It's been longer since posts than I imagined! I can't cop to not keeping busy -- that hasn't been the case. Here's proof: photo (taken by me) of my daughters when we climbed the White Cliffs north of Dover, Kent, England. We had a marvelous two weeks in the U.K., touring while driving on the other side of the road (yipes!) It was a constant delight to share my love of England with my husband (again) and with our two grown girls (first time).
When I got back, of course I was anxious to finish my work-in-progress. Seeing some of the places through which my characters move inspired me to get back on fire for this story. I can "see" the area around Bath now, and the hills that encircle Frome, Trowbridge and the roads over which Robert and Margery travel.
Instead, I'm struggling. Getting BICHOK (bottom in chair, hands on keyboard) is a strain and a real job now instead of something I can't wait to get to each day. The story feels balky and doesn't want to move. I like my characters, my setting, the whole smash, but the fire isn't there and I can't delude myself that it is. I can sense the lack of richness in this narrative, as opposed to the others where the words simply poured forth.
How about you? Can you as a reader tell when a writer has lost touch with "story" and is typing words onto a screen in order to get to word count? Can you as a writer re-fire your storytelling if this authorly-ennui creeps up on you?
Thoughts?
1 comment:
There's usually a good reason why a story suddenly becomes clunky and wooden, as much as you want to inject something into it. I suspect this story may be coming too closely on the heels of other ones that have taken more out of you; you didn't let yourself "steep" for any amount of time before jumping into this one. Plus, you've got other projects you're trying to do at the same time. You may have 4,352 story ideas...but you only have one of you to execute them, and sometimes that one of you needs a BREAK. Yanno, as in rest? As in not stacking up deadlines and new books like airplanes over O'Hare? It's a thought. :-)
T1
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