Saturday, February 16, 2013

Writing ADD

So lately I've been bouncing all over with my writing projects, which is extremely unlike me. After Pitch Wars and querying for Everdream, I started working on a rewrite of my first book, Countless, while I waited on agent responses. I did successfully change the book from third to first person, and cut about 15,000 words, and then worked on my plot significantly, and then decided on a completely different climax to the book. And I sat down to start working on the plot changes and just... totally wasn't feeling it. It needs a ton of work, and the hugeness of it looming over me was anti-motivating.

Instead, I decided to start working on the outline of a shiny new idea I had a couple weeks ago about an awesome steampunk middle grade. And I got about half way through the plot points and then just couldn't figure out where I wanted to go with it. So I procrastinated a few days and stared at my Pinterest inspiration board for the new book, and procrastinated some more, and then last night I had a really weird dream about drinking tea and souls, and today I wrote a 2,451 word short story about that.

Sooo.... I've decided that it's okay, for short spans of time, to jump around a little. I am extremely steadfast and meet my writing goals most of the time. It's fine to just let myself drift in the creative winds of my writerly soul for a bit right now. So that's what I'm doing.

What are you up to these days? Are you working on one project only, or dabbling in a few? I hope you're having fun either way :)

14 comments:

  1. You're doing great - keep at it! I'm . . . editing - but also thinking up tons of great ideas! Just need to finish the editing (soon!)!
    erica

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  2. Whatever pulls you, you have to go for it.
    I can only work on one thing at a time. I'd confuse myself otherwise.

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  3. I think it's fine to jump around between projects...get some creative sparks going before you have to really buckle down on one thing. Plus it's probably a good way to distract yourself from your inbox, no? ;)
    Myself, I'm slogging away at one thing right now, in plotting/drafting mode. It's hard after focusing on revisions for so long!

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  4. the hugeness of it looming over me was anti-motivating - been there. :hugs: Work on whatever is moving you right now. The other stuff will be there when you're ready for it.

    I'm just working on the one thing - but that's going slow because the hugeness of other things are looming over me right now. Bleh. I'd rather just write.

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  5. Jumping around is definitely OK -- as long as we're creating something, right? I've got a couple huge, looming, anti-motivating manuscripts that I'm saving for the summer months. I can't face them right now!

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  6. I know what you mean! I'm halfway through my sequel to 18 Things, and now a shiny new idea for NA book came to me, and I want to write in that all the time, ahhh!

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  7. I've been yo-yo'ing back and forth between finishing the last revisions of my 1st novel, outlining the sequel, outlining a new idea, and working on a couple short stories. So I know exactly what you are talking about. After spending the last 2.5 years on the that first novel, I just started jumping from project to project. I think it's my muse's way of gearing up for the last big push so I can start submitting this 1st MS.

    Way to let your creativity do what it wants. Forcing things never works out well, anyway!

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  8. Hi, Alexia. Wow! I don't know how you do it. I barely have time for one project. Yikes! Lol! Wishing you the very best with every iron that you've got in the proverbial fire, my friend. Have a great week.

    -Jimmy

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  9. Hi Alexia, currently I am dabbling in several projects as well as few free lance articles. Hope you have a great week.

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  10. I think that jumping to a few short projects is a good way to kickstart the imagination again :) Currently, only working on a single idea (steampunk fantasy) but it's in very early idea stages at the moment.

    Jamie @ Mithril Wisdom

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  11. In my opinion...its the short spans of time that are key. At some point we must push through to a decisive end. :)

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  12. I jump around on projects a lot, but it's almost the only way I can get as many things done at one time as I can. :)

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  13. I can relate to changing an entire piece into first person. I did the same thing once, and I loved it.

    Neat about your dream. Glad it got you writing. Very cool.

    Cheers and boogie boogie.

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  14. Yeah, shiny new ideas are always more fun. But wow, you already did a ton of revising on COUNTLESS, it sounds like. Maybe it just needs to rest (and you take a break from it) while you work on other things. :) Me?--I'm 2/3 through a WIP and will need to change gears next week to work on a revision. Oh boy. LOL

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