Finding Motivation

 

Slugging through the swamp of writing. That's where I am right now!

But, I'm still writing. This book will get finished if I have to do it a tiny paragraph at a time. I will reach the end.

I'm trying all the tricks. Music, walking, switching from typing to long hand. This isn't writers block that's slowing me down. This is intimidation.

The characters took over and made it too long, and now I'm scared it will never end. They're too chatty and they keep trying to take it slowly, but there has to be an end sometime. And I will reach it. That's my goal.

I will reach the end of this damn book, and it's gonna be great. Positivity and motivation!

The Slump

 

I've hit the 50,000 word slump.

In my current Work In Progress, I've reached that milestone, but knowing how much story there is still left to tell, and how many words I've used so far, the motivation has started to fade.

It seems like this book is going to finish up at a bajillion words long. Which mean it will be slightly less than a bajillion pages! That's too many. It was supposed to be a reasonable size.

So, the way it's spiralled out of control has thrown me into the doldrums. I have no idea how long this book will be because it feels like it's barely got going yet, but hell, it's either going to take some drastic editing, or maybe I'll just be giving a lot of book for the money.

Either way, the end feels like a long way off.

Speaking into the Mist

 

Some days I update social media even though I'm certain nobody reads it. I update my blog, my website. I work on my book. 

It's like I'm an echo, fading into the mist. My voice has no substance. 

That's the thing with being a writer. You can't guarantee that someone is going to read what you write, but personally, I do it anyway, because my brain throws out stories all the time. Characters, plots, scenes. So, I write them down, and hope that they make their way to someone who will like them. 

But I have to say, I do wish that every now and then, I didn't feel like it was such a redundant task. I guess these words can be just for me, and for the few who find them. 

I'm all about the words after all. I'm a writer. 

Loving #PitMad

A few days ago, I was scanning Twitter reading and loving all the pitches for #PitMad and wishing I had finished my book so I could have been a part of it. I'd have loved to have joined in. 

Unfortunately, my book is still in progress. I'm at the 50,000 word mark with no end in sight. It was supposed to be that length at completion but apparently my characters are little chatter boxes with too much to say. 

#PitMad was still fun to follow though. The goal is to write pitches for your book within 280 characters using hashtags to draw the right publishers and agents to your book. You post your pitch on twitter and get involved in the amazing writing community, all supporting and helping each other to reach out. 

Like I said, though, my book isn't finished so I was little more than an observer. It was still great to see how much support is out there among all the writers. 

Maybe I'll be ready to join in for the December round of #PitMad. I just gave myself a goal.