Monday, March 21, 2011

And....BREAK!

My writing process is about as crazy as I can make it. I flash write, where I'll dump 10K on the page and then spend the next three weeks expounding/editing/moving bits around. Then a week where I think I'll chuck it all in the trash. And in this time of trash chucking I have to find a way to cope and get back to the 10K dump session so the cycle can begin again.

What keeps the wheel winding?

1. Text messages--no seriously. A long story, short: my friend and I have been texting each other because our schedules make it impossible for us to actually get together and she kept sending me this message: I want more stories. And I'll admit my life can get a little crazy and so I thought she just missed me talking about the crazy things from set/back stage/shop ect... Then she sent one that said: PS I would like more stories. And then it hit me, I'd sent her some stuff--she wanted more of my writing.........I HAVE A FAN! Okay so she's my friend and I'm not sure it counts, but it makes me smile every time I read the message. Call me crazy but it gets me through the day.

2. Crit partner--seriously find one. End of story. They tell you how you what's wrong and then (unlike some people coughchough critics coughcough) they help you FIX it. Plus they get the whole this-writing-thing-makes-you-kind-of-crazy--and they don't look at you like you're growing extra tentacles from your eyeballs. (Or if they do you can look back at them and giggle because they're growing tentacles too.)

3. And this might be my personal fav: free WRITE. What does this mean? I write what I want without care to how good it is or where the plot is going or what the hell is wrong with the grammar. I can just write and sometimes the coolest things come out. For example (as I am currently in the head-smacking-I-hate-this-waiting-for-the-cycle-to-begin-again stage) I wrote this and it sort of makes me giggle. Is it going anywhere? Probably not, except maybe a one way ticket to the nut house for yours truly. But it's sort of fun anyway--if you like that whole after the revolution thing.

The reward for killing the king should be death, no matter the circumstance. Because if you live long enough you’ll wish it was yourself on the other side of the weapon. I know I do.

I killed the king. I killed the king without thought, remorse, or care for my own safety. And yet, here I am celebrated as a hero, the lone rebel who stood up to a tyrant and slit his throat. I remember standing in his room, my dagger sheathed in blood and the king lying dead before me. I didn’t want to be a hero—I wanted my home.

Here, I am home and still there is no peace, the new king stands muddy up to the eyes in my library, and I am contemplating regicide, yet again. Iri showed him in, without thought to my order that I was not to be disturbed. I suppose king trumps employer. Just my luck.


That's my way of dealing with the ups and downs of writing. What's yours?

2 comments:

  1. Okay so shoot me I haven't been by in a while but I wondered over to just see. And I would never judge you for you tentacles, I have squiggly eyeballs (you've seen my MS you know it's true.) I glad I've found a crit partner who helps me fix my problem areas in return. You rock.

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  2. And for god's sake, don't point out the lack of comma and grammar mistakes I made in my comment. (Yes I'm avoiding my edit and before you can twitter me to chastise, I going back Right. Now.)

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