For better or worse today was a writing day. I kept my promise to pay attention to the kids and respond to their needs. I even scheduled a trip for Patches to the library. He loved the trip so much that he thanked me on the way home by throwing a tantrum because I refused to take him to the store and buy potato chips. Some days I just can’t win. But when I was not paying attention to children I was either writing or doing something that occupied my brain so that I could stop thinking about writing. Sometimes when I’m trying to form a story the wheels in my head start spinning. I’m not getting anywhere, but that won’t stop them from spinning anyway. That’s when I have to read or watch a movie or do something else so that I don’t feel trapped by the story. I end up hating the story if it won’t go forward and won’t leave me alone. The mental breaks are always helpful because usually after the break I get unstuck.
Unfortunately routine household tasks leave plenty of space in my brain for the wheels to spin endlessly. This means that my house is a wreck today. It bugs me that my house can be nicely clean one day and a disaster the next.
This morning Kiki left for a two night stay at a school camp. I’m glad she gets to go. And it may be awful of me, but I’m glad I only have three kids to put to bed instead of four. It is silly to feel that way because Kiki is the easiest to put to bed, but she is also the latest up. Theoretically this means that for the next two nights I get more time off in the evenings than usual. I’m not sure how I’ll spend it. I should probably get extra sleep.
Many thanks to Janci today. She gave me her old IBM Thinkpad. I can now sit upstairs in the sunlight and type away at stories. This is a huge improvement over writing the stories longhand and then typing them into my computer in the basement. If I sit in the basement typing for too long I begin to feel trapped. The Thinkpad is an ancient machine with no battery, no CD drive, and no internet access. The only way to get data on or off of it is by USB stick. I don’t care, it solves a problem and I love it already. Yay free laptop!
I don’t know if it helps, or if you’ve tried it already, but one of the things I heard at a writing panel this weekend (Norwescon is an awesome con, and I need to see about getting you and Howard invited up here sometime) is that sometimes when you’ve got ideas rolling around in your head, you just need to sit down in front of your computer or notepad and just start getting everything onto paper, in the order that it pops out of your mind.
It doesn’t have to be coherent – in fact, it shouldn’t be edited at all, to start, because editing gums up the works and makes the ideas flow less freely in the first place – and then, once everything’s down on paper (or bits) in some form or another, you can put the paper away and come back to it later when you have the time to really work on it.
Also, now that you’ve got access to a laptop, that means you could park it on a kitchen counter or something and alternate between typing stuff in and working on chores in the area while you turn things over in your head.
If none of this fits with how you can work, feel free to disregard – just figured I’d share some wisdom I encountered this past weekend.
I don’t know if it helps, or if you’ve tried it already, but one of the things I heard at a writing panel this weekend (Norwescon is an awesome con, and I need to see about getting you and Howard invited up here sometime) is that sometimes when you’ve got ideas rolling around in your head, you just need to sit down in front of your computer or notepad and just start getting everything onto paper, in the order that it pops out of your mind.
It doesn’t have to be coherent – in fact, it shouldn’t be edited at all, to start, because editing gums up the works and makes the ideas flow less freely in the first place – and then, once everything’s down on paper (or bits) in some form or another, you can put the paper away and come back to it later when you have the time to really work on it.
Also, now that you’ve got access to a laptop, that means you could park it on a kitchen counter or something and alternate between typing stuff in and working on chores in the area while you turn things over in your head.
If none of this fits with how you can work, feel free to disregard – just figured I’d share some wisdom I encountered this past weekend.
Yay free laptop. It was free to me from Brandon (well, I made him and Emily dinner in exchange for it) so I’m glad it can be passed on in it’s usefulness to other writers.
Yay free laptop. It was free to me from Brandon (well, I made him and Emily dinner in exchange for it) so I’m glad it can be passed on in it’s usefulness to other writers.
What do you mean clean one day and a disaster the next?
More like clean one minute and a disaster the next minute!
Am I right?
Right?
🙂
Also,
All the sudden (over the last few months) I’ve found myself surrounded by writers… and I love it… they inspire me. Writers are such interesting people … haunted by stories in their brains.
I’ve gotten a bite from the writer bug. 🙂 But, for now I’m just a writer wanna be.
Good Luck getting your story out of your head and onto the computer.
What do you mean clean one day and a disaster the next?
More like clean one minute and a disaster the next minute!
Am I right?
Right?
🙂
Also,
All the sudden (over the last few months) I’ve found myself surrounded by writers… and I love it… they inspire me. Writers are such interesting people … haunted by stories in their brains.
I’ve gotten a bite from the writer bug. 🙂 But, for now I’m just a writer wanna be.
Good Luck getting your story out of your head and onto the computer.
That’s what you get for hanging out on livejournal. I’m certain there are a higher percentage of writers here than in the general population.
That’s what you get for hanging out on livejournal. I’m certain there are a higher percentage of writers here than in the general population.
You’ve just described how I frequently work. Funny how creative brains think alike.
You’ve just described how I frequently work. Funny how creative brains think alike.
When I (eventually) get a shiny new laptop, I’ll pass this one along to some one else for free. Although by that time it may be totally useless to everyone.
When I (eventually) get a shiny new laptop, I’ll pass this one along to some one else for free. Although by that time it may be totally useless to everyone.
Well, I know of several published writers here. I read Steven Brust’s () and George R. R. Martin’s ( ) journals, and Sora reads those as well as an author we just met at Norwescon, Joshua Palmatier ( ). I know that Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden, editors for Tor, have LJs as well (just and , IIRC), and I know I’ve seen others hanging around here.
And of course there is a large number of published comic writers (like Howard, and the rest of the upper echelon of webcartoonists with LJs), writers who are working on getting published (like yourself, and comes to mind as well), and a vast quantity of writers who just do it for fun, at least for the moment (like myself), or have no desire whatsoever to go through the publication process.
Sooo…. yeah. There are a lot of us here. 😀
Well, I know of several published writers here. I read Steven Brust’s () and George R. R. Martin’s ( ) journals, and Sora reads those as well as an author we just met at Norwescon, Joshua Palmatier ( ). I know that Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden, editors for Tor, have LJs as well (just and , IIRC), and I know I’ve seen others hanging around here.
And of course there is a large number of published comic writers (like Howard, and the rest of the upper echelon of webcartoonists with LJs), writers who are working on getting published (like yourself, and comes to mind as well), and a vast quantity of writers who just do it for fun, at least for the moment (like myself), or have no desire whatsoever to go through the publication process.
Sooo…. yeah. There are a lot of us here. 😀