Tuesday, August 16, 2011

To commit, or not to commit... a writer's poll

OK, here is something not so secret about me... I can't commit.

To expound on that, there are somethings I am very good about being faithful to-- like religion, a relationship, and (usually) a job. But my hair style, hair color, the arrangement of the furnture in my house, what is in fact the best movie I've ever seen, and my writing, well, I struggle with the desire for constant change.

I've talked to several writers over the past couple of months, and was surprised to hear over and over that getting started on their novel was the hardest part. Really? If that is the going feeling, then I am a writing freakshow.

I like beginning the best. Writing those first five or ten pages is the most amazing feeling. The blankness of it rolls out in front of me. At ten pages, it has so much potential, and I have so many ideas...Starting has never been my problem-- as evinced by four novels and two short stories in progress-- commiting to a story and finishing it is my problem. Even when I reach the natural end, I still have too many more ideas about what I could do to really feel like something is done.

To all of my fellow writers out there, what is yor process? Am I really a writing freakshow?

4 comments:

  1. Funnily enough, I actually experience the exact same thing as you! We can be freakshows together!

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  2. I want to join the Jessica-Shauna Freak Show! I am the same way. I love the beginning, feel pretty good during the middle, but when I know that I can likely do something, I start to want to learn to do something else. But I have mastered that completion process more as I've gotten older. I have taught myself to like the finishing and also to like going deeper into something, setting my standards higher, so that it feels new longer. Hard to explain… but I still have a bunch of half-crocheted somethings an art room of partially finished projects and am just now doing the illustrations on a book I wrote 26 years ago. I figure as long as we finish some things, and finish them well, we are O.K. At the very least, we have optimism.

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  3. First, I would like to say hi Shauna. This is the second time one of my actually friends or in your case, a sister of a friend, that I know has become a published writer. I have all these ideas in my head for books, but I must say that when I go to start writing, the first few pages are what stops me. I have yet to complete anything. I guess everyone's writing process is different. :) I wouldn't worry. you finished one book. The rest will come! :)

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  4. Every writer's process is different. There aren't any "freaks" in the writing world ;)

    I would say you should set goals for yourself, so that way you push yourself to finish your WIP. You can even reward yourself for meeting your daily or weekly goals with chocolate...I hear that is encouraging to many writers *cough me cough*

    Also, I’m a new follower—wonderful blog! Stop by my blog and follow me too? :) http://rachelbrookswrites.blogspot.com/

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