Lately I’ve been writing again, which is so good. I
feel more relaxed and happier than I have in months. Despite there are
countless other things I need to do, I find some time and just sneak away to my
own universe. Where everything just feels right. For those moments noting else
counts and I need it so much. Sometimes I believe that writing is some kind of therapy,
a way to keep me focused and able to deal with everything else. I just sit and
write despite the noise, the TV, or the phone that keeps ringing.
I managed to wrote the first 10.000 words for the
sequel of Divided and I am already into writing mode. I woke up in the morning,
trying to find a way to squeeze some writing hours on my schedule and when I
do, I’m up there flying in the sky with a smile carved on my face. I wish I
had the time to write the sequel the way I did with Divided, where I wrote all
day, every day. Those were some happy days. Those were my days of full time writing.
What I love in Divided, and its sequel, is that
everything comes effortlessly. I don’t even know what I’m going to write until
I lay my hands on the keyboard. My night inspirations have returned and my
notebook starts filling with messy writing, random thoughts and smudges. Lots
of smudges.
Last night I was trying to finish chapter 3, when I
hit a writer’s block. The way I deal with it, it’s not dealing with it at all.
I stop writing, either I am in the middle of a sentence or not and I do
something else. I know that when the block has gone, I’ll have all the answers
I need. And the block gone the moment I went to sleep. The scene just completed
in my head. So, I took my notebook,
which is again stored on the bedside table, and I finished that chapter.
You know what I'm talking about, right? It’s
that feeling of unlimited happiness, the sense of creating something from
scratch, the ability to take a piece your soul and just share it there, on a
white Word page. But it’s so much more than that, because you know that sooner
or later, there will be just one person, either a friend, or an unknown reader,
that will travel through your story. And that’s priceless.
How about you? Share your thoughts, tell me about your sleepless nights, or the butterflies in your tummy. I want to know all about it.
How about you? Share your thoughts, tell me about your sleepless nights, or the butterflies in your tummy. I want to know all about it.
This is wonderful, Athina! I haven't been in the addictive zone in a while. I had been riding the writer's creative high for a year straight, but my life took a dramatic turn I hadn't ever considered. I feel like that part of me hasn't caught up with all the changes. So I work and think and wait. I know others say just sit and write, but I did that and wrote everything into the ground, then stomped on it a few times for good measure. I love your process. Sounds like you go old school and long hand your drafts. Oh, and it's so cool you unraveled your story in bed and had to jot it down. I've typed until I fell asleep with my fingers still on the keyboard. I was real fun the next morning, let me tell you.
ReplyDeleteI plan to write a book with the boys this summer, writer's hum or not. Happy writing, Athina!!
I think you need time to caught up with the changes. I know that it's hard to write when life is changing. Especially when you don't have the strength to even consider it. But it will get better.
DeleteI was like that, and still am. I'm trying to find solid ground but until then, writing keeps me focused.
I wish things to turn better for you and your loved ones, and keep writing. I want to read Shadow Town. :)
I'm glad you're writing without so much effort. Talking about 'effortlessly' and 'night inspiration,' I use to have that too, sometimes. I'm a bit of a night owl, and I sleep like most old folks. Noises easily distracts me and then when I wake from sleep, it takes a lot of time before I can sleep comes again. I hate it, but then I love it too, for that's when my mind dances around my WIP and prospective stories, that's when a character whispers something that might change the course of the story. In fact that's when my stories take good shape. And then I quickly type them into my phone or write them in a book.
ReplyDeleteIn the morning it goes into my computer.
Great post, Athina. That picture is really beautiful.
Yay you for writing again! It's always so great to feel happy like this when working on a creative project. I experience the same thing with art. :)
ReplyDelete