I'm not doing that. I'm not spending time blogging and trolling around the web trying to avoid writing the opening of my new WIP. Not me, never!
Okay, maybe I am.
Maybe I just need to skip the beginning and write another part of the book. That sounds like a good idea. Anything to get with the program.
What do you do when you feel like you're hiding out from writing by blogging, trolling, stalking, etc? (Like right now, ha ha). Do you have any special tips for getting over that hump and getting back to it?
Kidlit.com had a post about this sort of thing today. If it's just a problem of procrastinating online, my best suggestion is turning off the internet for a few hours. (I personally like going to the public library, where I haven't figured out how to access the internet on my laptop.)
ReplyDeleteOpenings of books can be tricky. I suggest writing the scene near the beginning that excites you most, and go from there. That may likely be the best place to start anyways, since the opening's got to hook the readers somehow. I tend to edit/rewrite the opening the most in my books, so I try not to pressure myself much for chapter one in the first draft.
This is totally unhelpful, but I force myself to go somewhere where I can't do anything but write. Or I take a walk to think through the troublesome plot points.
ReplyDeleteIf I had any suggestions, I'd have used them :) Ok, sometimes reminding myself how good it feels to write. How much I love to write. Not in words, but in actually remembering how it feels.
ReplyDeleteYour idea to skip a post is a good one. I've done that and then gone back to fill in the gap when I was more certain of what I wanted. The last chapter I wrote for my current WIP was written backwards. lol.
ReplyDeleteW.I.P. It: A Writer's Journey
I find that I have to "fish where the syllables are," otherwise writing is a miserable, empty pond experience. If the opening chapter isn't working,I'd try tackling a different part of the book, and then go back later. Also, I find making up "soundtracks" of songs I think match elements in each book helps focus me.
ReplyDeleteThis past weekend I actually turned off the internet. I pulled the plug. I made it impossible to go on. Then I drank an entire bottle of red wine and wrote A LOT OF WORDS!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had an answer; I'm wrestling with that right now. But for me, it isn't starting a new project, it is editing that makes me procrastinate.
ReplyDeleteWhen the words are like wet clay, full of potential, I'm all about writing it. But "finishing?" Then I can only be found miles away.
My advice? Make it your priority. Sure the windows need washing, lists have to be compiled, etc. All after you type the first sentence. Then, the rest will flow from there.
Sarah, I do that too. Listening to music appropriate for the scene I'm about to write gets me in the mood for it. Most of Pink's songs are great for fighting, 80s love songs for the first-kiss scene, etc. When I listen to my "writing" playlist, I almost can't stop myself from writing.
ReplyDelete