Gak, I say, Gak! (or "The Frustrations of Not Writing When the Whole Day Is Free")
Having a Hell of a time writing this morning. Yesterday I got off an app I've been taking special care over, so I determined today would be an all-writing day. Last night and this morning I made the mistake of reading some of Caitlin R. Kiernan's short stories. A mistake, I tell you! Her style is consistent and coherent in a way that's both inspiring and daunting. She can find the weirdness and darkness in a fricking puddle of mud. After that, the story I'm currently working on -- a somewhat Lovecraftian story of atavism & ancient families -- seems grey and lifeless. Part of the problem may be that I've taken so long with it. I need to keep working consistently at things until I'm done with them, and to stop this jumping around. Right now I have too many stories going, and too much other stuff (i.e. big, time-consuming job applications) that truly cannot be put off.