So we're now solidly into the middle of NanoWriMo's 30-day challenge, and how are we doing? The quote I use above is definitely something I'm going through as I hit the middle of my upcoming Regency romance scheduled to release later in December. And I am being pulled by the stars, for sure!
At first I termed it stagnation. But now that I consider it, I believe it's more akin to avoidance. Yup, definitely avoidance. I don't like that my characters are not doing what I want them to do; don't like that I feel as if the story line is flailing about like a broken down donkey. And I definitely don't like that I feel bored. I've lost control. I'm tired, and I'm blaming everything and everybody because I can't seem to fix it. What to do?
I'd prefer to walk away and ignore those pesky characters. Shove my outline and drafts in a deep, dark drawer and go off to have a nice lunch, do a little shopping, reorganize my linen closet, get reacquainted with the family of dust bunnies under the beds . . . well, you get the picture.
Avoidance.
So how do we rise up and slay the dragon, drive the aliens from our brains? After all, we only have 15 days left to deadline. And next week will be a tough one for many of us as we deal with Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, not to mention those of us who are traveling distances to be with friends and family.
Now it's a matter of sticking it out through "The Great Swampy Middle" as Jim Butcher phrased it. If you haven't read his post, I encourage you to do so. It's a hoot! Our approach needs to be pro-active. Assertive. Inspiration is only 20% of the solution. 80% is sweat equity. Let's repeat that: 80% is sweat equity.
First, do give yourself permission to step away from the writing. Take a break. Not weeks, mind you. I'm talking a half-day, a day. Break away.
Second, you need to come back and face the creepy, icky things that lurk in that middle swampy area of your novel. Easier said than done, though.
Remember the concept of 'pliability' from Tom Brady I mentioned in an earlier entry? Let's try to be pliable at this point
"Barn's burnt down . . . now I can
see the moon."
This is a quote from Masahide, a 17th-century samurai warrior and poet. But what I love about it -- and it's followed me on all my jobs, tacked up on the wall by my computer where I could see it easily -- is it reminds me to find opportunity in the midst of crisis. Why not let your main characters have a go at what they want to do. Sometimes the planning board and that pile sticky notes will not work for you. There's an artist that I've followed online for years who stated, "Bored? Then take a detour and turn left."
You can always save your previous passages and go back to them later if need be. But here again, you're giving yourself permission to take a detour, to let your characters evolve in ways you hadn't foreseen at the beginning, to let the plot unfold in ways you'd not imagined.
Throw a bomb in the swampy middle and see what happens! It may seem messy at first, but it could be fun. And don't panic immediately. Don't hit that delete button. Set up a file folder for your deleted passages because you may want to go back at some point and fiddle with them.
Writing is like cooking -- a dash here, a bit of spice there, stir it up, taste it and repeat the process until you're happy with your concoction. It's not rocket science. There are many artists who work on several canvases at a time so that if one painting is not turning out how they wanted it, they turn it to the wall and work on another one. Sometimes what you do on one project will offer up an answer to the other one you were struggling with. Do you have deleted passages from another work? Dip back in and see if there's anything there you can tweak and use now.
Avoidance won't get you through the swamp. Patience will.
Tough it out but remember pliability.
Seek out the moon when your barn is burning.
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