The writing over the long weekend wasn't that good. Here is what happened:
1st Writing Session – 25/01 (Sun) PM
As usual I started off doing a 10 mins free writing, which is basically about writing down whatever comes to the mind. Then I read through the story ideas list, which included plot sketches and / or character sketches, from last 4-weeks to see which one grabbed my imagination. And you know what? Halfway through, I dozed off!
2nd Writing Session – 26/01 (Mon) PM
This time I changed tactics. Instead of doing the 10 mins free writing, I walked in circles and zigzags at the backyard and contemplated on the (above mentioned) story ideas list to see what came to mind. The result was overwhelming! They all screamed for my attention. I began to write a few words for one and jot down notes for another. By the end of the session (about 3 hours), all I had was scribbles which pulled the stories in various directions.
3rd Writing Session – 27/01 (Tue) PM
The bitter taste of the last two sessions were so threatening that I refused to be near my laptop. I stared at it from afar. I thought of it when I was walking the dog. I cursed it with my mouth full of noodles. But then when the time came, I sat down in front of it and went for one of the story ideas. Voila! I stayed with it for 2 hours and generated a workable plot.
Now that I'm writing this entry, I realise what happened was the first two sessions actually served as warm up after I was away from writing for a week.
The crucial matter is for me to find out what are my best warm-up activities. I need to pay attention to that crack, which exist between full-on-worry to sit-down-writing. That crack where I become less self-conscious and able to engage with the writing confidence.
Does this make sense?
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4 comments:
Makes sense to me--both the idea that you're working on things in your subconscious somewhere when the words don't seem to be flowing, and the way you need to get back into writing when you stop. Earlier this week I took a break from revising to spend a day noodling on a new short story. I woke up early for no apparent reason and had a very vivid sense of the story. Then, as I was writing, I noticed that every time I stopped writing to do something as simple as checking one of my favorite websites, I would lose the spell altogether, and struggle to get it back. It seems obvious, but what was startling was the intensity of the change. I would go from feeling like I was there and like I knew these people and was experiencing their lives . . . to feeling like I was sitting on my couch in my living room. I was oscillating in and out of reality! :)
Thanks for dropping by twice and offer your comments. Very much appreciated! ;) You're so spot on about the spell effect and intensity of moving between the story world and our own reality. Apart from the craft (technical) aspect of writing which I'm still learning, the ability to notice and to ride the creative wave is a constant struggle for me. I reckon no matter how good a writer's craft is, if he/she is unable to find the doorway to get into that creative zone, no story could be written. About "intensity" - what more could I say? It is blinding and binding. It is the raw energy which fuse our writings. Again, thanks for your generosity of sharing. Hope to see you again. :)
have you ever try to write in an open air with your lap-top? Let say bring your bloody laptop with fully charged batter and go to a park? (make sure the day before watch the TV and see how is the weather if not bring an umbrella always with you)
What a surpirse to see you show up here! Many thanks. Are we on telepathic channel or what? -- I wrote up my latest story ideas, notes, plot, character sketches etc while I was at my backyard staring at trees. (No, it was more like staring at nothing.) And the writing session I referred to on this post happened indoor. Can't write outdoor as that weekend's weather was too bloody hot. After this post, I have been thinking maybe an open space is what my stories need.;) Again great to have you here!
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