The words aren't fitting together right. They aren't creating the feel, the tone, the mood I desire, setting the scene I desire. It's like when you kind of know the words to a song, but you're just a little off so they don't work with the music. The point gets carried across, but it makes you cringe.
So what have I been doing instead? Anything I could think of to make the words flow. One of those things was to step away from the computer a bit. I even completely shut it down one day. Another one of those things was to watch TV. "NCIS" mostly. I've loved the show for quite some time, but I've never watched them all in order. I'm over halfway through season one now. But the number one most important thing I've done? I turned to that one book that always inspires me.
You know which one I'm talking about. We all have one. That book we always come back to eventually. That book we've read so many times the binding has worn thin. That book that inspires the writerly fire within us. For me, that book is The School Story by Andrew Clements.
Natalie's best friend, Zoe, is sure that the novel Natalie's written is good enough to be published. But how can a twelve-year-old girl publish a book? Natalie's mother is an editor for a big children's publisher, but Natalie doesn't want to ask for any favors.Then Zoe has a brilliant idea: Natalie can submit her manuscript under a pen name, with Zoe acting as her literary agent. But it's not easy for two sixth graders to put themselves over as grown-ups, even with some help from a couple of real group-ups who are supportive but skeptical. The next best-selling school story may be in their hands-but can Natalie and Zoe pull off their masquerade?
I don't remember exactly when I discovered this book, but I've loved it ever since. I probably don't have to tell you why. At the moment I'm about halfway through. And I'm feeling more and more up to writing. I mean, I wrote this post, didn't I?
What is your "book"? What do you do when the words won't fit?
I think usually what I do is just have a break from that particular piece of writing, and work on something new for a while. Generally I will write my rough draft & not care if it's crap or not (which it often is). I know I'll be able to revise, or rewrite, later. For me, the rough draft generally is about me learning what the story's about and where it's going. Not about doing great writing.
ReplyDeleteAnd I definitely hold true to that belief with my longer works, my novels. However, with my short stories, I like to be more definite and secure in the words.
DeleteAlso, working on another project doesn't cut it for this. Lack of ideas? I can move on to something else. Lack of words? There's nothing I can do but wait it out.
We all need a break here and there and there are times when we need to push through things and others when we need to stay still.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your book!
I always struggle with my obsession with rhetoric. I am actually a really bad first-drafter (see, if I can't think of a word, I create one)because I don't concentrate in just getting it down but how I get it down, which slows me down.
ReplyDeleteAh, I sympathize with that. Usually with my novels, I set myself such a short time span (a month usually, two weeks for the last two) that I don't have time for "how." With shorter works, I don't see the need for that. I just work on it until I'm done.
DeleteWhen the words don't fit, I don't fight against that. Instead, I pick up one of any of a number of current reads and go through those. Or, I also help other writers with their work in progress. I recently edited a friend's manuscript and am helping another with her editing (these are people I met through blogs). It's kind of relaxing to help them arrange their words and in some small way, it's therapy for my own.
ReplyDeleteYes, sometimes other books help, too. For some reason paper type and font seem to be a factor in that.
DeleteI have not tried editing someone else's work though I do understand the relaxing quality you speak of. I'm experiencing it now, as I go through and fix the half of the short story I already had.
I've definitely been going through this for the past couple of weeks. I've been trying to meet my goal but I just can't seem to. I don't have that special "book" (or, if I do, I can't remember it) but I do read a lot in general when I can't write. Usually the books I read give me some sort of inspiration to write.
ReplyDeleteI actually sometimes find that reading has the opposite effect, and makes me feel even more demoralised - so I usually take a break and get out of the house. Go for a walk. Listen to music. Anything which moves my mind into a different space for a while...and when I return to the writing task, invariably the words are there again.
ReplyDeleteLove the sound of The School Story. Haven't ever come across that one!
It usually takes longer for me to get back in the groove. A few days rather than a few hours. And if my father would let me go beyond my front yard I might try walks.
DeleteYou have to try it. It's MG, but it's good.
Funny, I watched the first episode of NCIS recently. The moment when Ducky and Dinozzo take each other's pictures at the president's desk in Air Force One, without having to discuss what they're up to, established how easily these characters work together. That kind of wordless inside baseball is hard to establish in fiction writing.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, that is a great scene. And then Gibbs busts them out. XD I also love how in NCIS each character is very obviously their own person. So see, I'm not wasting time it's um... research. Right, Mark? ;)
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