A novel ... yes ... For years I was comfortable with short stories and I thought that I'd never be able to sustain the length of book. Then I wrote 4 SF novels (it took me years, mind you) and decided that short stories were behind me. I jumped into a crime book, loved it, wrote it in a daze, edited, then sent it on submissions... No bites, for months, for years ... I got pissed off and went back to short stories, mostly to keep my motivation going. It started slow but I got some published, then more. And I went back to writing a book, and 2, and 3. Number 4 was the first to get published, last year. All through this I kept doing shorts. I'm swinging both ways now, and it's doing wonders for the imaginative muscle. Because, guess what, the more words you get out, the more words are coming, and the ideas too. The kid is still in there, Graham! Go for it.
One of the things I'm trying to do is separate the creative me from the adulting me to get back that child-like wonder. I'm considering drastic measures: meditation. I suspect I may be too inside my head for it to work, but it's worth trying. (Besides, I've heard rave reviews...)
Congrats on your own successes! A perfect example of how perseverance pays off. And I totally agree -- words beget words. I always say the key to good writing is to just write!
I'm way too impatient to meditate, lol! What works well for me is thinking of a story (ideally one I'm working on) before I go to sleep. I might not get very far acting in out before I slip away, but the thing is still in my head in the morning and it unlocks things.
A novel ... yes ... For years I was comfortable with short stories and I thought that I'd never be able to sustain the length of book. Then I wrote 4 SF novels (it took me years, mind you) and decided that short stories were behind me. I jumped into a crime book, loved it, wrote it in a daze, edited, then sent it on submissions... No bites, for months, for years ... I got pissed off and went back to short stories, mostly to keep my motivation going. It started slow but I got some published, then more. And I went back to writing a book, and 2, and 3. Number 4 was the first to get published, last year. All through this I kept doing shorts. I'm swinging both ways now, and it's doing wonders for the imaginative muscle. Because, guess what, the more words you get out, the more words are coming, and the ideas too. The kid is still in there, Graham! Go for it.
Thanks!
One of the things I'm trying to do is separate the creative me from the adulting me to get back that child-like wonder. I'm considering drastic measures: meditation. I suspect I may be too inside my head for it to work, but it's worth trying. (Besides, I've heard rave reviews...)
Congrats on your own successes! A perfect example of how perseverance pays off. And I totally agree -- words beget words. I always say the key to good writing is to just write!
I'm way too impatient to meditate, lol! What works well for me is thinking of a story (ideally one I'm working on) before I go to sleep. I might not get very far acting in out before I slip away, but the thing is still in my head in the morning and it unlocks things.
Oh, I would love to do that. My problem is the opposite -- shutting the brain down so I can go to sleep!
That being said, my subconscious tends to work on novel stuff in the background.
Funny about the "acting" part -- I tend to see my scenes more like movies. Maybe I should climb into the characters more.
Is that called Method Writing? lol
It's that good old kiddie thing: make-believe!
lol - now THERE'S my problem...!
I will try that during my writing session tonight. Might get me out of a tight spot in the scene I'm working on. Very complex and hard to get into.
I'll try tapping into that inner boy-like wonder again!
Keep banging on Graham!
Thanks Tom! That's certainly the plan.
I've had a renewed sense of purpose with this novel lately. Unfortunately, not quite the same renewed energy at the end of the day... lol
But, yep, I'm keeping calm and banging on!