Drawing from the Well
Queries Sent: 0
Total Queries: 11
Scenes Arranged: 1
Total Scenes: 217
One. Just one scene. And that was MUCH harder to put together than I expected. It was like dragging myself over gravel. Sure, part of that was questioning if I need this scene at all, but even when I decided to keep it, it was extremely slow going. Thus leads to today’s Well Chat below.
Filling the Well
Elegy: Page 67 of 89
The Devouring Gray: 63%
Like I said yesterday, TDG is SO GOOD! I’ll definitely finish it in another day or two. You have to read this book if you like fantasy.
As for Iron Fist, I still haven’t started. I’m a little disillusioned about TV right now. I’d rather read. I feel like I get disappointed less by books than TV. Go figure, right?
Polishing the Well
Last night we had some friends over who were off loading extra Easter leftovers. And they were delicious. And we laughed a lot. It was a good night…that led to me being exhausted so late night was anything but productive.
Well Chat
Your Brain is a Muscle Too
I’m relearning a truth right now: Your brain is a muscle. When you work it out daily, or at least regularly, it works better and does better work more quickly than when it’s “rusty.” That’s where I am right now. I need to dust off the cobwebs and get back to putting together scenes every day. This string of zero-scene days has to stop.
Now, as fun as this bout of self-flagellation is, there’s a lesson here. Every author has their own cadence. Some write in fits and spurts while others see more productivity writing a little each day. I tend to be a bit of both. I write more and better if I write each day and I STILL have super-productive days (typically around major story beats because they’re exciting).
I’m not advocating writing every day if that doesn’t work for you. It doesn’t work for everybody. All I’m saying is that your brain needs regular workouts to stay strong. Find your cadence and stick to it. If it’s Tuesdays at 2pm with two cups of tea and two shortbread cookies, DO IT. Stick to that regimen because it works for you. If it’s getting up every day at 4:30am and spending just 30 minutes writing, DO IT. If it’s going on a retreat for a week and never stopping even to eat (I’m advocating eating WHILE writing here, not embodying the starving artist), DO IT. Find your path and follow it.
I’m not following mine right now and my work is suffering for it. I’m trying to find the balance. I got into a bad habit of working my day job late into the evenings. It took me away from my family and away from my writing and my soul has suffered for it, not to mention the hearts of my wife and kids. So I’m trying to shift back in the other direction by having hard limits on my regular work time. By sticking to that, I’ll open up time for everything else. I did it yesterday and I got one scene in. It’s a start.
Where are you on your writing journey? How do you struggle against the thief of time?
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG