Writing Woes

[the_wanlorn]

I try not to write here about writing a lot. I have i_dionysus for when I want to post snippets and babble about the meta aspects. As a rule, I try not to talk about it with my real life friends because, let's face it, I don't like people that I have to see reading what I write. Heinlein once said, "There is nothing wrong with writing, so long as you do it in private and wash your hands afterward." He might not have meant it quite as literally, but that's how I've always taken it and how I've always treated my writing, even before stumbling across that quote. But this is really bothering me. So: I'm hating everything that I write lately. It's incredibly frustrating, which leads me to talk about it more, which leads more people to ask about it, which leads me to becoming even more frustrated. It's a vicious, vicious cycle. I start out with what seems like a brilliant idea. I get about a hundred words in and realize that I don't like it anymore. At all. And everything that I have down seems wrong and choppy and stilted and just plain bad. Like I said, really frustrating. But I'm not quite sure what to do about it. I can keep forcing the penned vomit out onto the page, purging my mind of all then bits and scraps of ideas that I binged on during the day. I can hope that someday I'll be able to go back to them and not despise every single word, to be able to expand and turn them into something I can be proud of. Or I can take another break. Another long period where I don't write anything, where I let my imagination simmer into gumbo made from thousands of interrelated ideas that I can spoon onto the page in delicious, steaming ladlefuls of perfection. It didn't work as well as I liked last time, and it probably won't work any better this time. What to do, what to do. I think I'll sleep on it.

Comments

[kisurathegreat.livejournal.com]

Fair warning: I give unsolicited advice below. Feel free to ignore!

My guess about your writing difficulties. . . what you need is an ali.

Yes, I realize that _I_ am an ali, but that's not what I mean. Find someone who's mind can understand your thought process--not duplicate or replicate, but can follow what you mean when it's difficult to put into words. A beta, if you will, or as Edallia calls it, an alpha.

This person--edallia, for me, an ali for her--is fundamentally vital to the writing process. Classic example: i'm having a nightmarish time with one of my characters who has absolutely refused to place himself where he needs to be, when he needs to be there. he also refuses to die. this can become just a bit frustrating for the author. two hours last night took us from not knowing what the hell his problem was to the exact mental, physical, and magical process that led to his abominable behavior.

Then we started working on HER story.

It's not really having another person help you write, in a co-author sense. It's more like sharing a group of friends. When you're struggling with one aspect of the group, this person has a clear view from a slightly different perspective than you.

Alternate suggestion: crank your music up REALLY loud, with something that can in no way be interpreted as soothing (no doubt works well for me, or linkin park), and write all hell out of your angst.

:P

[cmpwrite.livejournal.com]

You could let me read it. :-D You haven't shared anything is soooooo long!!!