Monday, September 14, 2009

100 Days to More Brilliant Writing: Week #13

Monday, September 14 - Sunday, September 20 * Days 61-65

I believe we have hit the 100-day writing slump. Therefore, this week's prompt is not so much a writing prompt as an assignment:

Post a comment to this blog telling what motivates or energizes you to write when you are in a slump. What gets you going again? What inspires you? What makes you actually sit down and pick up the pen?

Complete this prompt and you earn the title of Bluesbuster.

11 comments:

whirligigdaisy said...

OK. This sounds tacky. But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the timer on this blog. I can't even tell you how much I LOVE it. So much I should marry it. Really. Why? Because I can do 15 minutes. Even on my worst of days, I can do 15 minutes. I set it, I do it, I get on with my day. And I feel good about myself. Yes, even if it was only for 15 minutes.

Betty Edit said...

whirligigdaisy, I love the timer too. When I use a timer, it gets me through the writing. I like to see the minutes go down.

But mostly, what really makes me write is a friend, writing with a friend. If I can sit down with a friend, either in person or online, and we are both writing at the same time, that works the best for me.

C.W. Away said...

Dang. I really have meant to post comments on this blog more often. I love stories, but being able to support myself until I become published is important and unfortunately eating a lot of my time.

Still, when I feel like I am in a creative slump, I like to tell the story to someone because new ideas pop up in the middle of talking to them. And I really like doing research for some of my stories. If I'm writing a fairytale, reading fairytales is great.

whirligigdaisy said...

Well, Betty Edit, how do you do that? I've never tried that before, but it sounds motivating. Do you just make a date online with someone? I must try sometime.

Sail said...

Tragedy. Travesties of justice. Discord.

whirligigdaisy said...

I'm reporting a 3 out of 5 for this week. Didn't get much done during my 3 sessions. Must do better. Yikes.

Betty Edit said...

whirligigdaisy, I mostly just happen to be online and have a friend online and then say, "Hey, want to write?" and then we do, but sometimes we plan a time to write together too. We just "meet" together on IM, then write, then IM when we're done.

Sail, that's very interesting motivation.

I'm not reporting for this week except to say that I did actually mail something out, which is the first time in... a while.

Sail said...

For me, sometimes I write the most when I am facing the strongest emotions (injustice, frustration, etc.). The writing--which isn't necessarily about the emotions I am experiences--provides a release.

And, sometimes, I get really frustrated because I didn't write enough for a workshop or develop the draft full enough, so when I come home, I sit at the computer until I've achieved something.

That's what I meant, Betty.

Sail said...

Used the timer again yesterday after a hiatus. After the first fifteen was up--it always takes me at least seven minutes to get into what I'm doing--I wanted to do fifteen more. Good times.

Sail said...

corrections to my sleepy entries:

-CHANGE I am experiences TO I am experiencing

-CHANGE full TO fully

-CHANGE what TO whatever

and make all the other requisite changes--in your mind--as well

(i'm running on 2 hours of sleep. well not running exactly . . . )

LucindaF said...

Lisa, I like your idea of release writing. We are emotional creatures, are we not? It also takes me a little bit to get my heart back in the scene.

2 hours of sleep? That's no good.
I hope that changes quickly for you.