Writer's Off
Yesterday was a day that I had to call in for reinforcements. Every writer knows about the creative archenemy, something we call "Writer's Block." Recently I had been introduced to something far more deadly than a simple block. I was introduced to a new phenomenon called "Writer's Off." It crept up on me slowly, quietly, I honestly didn't even see it coming. I found myself starting books, but not finishing them. Now, this is not an abnormal practice for me and my A.D.D., but this has never happened with a book that I was actually enjoying. The Biography of Alice Walker captured my attention from word one, but 9 weeks into the book and I'm still not finished. I should have known something was amiss.
Next came my attempts to write. A few weeks ago I made the grand announcement that I was going to have a writers weekend and I was going to be shut off from the world. I turned off my phone, shut down my internet, moved the dining room table into the living room (for energy shift) and sat down to work. A few hours of nothing later, I wound up laying on my living room floor, underneath the dining room table that I was too lazy to move and slipped into the Season one DVD collection of Ugly Betty. (I still honestly love that show!) When my circle asked me how writing went... I told them. I managed to start a bunch of ideas, but nothing quite formed itself into an actual piece, but I was already on disc 2 of the series. That is progress!
I always get really frustrated in these moments because they feel so solitary. In reading Alice's book,
all the writer talked about was how Alice was constantly writing. Everyday she was producing first drafts of brilliance and then moving on to the next. I wish i had that power because I literally have an entire shelf full of copies of the manuscript for Everybody Plays the Fool
in my living room because that poor book went through at least 8 drafts before it saw the light of day. I always have ideas flowing through my head. Concepts that I am jotting down on any scrap of paper I can find, hoping to capture it before I completely forget. But lately, I have not had the creative gumption to make the piece happen. I have brand new spiral notebook full with false starts and stutters and eventually I think I just gave in and lost myself in those dang Ugly Betty Dvd's.
Somehow, someway, something sparked in my yesterday and I realized that I needed an intervention. I called my brother who can be General Patton when I need him to because I knew that if there was anyone on the planet who could whip me back into writing shape, it would be him. True to form, he gave me exactly 10 minutes to write a 400 word review for a project he was working on, then gave me until 11 pm that night to complete a short story. The challenge lit a fire underneath my butt and got me moving. I was able to complete both assignments with an hour to spare and it felt great. The short story is definitely a draft, but I have a draft and it feels fantastic. I put that extra hour to good use and did some character development on another story idea I'm playing with and even thumbed through my book of baby names (best 25 cents I ever spent at a thrift store) and came up with names for my new characters. I spent a few minutes this morning perusing the website of one of my new favorite artists
(http://www.sarajofrieden.com/) (I mean Really?! How amazing is this?!) and felt my skin begin to tingle as I allowed my imagination to fold itself into the colors and swirls of the paintings. I suppose just like exercising I am going to have to ease my way back into a routine, but it feels so good to have gotten started. I can do this, I will do this because if I don't, I will have General Patton breathing down my neck, and forcing me to get in to shape.
I would also like to dedicate this blog to my love Chereese. Thank you for reminding me that I have a responsibility to write. Its not about me. =D
Peace Y'all
B
