other times it’s just work. Making words.

But making words eventually makes a story, and it’s funny how the tarnish slowly rubs off as you get closer to that magic combination of words, “The End.”

So I’m making words and hanging on to my faith that the shine will return. I’m resisting the deceptive siren song of those flirty new ideas throwing off gaudy blue and purple sparks in my peripheral vision.

I’m not taking ideas right now. I’m making words.

5 comments:

Rachael Johns said...

This post really resonated with me at the moment AJ! But I think I always start my mss with a bang - not literally - and then midway it really becomes hard work and I start to question why I'm putting myself through the agony of writing. Never come up with a good enough answer to stop... so I always keep on going :0

Hope it get's better soon.
Rach!

Maggie said...

Hi Rach,

Thanks for visiting, and for the good wishes :-). I'm just a bit disenchanted with this one rather earlier than I expected to be. Maybe that means I'll be on fire through the middle!

AJ.

Kiki said...

*hugs*
I know what you mean about feeling like this one is just no good. If I just started that *other* idea, it would be full of shiny sparkles and be perfect and...

I don't remember who said it, but I wrote it on my wall.
"Nothing is as exciting as the next idea."

Hang in there. Writing is a craft, after all, and all craft can be hard and tedious at times.

Kirsty @ Bonjour Quilts said...

I'm dark at bloglines...for some reason this entry only came through today and you wrote it last week? Not sure what's going on there.

Anyway, this post is me at the moment. Writing these new scenes is like pulling teeth, editing it is a little better, but not much. So, I'm hearing you, AJ.

Maggie said...

Hi Kiki and Kirsty,

Thanks for stopping by and commiserating - nice to know there are fellow sufferers out there.

Yes, there is nothing like the lure of the next idea but I know I just need to keep my head down and see this one through. You too, Kirst - I'm hanging in there with you.