I have 5 new novels in my mind. As an enjoyment or past time, I come up with titles as the basic story forms in my mind. I then type down the title and make a new computer file. Well, then, all goes quiet…for awhile.
The writer’s block than hits, hard. I get distracted with internet goofiness. I start feeling depressed. I start making mental excuses, but I know typing up the first few paragraphs is how you start running. You don’t just sprint out there suddenly expecting to keep your breath as you zoom past the other ‘thoughts’. You have to start out slow, jog a bit to keep your pace. But then you see the other thoughts catching up towards you and you begin to panic. You then see the pretty colors and sounds that distract you from the work ahead. You feel bogged down but with a false sense of glee. Then the procrastination hits. You look to the distance and you see the ‘runners’ (your other thoughts) disappear into the dust. You sigh heavily and go back to your distraction instead.
Then, suddenly, you glance over. You see the thoughts that ran past you, are now behind you! You gather your supplies. Your fingers hit the keyboard to open the file. You read what you wrote and then you start from where you left off. Now you are off and running. You realize you are on your way. You don’t look back at the ‘thoughts’ trying to catch you. You focus…you type…Oh My GOD…the story is getting good! You can’t stop. You’ve made one lap around the track! You’ve made a second lap! Then…the writer’s block starts all over again cause the lagging behind ‘thoughts’ waited for you at the starting line. They pounce on you like a dog pile. You think it’s over. You sircome to the heaviness of the cycle all over again.
This is how it is for me. Over and over again, but I’ve caught onto this odd behavior. This is how it ‘happens’ to me –
1) Story pops into my mind
2) Title pops into my mind
3) Write title down by making new file folder on laptop
4) Take a few days to a month away to ‘cure’ the meat of the new story
5) Do research online, in personal library and from real life bits
6) Write a few paragraphs
7) Get online, watch YouTube videos for a few days to a week
8) Go to my day job, new story festers in my mind, but I can’t write it down until I’m on break (ARGGGHHH!!!)
9) Come home, look through new written notes, add them to current computer file notes
10) Start cycle all over again
Here are the titles of future works I’m working on. They are in order of how they come to be in my mind.
(The ** are those I have written a little into already)
Mythia (hahahaha…finished first draft 370 pages, nearly 200k word count, but it’s crap, really it is)
Soul’s Little Lie (edited all 5 drafts myself, but waiting for editing from professional)
Broken Roses **
Dreams of Lotus
Metal Staircase
The Island **
$300 Shoes
Eastener **
Devil’s Play
To Love Thy Inner God
Darker Side of Fandom
I Am Haunted
Goodnight, Mother **
So, as you can see I have a lot on my plate. There are so many stories to choose from I don’t know where to start first. To help me sort out the chaos I’ve made a list for myself on my days off from regular work and for when I come home from regular job.
1)Write one chapter or 5 pages of any new novel
2) Transfer a sketch to finished paper
3) Read a chapter or more of the books you already bought
4) Take a 15 minute break every two hours of working
This is going to be new for me to kick my weary self into working on my novels. I need to discipline myself to get what I want out of my life. No more mopping around in emoland. No more waiting for it to the work for me! Time to kick my own ass into gear if I want these books to be in full form in my hands and in my personal library and most of all, to share with the world!
I hope my tips helped you out. If lists like this are already used in my day job, why can’t they work for me in my future publications? These lists are not bogging me down. They are to lift me up so I can have fun at what I love to do – Tell stories of the craziness in my mind!
Take care!
Tara B. Dobbs 