What do we do when our days are terrible? We lament them, rage at them, and pretty much tear every single thing apart. Every moment of that day must have conspired to destroy the great words we were going to write! I’m one of those annoying realist types who takes a hard look at my output for the day and judges my efforts vs my results.
If the words aren’t coming, I switch to another of the wips (works in progress) on my list (but don’t start another one! that path lies madness…and procrastination). If I still can’t write, I give myself a good time frame to get wordage down. Usually using online stopwatch or something. If, by the end of that time, the words still refuse to come…I go for a walk. Or for a swim. I’ll take a notebook with me and a pen, and just go somewhere. Eventually my mind will settle and I’ll begin writing on my wip. It can be on bleachers at a gym (but not naked in the women’s locker room, sorry guys), at poolside, or on a bench somewhere. I’ve learned to carry pens that don’t run (sharpie pens anyone?) so the water thing isn’t such an issue.
On the very worst days…nothing comes. And that, in romance, is tragic. Bad joke. Sorry. 😉
But what about those glorious days where the words pour out like a river of wealth and sweet nothings (or kickass antics, and slaughtering of the bad guys)? Why don’t we cheer for those days? Because of superstition.
Just like the kickoff kid (American football) who won’t wash his kicking sock because it helped him with a game-winning point three seasons ago, we writers are afraid of the back-stabbing great day. You see, if we talk about that day, if we dare express our happiness and joy, it will abandon us. Talking about it makes it go away. Washing a sock would prevent a foot from aiming straight (probably true, since a three-season unwashed sock would pretty much stand on its own by then). Not hitting a sign on the way to the field would enable a loss. Is it possible to lose if you hit the sign anyway? Well…yeah…but if you DON’T hit the sign, a loss occurs because of that fact! And any win would be the kiss of a good luck fairy.
So what do I think about all that? I’m Irish-American with a good dose of Shawnee superstition thrown in. Trust me, I’ve got my issues. So why this post? I’ve had a few great writing sessions a week. There. I said it! Say it with me…because like super sales on divine dark chocolate candies, you WILL have another opportunity, another great day! Do I get slammed with BS, annoying flashes of idiocy, unforeseen circumstances and drama that derails me? Yeah. Of course. What do I do about it? Deal with it. Give myself permission to write crap, and get on with it (no one is tougher on me than I am).
We are getting over the hump in the Round of Words challenge. Now’s the time to dig in. It’s the time when the euphoria fades, and you start to self-doubt. That’s perfectly normal. So what are we going to do about it? We’re going to keep putting fingers to keyboard, pen to paper, voice to microphone and keep going. Why? We’re writers and that’s what we do. We make the impossible, possible. It’s time for the real work to begin. The AIC mentality. Ass-in-chair. Not glamorous. But necessary.
So…to all the new followers of this blog…we can do it. Why? Because, well, we can. That’s all there is to it. Persistence is only bad in stalking. And that’s just with restraining orders in place (tongue-in-cheek bad joke. Don’t shoot me!).
Go forth writing brethren! Let’s kick some ass this week! And be damn proud of your good days!
Keep Writing!
Dawn
The Write Way, My Way 