Sounds
a bit extreme, doesn’t it? Well, I need it as this is the first lick of writing
I have done all week! When asked why I haven’t been writing by friends and
family eagerly awaiting to read my final chapters, I’ve shelled out a myriad of
excuses, including but not limited to:
-
Too
busy with work
-
Writer’s
block
-
Haven’t
been feeling well
-
Carpel
Tunnel
-
I
want to pay more attention to my Pug
Upon
reflection, I realize now that the reason for my procrastination does not
originate from one of the above mentioned reasons; rather, it stems from that
pesky separation anxiety I spoke of last week. My mind is so adamant about not
moving on that it is in a self-induced creative lock-down.
Similar
to having “shiny object syndrome,” whenever I sit down to complete the final
words of this world I feel suddenly compelled to walk the dog, do laundry, car
window shop, etc. I want to do everything and anything BUT complete my
work-in-progress (WIP.) I want to prolong it as long as is possible.
My
solution? I am going to put the electronic gadgets away, give the dog a bone to
chew on, hunker down in a quiet, comfortable spot in the house and force myself
to finish. After all, the best way to get over a fear or an anxiety is to
confront it head on, right? And that’s exactly what I plan to do.
I have
eliminated all social plans and reserved this weekend for a marathon writing
session. Who knows- I might even shut my phone off and de-activate the
wireless. Whatever it takes to get me back on track is a welcome solution for
me.
My
advice for the week is something along the lines of this: don’t be afraid to
let go. Just because one world is ending does not mean that no new worlds
await. Sometimes you have to suck it up, put one foot in front of the other,
and let your words lead you in a new and exciting direction.
Try to
celebrate the new instead of mourning the old. This is the mindset I am
currently urging myself to succumb to. I hope it will free me of my separation
anxiety and allow me to close this chapter in my series.
Also,
I’ll have two updates this week. JW
Alden was kind enough to tag me in a little challenge called “Lucky Seven
Meme.” The rules of this challenge are: turning to page 77 of your
work-in-progress (WIP), going down to line 7, and then copying
down the next 7 lines - sentences
or paragraphs - and posting them as they're written. No cheating! Once up I will
tag seven people whose blogs I follow to see if we can keep the chain going!
Until next time – Cheers!
-R
I've lain to rest a couple of WIPs in order to move on to other ideas floating around in my head. One day, I may go back and ponder those (both dormant at chapter 4).
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, to let them go. It's not like they will fade away. They live on my hard drive and a backup DVD. :)
Absolutely right! And with luck they will also live in bookstores and tablets :)
ReplyDeleteOne thing I'll sometimes do when I know the end is in sight (and the little voice in my head is afraid to move on) is begin playing around in the world of my next project outside of my usual writing time.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, I might use a lunch break at work to do some idea sketching, world-building, or even rough scene outlines depending how fully formed my idea is. This will usually get me excited to jump into the new world and leave the old behind.
Looking forward to your lucky 7!
JW - that's actually awesome advice! I think I'm going to try giving that a shot this week :D
DeleteYet another timely post, Randi_lee, stocked with insightful ideas and wisdom. Am happy Diane and J.W. also added their own ideas/strategies as well--Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Al! You're always way too good with your comments. Looking forward to YOUR Lucky 7- I do hope you think about participating! :-)
ReplyDelete