Wednesday, December 9, 2015

The Stall.

No, this isn't a post about writing in a public bathroom.  Which, now that I think about it, is something I've never heard of anyone doing.  There's probably a good reason for that.

Writing on a bathroom is different, and doesn't count.  Under most circumstances.

And by starting my blog entry with an image I had to look for, I've provided a demonstration of what I'm writing about today: sometimes, it's incredibly easy to do anything but write.

A friend recently told me about how she has trouble getting to bed at a reasonable hour, because - to sum it up - she keeps doing everything she wants to do that's not going to sleep.  I told her she should look into setting herself on a strict schedule, because that's mostly what I do and it works, but it got me thinking.

I like to think of myself as pretty disciplined, and I can be.  When it comes time to sit down and write - when I'm actually working on a book - my ass is in the chair at a certain time every night and I hammer away at the keyboard until it's time to stop.  (Usually when that book's CD is over, though I sometimes start the music again and keep going.)  I do this every single night until that first draft is done.

But when I'm plotting?  Everything in the world is easier than opening up that document and trying again to figure out that story.  >_<

This is true whether things are going well or not.  The thing I'm working on right now - under the abbreviation S7, and I'm kind of hoping there's at least one longtime reader of this blog who knows what that refers to - is going well.  It's going well enough to reinforce my weird-ass ideas from two entries ago.  Hell, it's going well enough that I'm getting upset at my characters, and I have maybe three paragraphs on most of them.

After struggling with this idea for so long, it's wonderful and amazing to sit down with the plotting document and have this story, this world, these people just sort of spill out onto the page, with me hoping I can type fast enough to keep up.

So why is it usually so damn hard to sit down and get to work?

I think a lot of it is the simple fear of failure.  Over the years, I've had more plots crash and burn than I really want to think about.  Few things in my writing world suck more than sitting down to a plot that's not working out and hoping that tonight, against all odds, I can figure it out.  And I don't want that to happen with this one.  I really, really don't.  I already love how this story is going and I don't even have three pages' worth of plot.  I think it will keep going well, but there's no way to be sure.

So when it comes time to sit down and plot, I stall.  I check my e-mail half a dozen times.  I check Twitter and the WoW site I frequent in case someone's said something interesting.  I'd wash the dog if I had one.  And by the time I do start working, it's an hour later, and I barely have time to tap out a few paragraphs about the world or refine a few plot points before it's time to go to bed.

If I keep up like this, I will get nothing done.  And I can't work with nothing.  I've tried setting a stricter schedule for myself, I've tried changing the order I do things after I get home from work, but nothing prevents the stall.  It's enough to make me wish I had deadlines, as the one time I did, it was excellent motivation and I found a sense of personal pride in getting my work done well before it was due.

So here's where I ask for advice: how do you make sure you get your writing work done?  What do you do to keep yourself from stalling?  And most importantly, does it work?

14 comments:

  1. Plotting and outlining is probably where I stall the most as well. I just keep mulling it over, adding to it in bits and pieces. Not sure what would speed it up. Except a deadline, which had made me move fast before.

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    1. Good to know I'm not the only one who finds deadlines motivating. ^_^ But yeah, it's way too easy to just fiddle with things when there's not an actual book to work on.

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  2. I am doing a lot of stalling too. I've even resorted to cleaning the house! I really hate first drafts.

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    1. I dunno, I like first drafts because that means I'm finally writing an actual book, which I don't think I do enough. >_<

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  3. Fear of failure, and loss of routine. I think both really play into it.

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    1. Definitely both of those, and it's hard to say which contributes more. At least I know having a routine works, the trouble is sticking with it.

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  4. Oh, I stall all the time. :) I especially like drawing to stall. It helps me stay excited about my characters and story, even if I'm not making forward movement in my word count.

    Sorry, I don't have any suggestions to get out of stall mode. I just know my personality well enough to know I'll get back to it when I'm ready.

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    1. I keep telling myself I'll work on things when I'm ready, but there's always that niggling little voice in the back of my head asking when that will be. Because for some stuff, it feels like I'll never be ready. Gah!

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  5. basically, I just stall like mad and then when I'm sick of myself for being lazy, I buckle down and do it. Sometimes I'm more disciplined, but mostly, if I want to work, I've got to turn off the internet. It is the worst for writing.

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    1. I have heard that working on a computer that's not connected to the internet is best, but I don't have one of those here. Aside from my tiny netbook, which is so slow I'd never get anything done if I tried writing on it. So, trying to not get on the internet is how I have to do things. Oi.

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  6. This is something I keep working on. It does help that I have a writing partner, so sometimes I feel pressured to get my writing done so I don't let her down. :) Great post!
    ~Jess

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    1. I can see how that could be very motivating - kind of like me with the deadline thing, knowing someone else is expecting the work would make it easier to sit down and get things done.

      And thanks. ^_^

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  7. I've found that when I'm stalling there's something about the plot that still needs work. I think it's our mind's way of letting us know that some part of the story still needs ironing out. As frustrating as it is, I typically just wait it out. Once the story's ready again, you'll be right back at it.

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    1. I've had that happen before as well, more than once. I think my issue is that there's been so much wrong with the stuff I've been trying to work on that it all turns into one big stall. Gah.

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