Joyously Prolific

Turning it off...

That's my problem. I can't turn it off. I almost constantly think about writing. So much so that it's hard to get any sleep. I catch a few hours here and there, and if I'm lucky, I get a couple nights a week of six or seven hours.

But the last thing I think about when I'm going to sleep is the story(s) I'm currently working on. They keep me awake far longer than they should. I am glad I now have the Visor and can take occasional notes in bed because prior to this I often either got back up or I would try to memorize everything for the next day. The stories often invade my dreams as well, though rarely to give any help. If I'm stuck at a scene I try to se the idea up in my mind before I go to sleep. Sometimes I dream my way through them, but most often it's with help that I can't use. (How did the elves get into my SF universe, and what makes them think turning Idela into a toad is going to help anyway? She'll just be a very ambitious toad...)

The stories are almost always the first thing in my mind when I wake up. I come in and I sit down at the computer. I check to see if there is work that I absolutely have to do, and if there isn't... it's back to work on writing. Oh, I may be in chat, but the story is open.

Leaving the house doesn't help. I take the Visor, and even if I don't work on stories, Russ and I often discuss them. We discuss his work and my stories at dinner.

In other words, writing isn't something that I do when I have some free time and there's nothing on TV. With the exception of West Wing, I rarely watch TV at all. My reading habits have gotten very bad the last two years, and I need to change that part of my life. I should spend more time on house related things -- and after all, I could still think about writing while I'm sweeping and doing the dishes.

I could spend more time doing things at Forward Motion, too.

But... but...

I like my life. I like having stories that tumble over each other in their attempts to get down on the screen/paper. I like that I can write (like yesterday) 9,000 words and wish I had more time because there are so many more waiting, queued up to hit the screen as fast as my little fingers can type.

Oh, there are plenty of days when they fight me. Today is one of those. I need to finish a story by the end of the year for my own goals, and this one has been fighting me since June. It is not going to be the huge sweeping saga I originally saw. I'll be happy with a short story that does something. I'll look at it as character development for something longer, if I ever get the feel for it. But I will finish it.

The other story is going much better, but I'm holding it out like a carrot. Get something done on While the Gods Sleep and then I can work on The Blood of the Clan.

I should go and do a little house cleaning before Russ gets home tonight.

Later. I am going to get 500 words on While the Gods Sleep.

Starting count: 2567