Wednesday, June 30, 2010

What to do when the words won't come

Hmmm- what an original title. As I sit here looking at the blog title I realize that probably every single writer has at one time posted such a blog. (Ok every writer with a blog, so that narrows it down to only about 5 billion).

But this is a serious problem. The last few weeks I have simply been unable to get my butt to stay in the chair. Not just writing, I'm not really going online much when I get home either.

All I do is come home, eat, and watch ....TV. UGH. It started innocently, I pushed myself to get to the half way point on one of my projects, then once that pressure was off, limped into a few half hearted writing attempts (mostly re-reading and PULLING things out). Last week and a half- NOTHING.

Now I do love to write, so what the heck is wrong? Part of it could be self doubt- it always stomps around asking why I'm doing this. Thing is I like doing it- or rather I love having written ;).

But instead, I'm coming home and watching tv reruns. Then going into bed early because I'm tired. I'm not a big tv person. I only follow a few shows. But instead of doing something I love, I find myself channel surfing stuff I don't even want to watch? It's like eating something bad for you that doesn't even taste good but you eat it anyway- just because it's decadent.

Ha- maybe that's a clue. Maybe it's a "treat" to just go brain dead for an evening (they do insist on making me think at work) and I've taken that treat too far.

Tonight I realized I really had a problem, and am hoping I can pull myself back from the edge.
I've forced myself to get in 200 words in tonight on the Glass Gargoyle before I wrote this blog. I'm not leaving until I hit 500. It's not much, but it adds up. I'm hoping that I can just work my way through this serious, serious slump. I don't want to throw away my writing dreams because I'm addicted to the brain numbness of TV.

Anyone out there? What do you do when your "OMPF" to write has vanished?

3 comments:

  1. I'm fighting that same disease right now. It's been over a year since I finished anything. I've written on three or four things but only gotten a few chapters in each.

    It's easier to not do anything. I need to rededicate and get productive.

    I think if I could get an excise program working, it would help. I would have more energy (after the pain of the first week or two) and interest in doing things besides sitting with the TV.

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  2. Not that I've been at this all that long, but I found that when I put off writing, it's because I'm most likely not happy with the way the story is unfolding. And if I don't like what's happening, I'm not interested. When I realize that, I start thinking about what needs to change. When I get excited about the story again, then I have no problem getting back to writing it.

    Maybe you do just need a break from the story. Maybe you should start planning another book, or a short story, or just think of new ideas. Maybe that will bring the OMPF back.

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  3. Thanks Beth and Stacy :). Beth- I hear ya on the exercise program as well...I need to get in gear with that too.
    Stacy- I think you're on the right track, I'm working on the almost finished book- the Glass Gargoyle. It's helping :)

    Got 500 done yesterday and 500 tonight- I guess baby steps!

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