I've been feeling more than a little stalled lately. I shipped my completed novel off to a slush pile, and am researching more places to send it and/or a query letter. Since nobody is banging down my door for the chance to publish "Verbosity's Vengeance", this is going to go either the old fashioned way or the new-fangled self-publish route.
In the meantime, though, I'm stalled. NaNoWriMo was a complete disaster. In the midst of post-Sandy shivering in the dimness, I wrote 2000 words, then threw them away because I got disgusted with the crappy plot outline. I reworked it, put a new spin on it, set down to work... and got nowhere. Complete failure to launch, since I found that I didn't care AT ALL about the book I'd set down to write.
That killed NaNoWriMo and I've been zeroed out ever since. A story each week for Friday Flash, but that's about it. No inspiration, no time to write, no energy. This blog post is about as long as I've done in a while, too. I have an idea for a story, but when will I write it? No idea.
It all comes crumbing apart, doesn't it?
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In the meantime, though, I'm stalled. NaNoWriMo was a complete disaster. In the midst of post-Sandy shivering in the dimness, I wrote 2000 words, then threw them away because I got disgusted with the crappy plot outline. I reworked it, put a new spin on it, set down to work... and got nowhere. Complete failure to launch, since I found that I didn't care AT ALL about the book I'd set down to write.
That killed NaNoWriMo and I've been zeroed out ever since. A story each week for Friday Flash, but that's about it. No inspiration, no time to write, no energy. This blog post is about as long as I've done in a while, too. I have an idea for a story, but when will I write it? No idea.
It all comes crumbing apart, doesn't it?
===== Feel free to comment on this or any other post.
I've been stalled for months, in years past. The words will come back. Either you'll come up with a story you care about, or the characters will force you to care.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping so. I thought my NaNo plot would work, but once I started writing it, the whole thing sounded whiny and trite.
DeleteI am SUCH a member of this unhappy club! I signed up for Nano but realized I had other fish to fry and didn't even try. I really think you have to have something great to write about, a purpose, otherwise Nano is a waste of time. I just don't get people who commit so much time and effort into Nano and then write crap, merely for the sake of getting a word count.
ReplyDeleteAs you know I'm busily querying, too, and wondering if I should just forget it and self-publish. But I have barely started the process and want to give it six months to a year before going the self-publish route. Having said that, I read a really interesting article about author Lisa Genova who gave up after three years of querying, self-published, got really successful, and then sold her book to Simon & Schuster for half a million bucks. http://www.webinknow.com/2009/01/how-lisa-genova-used-social-media-to-turn-a-self-published-book-into-a-ny-times-bestseller.html
Even if it's a crappy club, it's nice to have such good company! I already have one NaNo in the drawer which is pure, unredeemable crap - don't need another one.
DeleteI don't think I could marshal a world-wide army of grammar/superhero enthusiasts to propel this novel into can't ignore phenom status, but you never know.
There was a time back a while ago that I took a short break, mainly for health reasons, but also because I needed a break from writing and social media. I think we all hit that stall moment and the best thing to do is not try to force it but take that break, even a week away can do wonders for the mind, body and soul! ^__^
ReplyDeleteNot counting NaNo, it's been considerably more than a week since I did anything on a longer piece. o.O
DeleteOh, Tony, do I understand! I've been that way for a lot longer than I wish. I can't even blame it on a hurricane, though I'm sure my health issues play into it. I miss the days when story ideas were pounding on my skull from the inside to be let out and I couldn't wait to do it.
ReplyDeleteI started Nano, too, and even though I like my story idea, I just didn't have the physical or emotional energy to write. Something about that 2k barrier, because that's about what I got done before I realized I was too apathetic to take the time to go forward.
I believe we'll both get through it and at least you're writing Friday Flash consistently. I need to get back to that, at least, and Three Word Wednesday.
Hang in there...
I really wanted NaNo to be the jumping off point for the next longer work. It was just not to be. Now I'm wondering where the next story will come from. I have to fight for time to write, since RL (and other enthusiasms) will take every minute they can.
DeleteI imagine that most writers who have a proclivity for quality output need a holiday from serious writing every so often. As a non–writer, I see the other option as descending into churn...
ReplyDelete