Suck It Up and Write
Why My Output Has Decreased:
1. I’m out of the habit. I used to write every day: blog entries, papers for school, my own work, &c.
2. I have less time. Insomnia could be a beautiful thing.
3. I like to write in sequence; I hate skipping ahead when I’m stuck. A little case of writer’s block turns into a huge one.
4. I edit as I go along, which is time-consuming and entangling.
5. I’m not doing enough planning.
What I’m Going To Do About It:
1. Plan.
2. Work on multiple projects, so if I get stuck on one, I can make progress on another.
3. Try to move on: less nitpicky editing while I write.
4. Use this LJ.
Making use of this LJ is going to be the hardest part. I’m very private about my writing, and I can be shy about discussing it. I can speak volumes about my writing, but that’s in private (or relatively so) conversations over IM, where my correspondents can’t see me blush or cower or otherwise betray my embarrassment. I don’t really do these things in the first place if I’m discussing my work electronically, but if you get me on the phone or talk to me in person, I get uncomfortable. I’m too shy. I’ve been trying to share more, showing my works-in-progress to Ryan and monsieur, but this, too, is difficult. Not only am I flustered, but I used to have a superstition about showing people my projects before they were done: if somebody read something that was incomplete, I would never finish it, no matter how promising the piece was or how well it was going. Taking a creative writing class in high school did a lot to dispel this belief, but hints of it still remain.
Besides just sharing my work, I also need to solicit suggestions, particularly when I have phrasing issues. I used to reach out and quiz others on what sounded better, but I don’t do that anymore. I must learn again to ask. Maybe I will start posting problem sentences here-we’ll see.
There is so little holding me back. (Here comes the Bloomsday.) James Joyce wrote through blindness - what are my complaints compared to that? He detailed his Dublin perfectly, despite being an expatriate, by endlessly sending questions to those he left in Ireland, asking them to provide him with particulars he had forgotten. And they did. People are willing to help, if you will let them.
Having an assignment seemed to help. Next entry: an overview of one of my projects.
1. I’m out of the habit. I used to write every day: blog entries, papers for school, my own work, &c.
2. I have less time. Insomnia could be a beautiful thing.
3. I like to write in sequence; I hate skipping ahead when I’m stuck. A little case of writer’s block turns into a huge one.
4. I edit as I go along, which is time-consuming and entangling.
5. I’m not doing enough planning.
What I’m Going To Do About It:
1. Plan.
2. Work on multiple projects, so if I get stuck on one, I can make progress on another.
3. Try to move on: less nitpicky editing while I write.
4. Use this LJ.
Making use of this LJ is going to be the hardest part. I’m very private about my writing, and I can be shy about discussing it. I can speak volumes about my writing, but that’s in private (or relatively so) conversations over IM, where my correspondents can’t see me blush or cower or otherwise betray my embarrassment. I don’t really do these things in the first place if I’m discussing my work electronically, but if you get me on the phone or talk to me in person, I get uncomfortable. I’m too shy. I’ve been trying to share more, showing my works-in-progress to Ryan and monsieur, but this, too, is difficult. Not only am I flustered, but I used to have a superstition about showing people my projects before they were done: if somebody read something that was incomplete, I would never finish it, no matter how promising the piece was or how well it was going. Taking a creative writing class in high school did a lot to dispel this belief, but hints of it still remain.
Besides just sharing my work, I also need to solicit suggestions, particularly when I have phrasing issues. I used to reach out and quiz others on what sounded better, but I don’t do that anymore. I must learn again to ask. Maybe I will start posting problem sentences here-we’ll see.
There is so little holding me back. (Here comes the Bloomsday.) James Joyce wrote through blindness - what are my complaints compared to that? He detailed his Dublin perfectly, despite being an expatriate, by endlessly sending questions to those he left in Ireland, asking them to provide him with particulars he had forgotten. And they did. People are willing to help, if you will let them.
Having an assignment seemed to help. Next entry: an overview of one of my projects.