So here’s how it goes….. I’m sitting quietly, O.K. no I’m not. I’m fidgeting and drinking coffee – a lot of coffee, trying to work out the order of things. The plot for ‘book 2 ‘ is shaping up nicely and I’m getting itchy feet. I wouldn’t call it ‘writers block’ more ‘writers distraction’. My mind is already racing ahead to various sub plots, twists and turns. I have to write them all down quickly before I loose my thread and they’re gone. So now Miss Fidgety is staring down at a full sheet of words, phrases and sometimes even paragraphs in no particular order. I just have to get them out of my head to make more room. That got me to thinking about how important these ideas / words/phrases/plots are. Once down on paper I like to move between them, trying to get the measure of them. Some will never fit my WIP but that doesn’t matter. Maybe they’ll fit another project or maybe not. The ideas that are forcing their way out of my head are just that ideas. I do not or rather should not get fixated on making each one work because I will fail. The reality is that within that plethora of jumbliness (I know that’s not a word but meh) there may be, just may be a diamond or 2. A diamond so sharp and bright that it will set your knickers on fire! You get the picture, well hopefully not literally.
Ideas and words are important but they a story do not make, they are the trigger or catalyst for what comes next. It’s the hard part that comes next…. the writing.
So troops go out there and get those ideas/words/phrases/plots out of your heads… you’ll be amazed at where they may lead you. Just make sure you have a fire extinguisher at the ready!
This image is called ‘Writers Block’ from Drew Coffman
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