May 8, 2010

Wannabe Writers #15

Wannabe Writers is a writing group for the un-published and anyone is welcome to join. It's a place where future authors can ask questions, share stories, and get feedback. Click (here) to find more about how it works.

Where I am in the writing process: I started writing in Nov. 2008. I desperately want to completely finish something. I never really have.

My current problems: I barely wrote this whole week. I just can't seem to find my motivation and get back into writing. I didn't even blog! I'm lossing focus way too fast. Help! (Hopefully summer will get me back on track and another 50,000/50 Challenge will help!)

My question this week: Would you be disappointed if 5 years from now you still wrote 500 words everyday and weren't published? What then?


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's okay to have slow weeks. I got the idea for my first novel in fall of 05 and didn't start it until 06 and didn't finish it until 09. I only got it done because I had the luxury of switching to creative writing full time and someone pushing/cheering me on. Even when creative writing is my full time "job" it's tough to get a lot done some weeks (like this week I didn't work at all, nor last week). Don't be discouraged with slow weeks. Carve out an hour (or even just 20 minutes) a day to work and just sit down. Ignore numbers. If you write 100 words great, if you write 25,000 words great too. Just make it a habit.

Writing should be fun and you should want/need to do it. Sometimes, you just don't.

Your question is tough this week. I'm going to have to think about it and then post the answer on my own writing site.

Anonymous said...

P.S. There are some amazing writing books out there that talk about the process - if you haven't already you should read "On Writing" by Stephen King, "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield, and "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott. They all talk about struggling to sit down and write everyday and what to do when nothing will come.

Amanda said...

Hi Sarah! I've put up my entry - devoted a whole post just to your question. FYI, I've moved all my writing stuff to a new location, in consolidating some of my blogs. That means all the links to the previous Wannabe Writers will no longer work on the Linky, but that's okay, I'm not going to go back and change them. The new blog is Spiral Upwards.

Anonymous said...

I'd be dissipointed. I can't boast that I'm writing 300 words a day, at least not on my WIP, but I think I imagine 'publishing' and 'success' to be right around the corner. Which is pretty unrealistic. But all the same, I think if I don't manage to do go anywhere in 5 years, then maybe I didn't have enough strength and determination in the first place.

Elizabeth Briggs said...

We all go through slow times. Maybe you need a break to do some things other than writing. Sometimes the best ideas come when we are out living, and not sitting in front of a computer screen.

Anonymous said...

Great question this week...caused me to make a trip down memory lane. :)

Lori L. Clark Art said...

Blame it all on Mercury Rx. Mercury is the planet of communication after all. Just think... when it goes forward, so will your writing!

Private said...

Hello!

I found your blog via Elizabeth Briggs, and I love the idea of the wannabe writers group! Sign me up:)

Swimmer said...

My answer to the question is on my blog but to answer your problem I have no clue because I often have the same problem!

Raleigh RoxStar said...

I've spent so much time NOT writing over the past two decades. If I finally managed to stay on task and consistently produce, but wasn't published, I would be disappointed.

However, it would also be something of which to be proud: being dedicated to my craft, having a solid work ethic and long-term commitment to my goal. Celebrating seemingly small accomplishments gets us through rough patches while we are working to achieve those big goals - like getting published.

Unknown said...

Glad I'm not the only one! I haven't written all week either, so don't feel bad. I've just been so busy & tired...just hadn't been in the mood. I think we're allowed that sometimes.

Honestly, I love writing and will keep doing it, whether I'm published or not, for as long as I can. BUT, I think, if 5 years passed and I still wasn't published, I'd be a little disappointed. Not enough to stop writing and give up, tho. I'd keep trying, but I wouldn't stop writing.

Nishant said...

The new blog is Spiral Upwards.
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Lorelei Bell said...

Ideas for a whole book take a while to take hold. Think of them like seeds. Seeds take time to germinate. You can't be impatient.

With any book it might take a few months to a year before it is ready to be written. Or, you may get a better idea than the one you had before. You are beginning to see the process.

My suggestion is to begin with your characters. If your character's voice isn't strong enough, maybe therein lies the problem.

Imagination is everything. Trust in it, go with it. Take walks when you need a break. Do not force yourself to write when you can't. If you can't write whatever you are working on, try something else. Poetry is easy, and gets the juices flowing.

As to your question.

In 1983 I was asked this question by the teacher of a critique group: Where do you want to be in 5 years?
I told him I hoped to be published, and living on my own, etc., ect.

I self-published my first book in 2008. My first poem sold in 2003.

Don't be discouraged. Never stop writing. Don't give up.