Finding a Groove

My writing is going really well these days. Almost ‘happy dance’ worthy.

At the risk of jinxing whatever forces are at work here, there it is, stated out loud. Well, written in black and white on the page.

I’m a bit giddy about this slow but steady shift taking place. There’s no time to waste wondering why this is happening right now, or worrying about how fragile or temporary the momentum may be. I just tip my smiling face downward and keep on writing.   

The characters are cooperating. A bit of research helped me understand the pros (very few) and cons (many) of using stereotypes. I had noticed a tendency to include too many stereotypical traits in my character development. To make them recognizable and therefore relatable, no doubt. But that is a slippery slope when you want your characters to be unique and capable of surprises. 

Recently, a very simple suggestion to identify each character’s ONE OVERARCHING WISH really clicked for me. Creating motivation and goals for characters became easy when guided by one big wish. It makes me wonder how I can complicate things so much.

I was excited to finish a draft first chapter only to recognize it may not actually end up being the first chapter. That’s okay. There will be a place for it somewhere. I’m driving along directionless, with no specific destination at this point. Luckily, getting lost while driving never worries me. Who needs a map? I always enjoy the drive.

Procrastination and self-doubt seem relegated to the sidelines. What a nice reprieve. If there is a lack of structure and attention to technique, it does not concern me these days. Resisting a habit of editing as I write saves a lot of time and can prevent getting stalled.

It’s been a long time since I have been this excited and felt so productive with my writing. I’m embracing the ‘Just get it all down.’ method. The trade off seems worth it – enjoy the creativity now while delaying the work of making sense of it all at a later date.

I’ve stumbled into some kind of creative free-fall and it is a lot of fun.

My plan is to happily continue writing through a backlog of ideas, without expectations. And hope that the bubble doesn’t burst.

 A review of what I’ve written here has made it apparent that some research on the over-use of metaphors and analogies and the difference between them may be in order.

Ah, the subject of a future blog.