Just another update on the novel I’m working on. Also, some ideas on writing without distractions.
I did about a thousand words today, but not nearly as much as I was hoping to do. It was really hard to get into the work itself, and once I did, I was distracted by a lot of stuff going on around the house. Ended up writing another scene, completing it from start to finish, but I need to catch up to where I am in my mind.
I figure that if I sit down twice for three hours each, I can get to where I want to be, and then start revising. With the revision, I’ll have a clearer idea of what to do after the point where I’m at–this is NOT going to be an in-depth revision. If anything, it’s more of a reminder to myself of what I’ve written: a refresher.
I have a couple of books to review, and I’ll get around to that tomorrow…or the next day…or whenever I feel like it. Probably soon.
The key to writing is to disconnect your computer from the internet and shut yourself into a room where nobody can reach you. You do this by tricking yourself into thinking that you’re not really going to be writing, because otherwise your mind becomes all stubborn about it like a donkey who doesn’t want to stand up. But once you ease into it, and it starts coming, it feels really good–like when you get into a hot tub and finally get used to the temperature. And it flows. And then…three hours later, you realize that you’re weak from hunger and exhaustion, and everyone else has gone to bed. Wonderful.
As one final note, I’m going to try to blog like a real blogger on this blog of mine–maybe make it a little more mainstream. That means: smaller posts, more paragraphs that are shorter and scannable, a good hook for a post title, and an introductory paragraph that makes you want to click on that “click here to read more” button. And maybe I’ll start commenting on other blogs again. Maybe. We’ll see.
