your book is listening..choose your words well
PART ONE - Write On Series choose your words kind when you talk about your writing
It’s an all too familiar refrain…I’m not sure if I can do this…
and I said it today myself, regarding the memoir I’m working on. “I have a really ambitious idea and I don’t know how to build it out,” I said to my agent.
He loves the idea, and while giving me his level-headed praise, he reminded me, if anyone can, I can because I want it so badly. And surely that is the greatest need in the early stages of writing a book, isn’t it?
We slam ourselves with critical, cold, and irremediable words when we speak about our writing. Like, “stuck”. I hear the word “stuck” probably more than any other from writers I work with. And question for them, (after I jolt them with my Bob Newhart imitation: “Stop it!”) is, “Are you sure that’s what you mean?”
stuck = trapped = inescapable predicament
(don’t let the book hear you say that, friendy)
Is that really what you mean when you say it out loud — you can’t get out of this? Sure you can. I can, and I am, so you can to.
I don’t mean to make this sound easy, ‘cause it is NOT, and neither is sharing my own struggle here…I feel the weight of the “I can’ts” today- ALOT.
I’m jammed up myself this week. Green notebook open to a fresh page, bright blue ink my fave fountain pen (fingers stained already), opening scene choices screaming at me, Evernote open for hotlinks, Scrivener beckoning with a flashing cursor.
and in flood the comments…
… This isn’t flowing like yesterday when I had 2,000 words written by now, maybe i can’t…
… I can’t remember the details well enough to make this land, so I should…
… this is feeling repetitive, maybe I don’t have enough material, maybe I can’t write anymore…I’m gonna….
I won’t just tell you “don’t say stuck” without giving you some coaching on this, and some options to lean into when the going gets sticky. I need this coaching myself:
we need to choose our words more carefully, because the book is listening. And if we give up, it will too.
Reframe the negative talk on this (to self or others) to matter of factness- “Wow, that was tough going today.” Don’t attach yourself to the discomfort, it was just how the writing felt today.
Redirect the effort. This long form prose, scene, writing or fifth revision feels like swimming in toffee, so ask yourself, “what else could I work on, instead?” I call this Sales and Service…have at least two very different options to work on and move from one to the other so you feel productive and and at choice. So something admin (research, quotes, read another writer) when you can’t do the long form writing, for example.
Reduce the stakes. If you don’t have a hard deadline, then, you aren’t behind. Those three paragraphs and whether they came today or another day, won’t impact on the larger project. You probably won’t even remember this section or scene. Put down the pen, choose another section, change documents, work on something technical like your scene list, chapter summaries or outline.
Rick Rubin in his The Creative Act writes, “Taking a wrong turn allows you to see landscapes you wouldn’t otherwise have seen.” (p 161) so follow the rabbit hole, the yellow brick road of whatever change feels like writing to you…or just walk away until tomorrow. A cup of tea, walk in the woods, chat with a friend, hug time with you dog, and a lovely meal..that’s writing too.
You want to un-stuck yourself, don’t acquiesce to the paralysis, take action.
more ideas…
stop typing and try writing
drop the blue notebook and try the legal pad
start a new part after leaving a few inches of space on the page
put on sweats, walk some stairs, drink something sweet
Subscribe to get PART TWO in two days: see you soon, P
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Write On! It’s what we were born to do,
Love, P