Tired and discouraged.
So, yeah, I'm planning another short-story NaNo push for January. As one does.
And for some reason, my Writer Brain has decided to go completely offline. I still have three outlines to finish.
What this means in practical terms is that I'll probably still be outlining some stories while I'm writing others next month. The one I'm outlining right now is the one that's pinging me the hardest, but it's not the one I need to write first. The one I need to write first is the second one on that bulleted list up there, because it's got an actual deadline (February 1). And I still have the second Plot Turn and second Pinch to come up with in that one, along with a Resolution rather than a denouement, which is what I have now.
Antubis and Flaubert (my anteater muses; don't ask) are sticking out their considerable tongues and going "NEENER" at me, rather than actually helping. And I am banging my head on my keyboard and assiduously wishing for something stronger to drink than diet Mountain Dew. At one in the afternoon. I'm just about ready to throw my hands up, say "screw it," and wing the rest of these damn stories.
But I know that will end in disaster. So. Gyah. I am a professional, dammit. Therefore, I will sit down and do my job, which at this moment consists of outlining these stupid stories so I can hit the ground running in January.
A doctor doesn't get to say "Sorry, guys, I've got Surgeon's Block, so we're going to have to reschedule this procedure for a different date when I'm feeling it." And neither do I.
And for some reason, my Writer Brain has decided to go completely offline. I still have three outlines to finish.
- I need a concrete villain with a concrete motivation for one.
- I need to figure out if another one even has a villain. So far, the answer to that seems to be a resounding "no!"
- I need a wholesale Plot for the third. All I have at this point is a bare Idea.
What this means in practical terms is that I'll probably still be outlining some stories while I'm writing others next month. The one I'm outlining right now is the one that's pinging me the hardest, but it's not the one I need to write first. The one I need to write first is the second one on that bulleted list up there, because it's got an actual deadline (February 1). And I still have the second Plot Turn and second Pinch to come up with in that one, along with a Resolution rather than a denouement, which is what I have now.
Antubis and Flaubert (my anteater muses; don't ask) are sticking out their considerable tongues and going "NEENER" at me, rather than actually helping. And I am banging my head on my keyboard and assiduously wishing for something stronger to drink than diet Mountain Dew. At one in the afternoon. I'm just about ready to throw my hands up, say "screw it," and wing the rest of these damn stories.
But I know that will end in disaster. So. Gyah. I am a professional, dammit. Therefore, I will sit down and do my job, which at this moment consists of outlining these stupid stories so I can hit the ground running in January.
A doctor doesn't get to say "Sorry, guys, I've got Surgeon's Block, so we're going to have to reschedule this procedure for a different date when I'm feeling it." And neither do I.