These last few months have been a complete brain drought. I think it starts when you choose to take a break from anything that involves thinking. And then the next week you think, maaaayybe I'll try writing again . . . but I wasn't into it. And pretty soon it became a distant thing, like I might get a hernia if I try to write. Anything. So the result is no blogging and an MS frozen in time and forgotten. It's like that, I start down the path and there's no turning back.Thinking about it now it's surprising what ended up saving me from this vicious cycle. My sis-in-law finished her new book and sent it for me to critique. I try to resist doing too many line edits and instead leave my thoughts in the comments. This time though I broke the rules. I really dove into it and probably crossed a line or two. I think what pushed me over the edge was the song near the end. I couldn't help but play with it for fun (my original passion has always been workshopping poetry).
That got me thinking about some old poems and songs I'd written years ago. I had to fiddle with them too of course and ideas for new ones popped into my head. Then suddenly I was writing again. Something happened in me. Somehow I was tricked into writing. And once I started writing, I had to keep going.
So I pulled out my MS and actually wrote a page! I was so proud of myself (haha) that I told my husband who said, "so what?". I responded by mocking his slow one-finger typing, just to feel good about myself. Then the next day I wrote another page. And on the third day I wrote two pages - and this blog post!
I'm realizing now the most important element, for me, when it comes to writing a book - momentum. I suppose that would also help with working out and cleaning the house. Once you get going, start making it a pattern, then the next time it becomes easier, until it's a habit. Now of course I'm thinking, duh, I already knew that.
I just thought I'd share my realization with others, in case anyone else was feeling blocked, or brain dead. Whenever you think it's some impossible far away task -
what helps you get going again?
