Week 2 Wipmadness-Obstacles

This last Thursday was the start of the Winter Olympics. What I love about the Olympics isn't so much the sports but rather the stories behind the athletes. In this case though it's the place, Soshi, Russia that has been making most of the headlines.



There's been rumors of terrible housing, yellow tinted drinking water, bees in the honey, bare chested Russian leader Putin paintings and even threats from terrorists.

My question for this week is what do you do when you come across barriers when writing?

Do you do like some athletes at the Soshi Olympics and still plow through the distractions and barriers? Or like some just pack up and go home?

Meg Cabot in 2008 Cosmogirl once said on writer's block:


Usually writer’s block arises when something is wrong internally with the story. Maybe you took a wrong turn somewhere in your plotting (remember writer’s GPS — the best path to writer’s block is not knowing where you’re going or how to get there before you get started). Taking a few days off from the project and re-plotting, or just letting it sit on the back burner, can help.


What do you guys do when you come up against this in your own writing? Share!



I think fellow YA author Jeannine Garsee said it best in her last Grapemo post:http://onegrapeshy.livejournal.com/538005.html


Repeat after me: "THIS IS TOTALLY NORMAL."

It happens to all of us. Sometimes it's the Plot Weasel (more on this later this month.) Sometimes it's our environment.

Sometimes it's just...us. Sigh.

Whatever the reason, DO NOT give into it. Take a short break if you have. Or simply sit there and work through it. Don't you dare use it as an excuse to say "I suck. I give up."

...Jeannine Garsee

Exactly! Remember we all at some time feel this way. I know these past two weeks this has been me.

Have any of the rest of you felt like this:



© Vadkoz | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

That your story is just over the corner and all you need is a strong hammer to break through to get back on track?

Remember we've here to cheer you on!!!!


****


Now the winner of last week's post is....

SHARI GREEN

Email me at ixtumea@gmail.com for your choice of which book you'd like and I'll send it to you! Send me your snail addy!


This week's book shares are:

TEEN SPIRIT by Francesca Lia Block



or


The dystopian anthology AFTER


Comments

Oh, do I know what you're talking about! I don't usually call it "writer's block." Its' more like "writer's stumble" or "writer's frustration" because while I feel stuck, I'm actually still moving. It might be in the wrong directions—backwards or to the left somewhere—but I usually keep moving. When it gets really bad, I'll take a break and focus on reading some YA or revise something old or do housework an let my mind ramble for a while. Another tactic that helps is to stop and write the synopsis. Yes, I know. That's so masochistic! But sometimes it really helps.

BTW... I love me some David Duchovny!

Unknown said…
The term writer's block usually means different things to different writers, and for different reasons. For me, most often it's a hiccup in the plot or not connecting to the character. When that happens, it's best I step away from the project for a few hours. The story is never far from my mind, but when I put my creative energy into something else, whether its crafts, painting, yoga, or even reading, somehow the hiccups subside. I find myself running for the computer with answers to questions / problems I had earlier. Even something as simple as a walk helps me.

Happy writing / revising, Wipsters!
Denise Jaden said…
I believe writer's block is about our fear of not being able to write well enough. And sometimes, let's face it, we won't write well enough. But I believe if we push through and keep working on a manuscript, and allow a few days of poor writing to take us in meandering directions, the best answers will come to us. I don't believe in waiting around for my muse to show up. I drag him to the computer kicking and screaming :)

As for this week's progress...it's slow-going, but mostly because I have a book releasing and I'm being taken over by the Promo Monster. I'm still slowly working away at my MS a little each day, but it's taking longer than I'd like.
Kim Baccellia said…
Mary Ann,

Ooh, I like 'writer's stumble' so much better!

Right now reading a contemporary YA that Chronicle books sent. Helping a little!

Kim Baccellia said…
Thanks, Candilynn,

This month so far has been so hard. I don't know why exactly. I also went and read some GoodRead comments on my latest book. Most were good but one really got me down. Husband told me though that it was more an opinion and not really a review.

I do think there is a hiccup in Act 3 that I just need to get to. I have to be brave to delete more words too.

Kim Baccellia said…
Denise,

You nailed it. After reading that one review and some other feedback, I'll like, "OMG, who am I fooling?" **Wants to hide under quilt for a while. But someone once said that you want people to discuss your book be it good or bad. The kiss of death is when no one talks about your book.

I so know about getting into the Promo mode. Good luck with your latest book! And I can't WAIT to read your upcoming YA.
Eeps.

Sorry for the wee hours post. In my defence, I had a good writing day and lost track of time. :)

That said, I've had my share of obstacles. Sometimes it was my own doing (read: defeatist attitude) and other times, I 'd overwhelm myself with so many ideas there wasn't any room for the kitchen sink!

To remedy this, I try and break up my daily writing quotas/goals into manageable pieces thus making a goal more attainable. Once I start checking off boxes on my "To Do/Write" list, the momentum picks up and I get second and third winds.

Other times, it's a sign I need to take a step back from the project, even if for a little while. I'd either work on another project, do something else creative, or just completely relax and clear my mind.

Before long, ideas start brewing, especially if I'm really passionate about a scene in the WIP, and before long I'll be back either writing or typing with renewed energy.

Fortunately, I'm on a good streak this month and I hope it continues.

Have a great week, everyone!

Tonette
P.S. Forgot to add a reply to your comment last week. To answer your question about how my French class is going:

Très bien, merci.

Let me know when you start your class. We can practice our composition skills. :)
Kim Baccellia said…
Tonette!

Yay, for being on a writing grove! Isn't that the best feeling?

Thanks for the suggestions! Right now I'm taking an online class from RWA on seeing why story might not be selling. So far teacher said the comments I've been receiving probably means it's a story problem. Yup, I can see that now.

Oh, on the French? Hoping to sign up for a class in May. It would be fun to try what I learned on someone else!
Carol Garvin said…
"I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!" Oops!!! Somehow when we didn't have a host for January I got the idea that we wouldn't have one this month either and would be diving into our March Madness instead. So I missed last week's entirely, and almost missed this week's, too. Eep!!!

Anyway, I'm here now, reporting in with an apology.

I've been poking at a new story recently, without any significant progress to report. But it's coming along slowly. My only February goal is to get the plot sorted out enough to be able to run with it during March. Hope everyone else has a good, productive week.
Shari Green said…
Ooh, yay!! I saw this post (and my name!) early in the week, but...got distracted, lol. I blame it on the Olympics, which I'm watching obsessively. But last night my mom reminded me to check in here -- thanks, Mom! Kim, I'll email you.

When I'm in the midst of a project, I'm pretty good at ploughing through distractions. Between projects, though, I can definitely get stalled by the I-Suck wall, or the I-Don't-Have-Anything-Worth-Saying wall. I've learned not to beat myself up too much, and to honour my "process", which tends to involve a lot of mulling time and pre-writing time. But there's a limit to that...at some point, I need to give myself a swift kick and get writing! ;)
Kim Baccellia said…
Carol,

Good plan. I'm taking a RWA online class to do just that and it's helping so much!

Thanks for checking in and hope your week is productive!
Kim Baccellia said…
Shari,

Congrats!!!!

And I so know about the give self a swift kick and just write!

Thanks for stopping by!

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