My mental power struggle-too many prominent ideas. Just when I think I'm on the right path with one novel, I can't stop thinking about my other one and switch gears. I'm talking about novels that I have plotted out and have the gist of the whole thing down pact. Novels that are begging to be written!
I know I'm not the only writer who struggles with this and it must certainly be the cause of headaches and delays for many, as it is for me. The amount of composition books I possess are enough to dominant an entire drawer. Each one is christened with my chicken-scratch scribbles of lines, paragraphs, scene ideas, etc, for over 11 ideas, three of them of which are my golden stars. Two of those three are my power struggles;both of them demanding my undivided attention.
A popular phrase (I'm paraphrasing) among writers says that a writer isn't the one doing the work, it's their intuition. I agree wholeheartedly with this but when my intuition says this is the one (novel) I'm going to focus on and I truly feel it's the right choice, my intuition glides me through a few days of glorious progress and then does a complete 180. What's a girl to do? No, seriously, tell me.
Any person, especially a writer, should become accustomed to "going with the flow". Life throws unexpected situations and obstacles at us and we must adapt or it will be more difficult. In writing, minds take a writer to places they never thought they were capable of going. Personally, my best writing has come without a single forethought and came simply by being open-minded and letting my pen/keys take the lead. I just write-don't think-write.
Perhaps, my "power-struggle", is of my own doing-not allowing myself the fluidity to flow between two stories I am fully passionate about. Maybe it's my stubbornness in wanting to finish one as soon as I can and be the best I can be in this moment. Maybe I'm thinking too much! Whatever it is, I need to put a lid on it because during this change of focus I simply stop writing and just write down small things in my composition book-not making any real progress. Go with the flow, Katie, is something I should tell myself more often. Otherwise, I'm just wasting my time being unsure of what to do.
Have you ever dealt with this struggle? I would love to hear your comments and I'm open to any advice.
Happy Writing and Go With the Flow,
Katie
I know I'm not the only writer who struggles with this and it must certainly be the cause of headaches and delays for many, as it is for me. The amount of composition books I possess are enough to dominant an entire drawer. Each one is christened with my chicken-scratch scribbles of lines, paragraphs, scene ideas, etc, for over 11 ideas, three of them of which are my golden stars. Two of those three are my power struggles;both of them demanding my undivided attention.
A popular phrase (I'm paraphrasing) among writers says that a writer isn't the one doing the work, it's their intuition. I agree wholeheartedly with this but when my intuition says this is the one (novel) I'm going to focus on and I truly feel it's the right choice, my intuition glides me through a few days of glorious progress and then does a complete 180. What's a girl to do? No, seriously, tell me.
Any person, especially a writer, should become accustomed to "going with the flow". Life throws unexpected situations and obstacles at us and we must adapt or it will be more difficult. In writing, minds take a writer to places they never thought they were capable of going. Personally, my best writing has come without a single forethought and came simply by being open-minded and letting my pen/keys take the lead. I just write-don't think-write.
Perhaps, my "power-struggle", is of my own doing-not allowing myself the fluidity to flow between two stories I am fully passionate about. Maybe it's my stubbornness in wanting to finish one as soon as I can and be the best I can be in this moment. Maybe I'm thinking too much! Whatever it is, I need to put a lid on it because during this change of focus I simply stop writing and just write down small things in my composition book-not making any real progress. Go with the flow, Katie, is something I should tell myself more often. Otherwise, I'm just wasting my time being unsure of what to do.
Have you ever dealt with this struggle? I would love to hear your comments and I'm open to any advice.
Happy Writing and Go With the Flow,
Katie