http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPau5QYtYs
First, Happy Mother’s Day to everyone out there . . . Yup. I’ll be here and there for most of the day. As usual, it depends on the Wifi signal.
So, I’m not really sure what to talk about today. Last week came and went with the same melancholy that I’ve been feeling for a while. A new wrinkle is that I keep fearing that I’m getting bored with writing. Yet, I keep wanting to do it. Maybe it’s just that this newest book is carrying a lot of doubt with it. Too much action, too much dialogue, not enough action, overuse of commas, continuity problems, bad writing, blah blah blah. I haven’t read my reviews in months, but the criticisms I’ve received since started seem to be plaguing me. It’s possible that this book is drawing them out because it runs differently than the others. There is a lot of dialogue because it’s ALL about character development while the main plot rebuilds steam after Book 7’s events. The last book was definitely an emotional wringer, so this one might be coming off more as a cleansing romp. After all, it revolves around a line of toys being created that throws the entire champion prophecy out of whack. More to it than that, but it makes an interesting study of the characters.
I’m on the fence about what to do in June. I can finish Book 8 by the middle of the month if I keep going, but I’m tempted to tackle a read through of Book 5. Not so much editing, but a refresher because I haven’t touched it since I finished a while back. I guess I’m stuck on what to do. Should I finish Book 8 and then start reading through all the non-published, completed books? Or should I leap back to Book 5 since I hope to get it out by July/August? Conflicted seems to be my natural state lately.
On a more positive note, I did a radio interview for Eat, Sleep, Write. This will be on a podcast in a week or two, which I’ll promote here. I’m excited because this is not like anything I’ve done before. I didn’t stutter nearly as much as I thought I would. At least I don’t think I did.
Oh and I’m considering doing another Goodreads Giveaway starting next weekend. It’ll be for 2 sets of Legends of Windemere 1-4 if I do it. I’ve been rather lazy about Goodreads lately. I only wander over there when I get a message about a ‘Friend Request’ or to do an end of the day number check. I’ve noticed that Goodreads and Amazon have been very slow to update the ‘Review Totals’ at the top of the screen the past month. Makes me wonder if the system is getting revamped or something.
Goals of the Week:
- Continue writing Book 8. Hopefully, I can get out of my funk.
- Make list of June blog post topics. So far I have ‘Food in Fiction’, ‘Social Media Marketing’, and ‘Villain Debut Excerpts’. Means I need one more weekly topic to clear the month off. Well there is one, but I’m not sure I want to go there. Marriage in Fiction an interest to anyone? I keep talking about the romance in a story, but I never went into the ‘positive’ endgame.
- Attend a meeting that was set up for me without my knowledge. Nothing makes me choke on my seltzer more than hearing that one of my weekday mornings has been claimed. Hopefully I get home quickly.
- Attend a meeting that was set up with my knowledge. Touring the toddler’s future kindergarten.
- Prepare for next weekend’s Yard Sale. For anyone who doesn’t know what this is, you take all of the things you don’t want to keep and put them on the driveway/front lawn. Tables are set up and signs are placed around the area. You sell these things for cheap and donate whatever is left over. Sometimes it lasts for a weekend, but this will probably be for a day.
That’s the gist of the week. I’ll be lucky to get my usual 3 chapters written, but I might get lucky. 3-5 weeks and then I’ll be leaping into the big editing run. 4 books in a row? Could be a nice change of pace.
Legends of Windemere 
Charles, I’ve been enjoying your posts like this for a time, but have always been too busy to really mention anything. I think I know how you are feeling about the funk you’re in. I was there coming out of the last part of winter. I was writing things because I felt pressured to have new things and I would write 5 or 6 things in a row and think I’d done alright, but always feeling like I mwas missing something, that I wanted my writing to be more than it was at that moment of time. That’s what made me decide to take the time off from regular posting. I started writing journal pieces like you are but more shop talk than personal stuff. Then I realized that what I was doing was giving myself permission to try different things and all of a sudden wham! I wrote over 250 poems–not all barn burners , but not dogs either, from the second week in Marcgh until the end of April when I came back. To top it off , since May 1st as of this morning I’ve written over 70 solid pieces of poetry. and feel as though I on a new level–not higher but new. I know what you mean about commas. My biggest problem is finding time to read. I’ve collected a medium stack of books –pooetry, essays, novels, art theory but am always writing so I never get time to read. But I think today I am going to just rest on my couch after being up all night and read some books. I usually get three or four cgoing at the same time. Well that about it. Good luck with everything. >KB
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I have tried breaks between projects. They seem to result in going too long and being major disasters in terms of time management and relaxation. Amazing how often things can go wrong at times. That’s why I’m thinking of moving on to editing after I finish this book or when June hits. It puts me in a different mindset and I’m still making progress with things.
Thankfully, the blog posts aren’t as hard as they used to be. I do the character dialogues and ‘Shoppe’ posts to have fun. I think that’s the big thing right now. I need to get back to the goofy fun that I started with. Everything seems to be so serious lately.
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Oh I didn’t mean to take a break from work. Just changing something in your regular schedule for a while that will give you a new perspective. I have so much editing to do and revising but I’m having so much fun writing that I figure it can wait. I have no dreams of making money from poetry at least not in the near future, though I have some irons in the fire. >KB
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Some days it feels like I don’t have a regular schedule. That might be part of it. I feel like I have to fight to get the 1-2 chapter sections done every day. Events and errands have been plentiful the past two months. Actually, my son hits a break middle/late June. Might be smart for me to finish the current book since editing is much easier to do around him.
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Everyone can criticize too much this, not enough that. I’d keep doing what you are doing and keep a deaf ear to small items.
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Thanks. It starts to wear me down when I have people yelling for opposing things. It really drives home the fact that you can’t please everyone.
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Maybe a couple of days of just messing around instead of work or holiday work – because holidays are harder work for scribblers – would be a good thing. I don’t understand how to do a Goodreads giveaway myself, although I’ve won quite a few really good books on them. Everyone says that it has to be an actual paper book for a giveaway, but I’ve been invited to stacks of these things on Goodreads where it’s only for ebooks.
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The system only ‘allows’ for paperback, but the author can say it’s for an eBook in the description. Just like doing a giveaway titled for one book, but it’s for a series.
Unfortunately, whenever I take says to mess around, I get tasks. Unless I’m sick, I don’t really get to good off.
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I would bald-face lie in that case – if anyone’s going to give me stuff to do when I take a break, I’m going to find a way to call it research – or a (pretend) visit to a new doctor, who I will complain of severe backache to – impossible to prove that you don’t have it…. so you get to watch tv while resting that aching part…. um…. said too much maybe. Lie through your teeth my friend – you deserve a break whether anyone else realises that or not. And buy them a VW instead of a Ferrari when you make your millions too.
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Living situation doesn’t really allow that. Funny how I need proof of those things.
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I really admire you Charles with all the hard work you’re doing on your writing and updating your blog too, as well as everything else that goes with being an indie author. I’m sure you’ll get out of this funk you’re in soon. I know what that’s like. I’ve been there – in fact I think all writers have at one stage or another.
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Thanks. Might just need to change to something else for a bit.
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You need to please Charles first – the rest comes after that. I think we all have been in a bit of a funk from the horribly long winter. You don’t have to do it all – and you don’t have to do it all right now. Give yourself a break – actually and metaphorically. Do something silly – it’s amazing how much being goofy and laughing will help break a funk. Hope you get your mojo back soon.
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I’ve tried a few break days the last few weeks. They’ve backfired because it seems life is determined to make everything else pile up to strike upon my return. That’s probably part of it. I don’t feel like I can take a break without paying for it on some way.
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Then give yourself a break as in don’t be so hard on yourself.
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Trying. Some days are better than others.
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**passing Charles the brunch ‘beverage’ of his choice***
Cheers to a mellow mood!
Ellespeth
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Fingers crossed.
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Sometimes I think that funk of self-doubt is just inevitable with a project. I went through a period where I thought my current WIP was just awful trash and I couldn’t believe I ever though I’d want to publish it, but I stuck with it, and, now that I’m editing it, I actually enjoy it quite a bit. Go figure.
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I’m fearing more that it’s burn out.
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That’s a possibility, too. I’ve had that kind of burn-out before as well. Force yourself to take a break if that’s the case. When I do that, I find I come back just itching to get back to work.
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It’s actually a new sensation. I’ve never really had writer’s block or anything internal that stopped me from writing. With any luck the new project will help.
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Two meetings. Sounds like a real job. 🙂
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Might be rising to two meetings and a job for a day.
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(Of course, we know writing IS a real job, like 60 hours per week…)
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But you’re my hero 😉
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A worn down one right now. 🙂
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