Are you writing these days?

The Writing Life
#1

I’m going to be honest…I feel like my world is being dismantled a little more every day. I know a lot of others are experiencing similar difficulties. We have anxiety/fear about the pandemic and the upcoming election. And if you’re like me, you’re also trying to support family members (including children) as they deal with these heavy issues and the instability caused by them. You may also have health problems on top of all this. (Mental health, physical health, or both.)

Are you writing? If so, how? Do you set a strict routine and force yourself through it no matter what? Or is there another way?

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#2

I haven’t been writing, but I have been plotting and planning. I’m hoping that I’ll be ready to sit down and immerse myself in writing when November rolls around. This year has been difficult when it comes to focus and concentration. I’ve read a lot, and I’ve watched a lot of webinars and listened to a lot of podcasts, but I can’t seem to sit still long enough to write more than a couple of lines at a time. Hopefully, that will change soon.

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#3

I’ve been trying to write using the free version of Otter

“Record and review in real time. Search, play, edit, organize, and share your conversations from any device. Record and review in real time. Search, play, edit, organize, and share your conversations from any device.”

“Otter includes 600 minutes of transcription free per month!”

It seems to work well for me, but I’m finding it much more difficult to speak my story rather than write it. It’s embarrassing and LOUD. I just need to suck it up and write and ignore my stops and starts.

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#4

I have been strengthening my plot ideas, too–I really hope that I’ll be able to get back into this project come November.

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#5

I’ve never tried transcription software before. It’s an interesting idea!

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#6

I would never think about using it, but not writing is driving me crazy!

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#8

I’m a bit like Kelly, I’ve been planning and watching webinars and reading. My concentration has been spotty too. I used some one off exercises and some of Daniel’s prompts from the live WGC… those interactive ones. I found if I think small and forget big picture, it helped me. My big project languishes tho😞

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#9

My creativity and purposes to which it’s put, is much like Kelly’s. I feel as though I’ve been holding my breath since lockdown, open up, lockdown. I find it difficult to concentrate on actual writing for any length of time, except for jotting down notes, and now learning the M.I.C.E. Quotient story structure. I, too, am watching webinars like they’re going out of fashion!

All the best, @Chelsea, here’s to the speedy return of your creativity mojo.

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#10

Sounds like everyone is struggling - I know I am, so it’s good to know I’m not alone! I haven’t done much writing, but I find it helps to set a very small – ridiculously small – goal. I currently shoot to write 200 words a day. Sure, there are lots of days when the motivation or time isn’t there and I don’t write any. But on the days I DO shoot for that goal, I find I often write much more. It just makes it feel more workable if I say I’m going to sit for 10 quick minutes and gets those words in.

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#11

Well, I’d hoped to finish and launch my book at the start of August, and I’m committed to writing a book per year in my series (to finish and find out what happens in the end). I won’t be here forever, so I want to at least wrap up this series! (Around ten books I think, so this one should be the halfway point.)
Anyway, for me, schedules and promises are highly motivating, so being behind schedule really drives me along. I’ve been working very hard since late January. Across the year I guess I’ve averaged over 40hrs/week writing or editing, probably two of those months, marketing stuff for my books: attending courses and events.
I feel confident in saying 2020 will be remembered as a crazy year , a standout in history, in which so much daunting stuff happened.
My wish and hope is that we collectively learn some long overdue lessons from it, and our societies improve as a result.

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#12

Thank you for sharing this…

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#13

What used to be my in-person critique group, has now become a monthly exchange. We’re all pitching in 1200 words, passing them around and then spending the middle of the month reading and commenting. This has been a boon for the poets and memoirist . . . because the verse-people get to write and submit lots of stuff while the memoiristas are finding it necessary to hone and compress their narratives. The rest of us have reached that point where just as we get to the good stuff, we’re out of

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#14

To the OP, it depends on what I’m working on as to whether I set a really strict schedule/routine. Right now, I’m editing a chapter a week for a fanfiction friend I’ve been working with for about two years. I also managed to get one chapter planned, drafted, edited, and posted for one of my pieces, and yesterday, I finished drafting a chapter for another project. I’m also working on plans for two novels–one of which I’m planning on drafting for NaNo.

If I set writing down for too long, I get cranky, so I try not to do that.

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#15

I can totally relate to this. I do a lot of “thinking about writing” but it certainly doesn’t help me make actual progress. And I’ve done so many webinars and podcasts and just general learning this year. It’s all been good, but I’m starting to get burned out from watching and ready to just dive in and write.

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#16

I am writing, but I’ve been working on a companion cookbook to my series. Somedays writing looks like recipe testing which always for some kitchen meditation. I’m also do ing all my pre-writing for another NaNo attempt. I’ve never “won” but I like the initial push it gives a new project. Usually November family and work travel interferes but I don’t think that will be an issue this year. I totally feel you on the anxiety/fear though. I have to give myself windows during the day to check in and stay informed enough, but then I have to shut them for awhile for my sanity.

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#17

I just signed up for NaNoWriMo. Tried it many years ago but didn’t finish. I’m hoping it will give me a push to make strides on my writing again.

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#18

I have a writing buddy. We try to write a scene a week, then post via Google docs to reas and comment… We try to hold ourselves accountable. Honestly, I didn’t finish my 2,000ish words this week, but I still posted what I had. I usually try to write in the last hour of my day as a reward for doing my "adult"ing.

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#19

Honestly? I can’t force words on a page. I did try doing that for three chapters and it failed horribly. I went back to edit them before submitting to my crit group and I couldn’t figure out how to fix them so I think I’m going to have to rewrite them. When inspiration hits, I take off like a rocket. I was so proud of myself this week when I actually wrote 8,000 words within two days. Part of it I think came from the fact that I went to the movies for the first time since COVID hit and the movie was amazing. I came back home and wrote for almost 2 hrs straight.

Something I think that also helps are writing prompts. My crit group just started doing writing prompts based on images. I was so busy for a month and a half because I was taking a class for my paralegal degree and I didn’t have any time for myself; it was just going to work and doing my class work (taking online classes). So when I finally got a break I did this writing prompt, a min of 1,000 words and I don’t know where it came from. The words were just flowing. So writing prompts DO help when you’re having trouble getting all of the words out.

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#20

This past Thursday felt like an eternal minute. Six hours on a book proposal–but it was worth it. The time dragged and flew at the same time. :woman_shrugging:

Hopefully I’ll get to hear something back within the next few weeks.

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#21

This morning, I wrote 2600 words long hand before I even got out of bed, because sometimes the words are there and my motivation is not. so I had to get it out before I lost it.

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