So, yeah, February has been a slow, sloooow month for me. Up until last night, I could have counted on one hand the number of words that I’d added to anything related to fulfilling my dreams of being the greatest writer in the world. I know, I aim high but a girl’s gotta dream, right? ;-)
This current Dry Spell? It was killing me. Every night I looked at my files, then I would open my internet browser and that would be the end of my ‘work’ for the night. Even my Special Forces class was boring me to tears. And that’s saying something.
Last night, I’d had enough. Work has been entirely too stressful lately and being in the mist of this ‘dry spell’ wasn’t helping matters at all. So I pulled out the big guns. I bought some lottery tickets and a bottle of wine. I wrapped it in a brown paper bag and drank that shit right there in the parking lot while sitting next to a homeless man with a pigeon on his head.
Just kidding.
I waited until I got home and I drank it from a mason jar.
And then I wrote the opening scene for a story I’ve been rolling around in my head for a while now. Just like that – out of the mind and onto the page - the Dry Spell was over. Thank you very much.
I’d like to think it was the wine, just so I can keep a bottle of Boones Farm on hand, but more than likely it was the simple fact that my subconscious (SC) knew it was time to relax. Decompress. Refocus. SC is just really smart and knows that for me to listen, it needs to liquor me up a bit first…
So, tell us what your Dry Spells are like. Do you know the triggers? How do you pull out of the funk? Or are you that rare breed that can crank out a story no matter what else is going on in your life? How is that even possible?
P.S. I might already be Texas’ newest millionaire…If I could just find that damn tickets….
5 comments:
great blog, chellie. strawberry hill, represent! i smiled instantly. that brings back so many memories i may be smiling for the rest of the day ...
so, i am an ocd writer. i don't experience dry spells or writer's block. if i didn't have to sleep, eat, take a bath, or do housework, i could write 24 hours a day. i'm writerstein. i feel like drama comes into my life for the sole purpose of me writing about it. i resolve many unresolved issues by writing a story about it and making it turn out how I want!
i had a professor in college declare was no such thing as writer's block. had another professor who said in order to be a writer, you have to write everyday. i tend to agree. either that, or i'm just a possessed writing robot in a southern girl's body:)
i think sometimes writers can feel overwhelmed, esp. writers who have a goal of creating a novel. a novel is no small task. it's huge. if it was easy, everyone would do it. only those with the discipline, desire, and determination will achieve their goals. so, my advice is to just jump in. work on a scene, any scene. once you start writing, the enthusiasm will flow and everything else will just fall into place.
um, i left out a word in the 3rd paragraph, 1st sentence, but i'm not sure how to edit comments. see, ocd.
Fantastic blog, Chellie! For some reason lately everytime I go to type 'blog' I type 'blob' instead. That always makes me think of that really old movie - 'The Attack of The Blob' or something like that. If you saw it you know that this small blob landed from another planet and even though it moved at the speed of a snail it was able to attack and 'absorb' a whole town full of people until the blob was the size of a small house.
Anyway that is completely off subject. But if I accidentally put blob into my blog you'll know why.
I've been a real writing slump lately also. I think part of it is the weather. The winter always bumms me out. I need lots of sun. But I feel like I've turned a corner this past week and I'm back in the game. :) I've been writing new pages and excited about it again.
I think it's true that writing everyday is the way to go.
it's easier to write everyday than to skip a day. Great blog BTW. I'm not sure that I have writer's block, it's more like not wanting to write sometimes. Then I find something else to write about it and everything's ok. :)
Ahh. Brings back memories of pick-up trucks and parties in the middle of a field somewhere. Okay so I just gave myself away as a small town girl.
Anyway, I've been writing everyday but it's been mostly revising and editing. Have you ever looked at something so much that you just can't stand it anymore? That's where I am now.
Post a Comment