The big WB

Sometimes, I think the most shocking things are inspirational. As I sort of said below, I don't really believe in what we've dubbed as "writer's block." There's never anything stopping people from writing except themselves.

This can be seen in a lot of different ways. There are those people who just buy writing book after writing book looking for all of the rules to follow, and they end up with the big WB simply because they've found too many restrictions for themselves. Or it might be that time when you sit down ready to write and then get distracted by the internet or tv or any of those other shiny things. WB is when your story looks too difficult to push through, and you would rather spend all of you time doing something else. It doesn't really exist, but we like to pretend it does.

Other people, like myself, have too many stories all with legitimate reasons to not work on them. I'll sit down in front of my computer and say, "I'm going to focus on this story!" But then I realize it's not going to be that simple because that's the story with underdeveloped main characters and more interesting side characters (Kai Story), or the story that has POV issues that I'm. not sure how to fix (Kaleidos), or the story that has a terribly complex plot that hasn't afforded me a way for the characters to save the day (AROS). All of these stories and glittering little gems of their own, but they're all flawed in a sense. NaNoWriMo is a brilliant thing for getting work done, but it's made a lot messy projects for me. Too many.

If you ever spend some time visiting other writers blogs, you'll notice a trend. It's warning of sharks in the water, painted red on a sign: DO NOT FOLLOW THE NEW, SHINY IDEA. It's when you're writing something, and you hate it, and life sucks, and then you get an idea. An idea for a better story. This story has a more dynamic plot then the one you're currently working on, better characters, and a brilliant future. It's really just a siren, coaxing you in, and trying to make you forget what you're working on. Sadly, for me, NaNo is a little like that. Right now I've got too many different stories, all with different problems, singing against each other.

I think a great way to get something done when the great WB is looming over your head is to have a deadline. Don't just set yourself a deadline, because unless you're trapped in writing and don't need to push yourself. NaNo, despite what I've said, is wonderful for this. It's like the world is pushing you to succeed and get those 50,000 words.

On the hand, what about when it's not Novemeber anymore? You can always go join one of the NaNo spinoffs. They're easy to find on google. Something I think that's a little simpler, is to give copies of chapters to your friends. Build yourself a little reading base. I did this once, when I only had two stories, and I cranked out the words just so my friend could find out what happened next. It didn't have to be written well, as long as I was getting the words out and she was enjoying it, that's all that mattered.

Right now, I've been puttering over what story to work on for over a month. The WB is sitting on my shoulder, influencing me with lack of productivity and a skittish mind. Should on this story? The one thats so incomplete that its size scares me (Lazuli), or maybe the one that I've been saving for NaNo (Epic)? Should I hit up the disaster that spawned from last November (Treese Story) , or the baby one that's more of an experiment than anything else (Good Drinks)?

EDIT: I went off on a tangent and never finished what I was going to say! Ooops. Brenna drew me this beautiful picture of Russus and Caeruleus (Kaleidos), and it kind of makes me want to work on that!

Happy Birthday Mizu, 2010 by ~Annerb on deviantART