And Now For Something Completely Different
24 Jul
Ever have one of those days where you have 20620 ideas clawing at the inside of your head, but you sit down to write and none of your sentences make sense?
I had one of those yesterday. I’m working on a collaborative story that is so much fun, and it was time for me to write my bit. I sat down, got into the character’s head (yeah, I’m a freaking method actor, apparently) and found myself incapable of arranging words in any meaningful way. Okay, no cracks about how I have trouble with that on the best of days, right? Right! Something was just broken. I wrote the first three sentences some 10 times, deleted them 10 times, and stared a lot.
Then I thought about the two stories I wanted to write. One has aliens– could this be my first sci fi? How exciting! … nothing. So I thought about the other one. It has an elf– which is not what it sounds like, especially coming from someone who spends way too much spare time on Lord of the Rings Online, but I guess that’s not the point of this post. The point is that either of those sounds like something I’d be very into.
Nothing!
So I decided to write a personal blog post detailing how pissed off I was about this turn of events. And deleted it 10 times before throwing up my hands and going to bed.
But it’s a new day, and what ability I once had to make words seems to be on its way back, if slowly. I share this with you because you will understand. And as expressed many times on this blog before, my misery loves company. What is it that breaks in our brains on days like this? Did I simply reach my word saturation point?
There are good things too! I got an acceptance this week, but since I’m not sure what the story title is yet– it needs a change– I reckon I’d better not say what it is. This was my last short story floating in the ether, so now I need to edit the two lingering on my hard-drive and send them out. Or, you know, WRITE THE NEW ONES.
Also, I have Red Penny Papers swag incoming. Well, bookmarks, but they should be very pretty. So if anyone’s coming to Context 23 this year– conveniently timed to be the weekend before the first RPP release– count on me searching you out and handing you one. You think you don’t want it now, but when you see the glory of Magdala Twistleton in bookmark form, you won’t be able to refuse.
She’s kind of a bad ass. (This is why I need an alter-ego to hide behind, you see! Well, that and she’s pretty.)
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Now playing: Kasabian – Fast Fuse
via FoxyTunes
Ah, bookmarks ♥♥♥♥♥♥
Oh, I have days like that. Lots of days like that. I figure they are a necessary evil leading us where we need to go.
I have lots of days when the internal WP is broken. It sucks but what can you do?
Good luck with the fiction site!
I like me some swag. (congrats on the anonymous story…title needs a change? I had to do that this week, too…hmmmmm)
I can’t think of anything more sensible for readers and writers, as far as swag goes, Cate! I’ll be sending you one when they get here, you’d better believe!
I like your theory about the necessary evil, though. That makes me feel better.
Mike, I don’t know, but I’d like to do SOMETHING. It’s irritating. Still, there’s hope knowing it happens to others. Of course I don’t wish it on you, but thanks.
Aaron, I’m pretty sure almost every story in this one will need a name change… odds are good it’s the same one, then! Ha! (You’ll be getting a bookmark too, for sure. Yeah, so exciting, I know
)
word saturation point. I like that.
I can always use a bookmark. I lose them *sigh*
Pretty much the whole of the weekend where I couldn’t settle to writing any one thing. It all started out well on Saturday morning when I began a new short story and then went I came back to it all on Sunday morning – only a tad hungover from the night before – nothing made else and endings for some of the short stories still remained elusive.
Jamie, it seemed to fit the bill.
Nat, that’s my problem too! I think that’s what gave me the idea in the first place…
Gah, Danielle, it’s the worst isn’t it? What the hell are our brains doing to us, anyhow? Waaaaaaaugh.