They Said It, Not Me (1)

So, in the last post I talked about writing slumps. And I mentioned in the post, that one thing that helps you get out of one, or never get stuck in one, is to have supportive friends who can boost and encourage your creativity. It's totally one of the best solutions out there. But there's another thing that can motivate me.

Awesome Quotes. 

I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to quotes and funnies about writing that lift my spirits and keep me encouraged when it gets hard. So I'm going to share some with you. Because sometimes you don't need advice, just a little reminder to keep chugging. And basically, because them all and I can't paste a whole Pinboard on here, I'll come back every couple weeks with more. 

Way to keep it positive. I love the way this is put.

My knees hurt already. 

It's really hard to get that perspective sometimes. This is a great reminder.

*giggles* Hehe...okay

First, isn't this quote seriously eye-poppng? 

Second, Woot. All those grammar mistakes are worth something! 

This is a HUGE one for me. I love this tip. It's so easy as an amateur to get caught up in how amazing your writing is, but forcing yourself into a humble mindset like this, does wonders for development. 

And because we all need a little humor in our lives...

Okay. I'm gonna stop there before I paste my whole board onto a post. If you are looking for more, feel free to check out my BOARD. And with that inspiration get to it! Go write like the wind! 

The Dangers of Writing Slumps

My original post HERE. Edited to fit this blog.

What Exactly Is A Writing Slump?

A writing slump is a period of time - usually more than a week - where you don't want to write, or you can't bring yourself to write. Every time you try to make yourself write again, you just can't seem to pick up the story.

Now, in some cases this can be called writers block. But we're talking slump here. A step up from a lack of inspiration. In this case, to put it bluntly, it's laziness. For example, take this popular movie scene:

You probably know what I'm talking about here. Superheroes called to duty, spend hours being said heroes and then, bam, they crash in a schwarma shop for a break. However, they have a confession to make. After all that crazy hero schebang, they didn't want to go back to training and saving the world. They just wanted to sit there eating shawarma for the rest of time. Therein lies the problem. 

What's The Problem With Writing Slumps?

Let me get this straight. I have nothing against taking a short writing break to clear your head and get back in the right mood. But it's when you don't start writing again, that we hit trouble. Why? Because we simply aren't writing. Anything. We're relaxing and focusing on other things, slowly pushing writing to the back of our brain. And well, when we think about writing again, it's so much easier to push aside for another time.

And another..

And another...

I think it goes without saying from this point on. We don't want to get caught in a situation where we aren't writing because we don't feel like it. Cuz, if we never FEEL like it? We ain't never gonna write. And if we never write? Well down the drain go all your writerly hopes and aspirations. You can wave goodbye now. 

I'm talking from experience here, you do not want to be in a writing slump. For one thing, they are like a very bad habit. It grows super fast, and takes forever to break out of. Second, a part of you just feels gone. I admit this freely. I adore my characters however crazy they may be, and if I'm not writing at least somewhat regularly, I start to feel withdrawal. And it's not fun. At all. 

And going back to my definition, once you are in a writing slump, you won't WANT TO WRITE. I mean sure one side of your brain is all "I need to find out what happens to my characters next!" But the other side of your brain will be all. "It's so much Woooork. I'll do it later." So not wanting to, turns into can't bring yourself too, and that's when you turn into a quitter.

How Do I Avoid A Writing Slump?

or pull myself out of one?

The number one thing you're going to have to do if you are serious about staying out of these death traps, is Write. Force yourself to write. 

This is where you butt in, "But what about breaks!"

We do need breaks. But even if you're on a break for your most recent WIP, doesn't mean you have to stop writing. Write something new! Focus on a completely different genre. Have a secret project that is your guilty pleasure. Something you love. Something you can read without thinking how freaking hard writing is.

Breaking away from a slump is another matter though. In this case, I would surround yourself with your writing buds. People who you can relate to, who can encourage you. Positive peer pressure works wonders for the down-trodden soul.

You can also start small. Write a quick scene, or something related to your novel to get your brain back into the world you are focusing on. Brainstorm. If you keep a notebook full of notes, crack it open and read. Who knows what will inspire you. 

So it's up to you now. Draw the line between failure and success. Aim for the goal and shoot for the sky. No writing slumps can stop you! Go and write like the wind! You got this in the bag.

Jumping Back In

This past week I've started printing out and reading through my first draft of my most recent finished work. It's been about roughly four months since the draft was completed. When I first finished it, I was all relief that I had finished this hunky thing that had been following me around for two years. But the other side of me was all, OH MY GOSH, YOU FINISHED A BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are so many mixed feels that come with finishing that first draft and being able to set it down with the words The End written on.

And yet, after I got over the initial excitement, the first thing I thought was. "Oh crap. Now comes the revising." I'm going to be honest here. Revising scares me like heck. It's that whole LOVE IT, HATE IT relationship.

On the one hand, I'm thrilled that I can finally make my book that book I want it to be. After four months of thinking about it, I finally know how to take this ball clay and shape it into something worth loving.

But then we've got the fact that it's like SO FREAKING HARD to edit! Cutting lines, find the right words, scribbling out half of your novel, sometimes even cutting characters...it's kind of disheartening! And the thought of going down that road and repeating the process oh, like A MILLION times isn't exactly reassuring.

So I guess, for me, the challenge is finding the right balance between the excitement and the depression of jumping back into your novel. I don't even know if there is one! But I guess, just facing the fact that it's going to be hard and that I'm going to come face to face with my terrible writing, and then running on all the excitement is what's gonna get me through.

Which means there is only one thing left to do; JUMP RIGHT IN.