I didn't make my writing goal this past week. Close, but not quite. I really had to push myself this weekend just to get a decent amount done, which has got me thinking about when it's best to force the writing, and when it's in the best interest of the story to just let it rest for a couple of days if I'm not feeling up to the task. I've decided that I'll probably just have to deal with that situation on a case by case basis. There was a time a few weeks ago when I didn't feel like writing at all, but I could tell that it was just me being lazy so I wrote anyway, and ended up liking the stuff that I put down during that time. But this weekend, the result was just ugly, stilted writing. I almost wish I'd just given myself the week to think about the other things that were filling my mind and not bothered with my little quota. But it's a fine line. If I hadn't made myself write at all, I probably would have felt guilty, and then I'd be writing this post about that. Who knows. I don't feel like writing tonight, either, but I must finish the current chapter I've got going, as well as the next, before the end of the week. We shall see.
(told you i was boring today.)
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2 comments:
I think the truth is that most of the time pushing through is the right thing to do. No matter how you feel when you write, you won't always write stuff you like every time you take to the page. But the more often you show up, the better your odds are.
I had a professor during my graduate program who simply required a certain number of pages per week. Quality was irrelevant to him--it was all about forcing yourself to produce the quantity. It was probably the most challenging class I ever had. It's very hard to let go and allow yourself to produce junk. But I learned that often what seemed to be junk was pretty good. And even when it wasn't, it kept me moving in the direction of the next good thing.
None of that makes it any easier, however.
Yes, write even if it's hard or stilted...it gets easier the more you do. And you can always rewrite it later. But if it's out of your head and on paper or stored electronically, you won't lose it the way you would if you did nothing at all.
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