The Ramblings of my Disorganised Mind

So, November

I wrote the wrong date on a bank withdrawal slip the other day.

The day was correct, but I wrote the "8" instead of the "11" for November.

Of course, that would be August, wouldn't it. Which is about where I am with the year. 3 months behind. Good grief.

Funnily enough, the teller didn't notice either. Guess she's in the same boat as I.

Busy. My daughter has/ has had a plethora of choir-related commitments (she's in 2, the National one and a school one) and my # 3 son is graduating Yr 7 (end of primary school, for those southerly). Drama plays coming up, too, for #'s 1 & 5. And the regular cricket games continue, too.

I am also supposed to be in Christmas head, and plan-for-next-schoolyear head. That's a bit rude, I think, considering I haven't finished with this year yet *grin*

So far, I have been Very bad, and have not continued with the Next Book. I have a feeling that if I don't start on it soon, I will get into the same slumpy hiatus from last time. I have gone back to the gym, though: almost as painful a return as returning to writing was after a break. Apparently, I'm very co-ordinated, however. :-D

It's almost enough to make me want to sit and watch Buffy DVDs all day.

Or Xena, perhaps.

hehe. Almost.

I once read a writing book where the author commented that having too much freedom could be inhibiting. She was talking about the concept of having a teacher set a writing exercise that was something along the lines of "write whatever you like," and how hard it as to get started from that; how it's easier if someone says something like (this is my example not hers): "imagine a pond. There is a small gnome sitting on one bank, and a fuglehorn on the other. The pond has some mysterious ripples on it. What happens next?"

In my case, I've found the freedom to write inhibiting. I have too many ideas and no time, and settling down to "just one" is proving to be stifling to the point where I freeze and do nothing. That won't last, of course.

So, my plan is to do something that's usually anathema to me, writing-wise: plan. Take each begun project and get it planned out a bit, for story arcs, etc. The one that hums me the most, I'll begin. All going well. The only other alternative is to try to write them all at once, but that usually ends up with my head in "blue screen of death" mode after a while. It'd be OK if they were short stories but sustaining 5 novels at once is not something I've tried.

I can imagine the result, though. Can you say, "lunatic?"

posted by Heather @ 7:56 am