Cultivating the Imagination – Darla’s Writer Wednesday
No longer do I wake with plot ideas brimming. Instead, the once active muse continues to lie dormant after an extended period. Attempts to pollinate my inspiration wither on the vine in sterile soil. A tiny Haiku feels like a big accomplishment (though I guess that’s okay to some degree, as it is at least a form of creation).
The frustrating this is that many months ago I wrote with furious intensity at every opportunity. Pages of notebooks filled up with penned stories that I later transferred to computer. Sheets of print-outs stacked on the passenger seat of my sedan allowed editing at long traffic lights. I’d reread while on the NordicTrack making further, if sometimes difficult to decipher, notes of improvement.
Minor elements twined together to sprout unforeseen branches for ever-growing characters. I began to feel as if I’d been possessed by some benevolent spirit sharing stories from the afterlife. Now, when I have more time to devote to writing than ever, the field is barren.
Enough of the self indulgent puns, however. As a wise friend pointed out, life ebbs and flows like the tide (Thanks for that uplifting remark, A. Catherine Noon! What goes out must come in, eh?). The author in me seems to be stuck in winter, but no season lasts forever (Okay, one more pun).
I’m going to try starting fresh each morning, perhaps assigning each weekday with a particular goal. Mondays could be devoted to reading those short stories moldering in a binder. Tuesdays can be spent working on blog material, which I’ve neglected. Wednesday might be time to develop new ideas, whether for a virgin project or an unfinished one.
Before I go on, let’s just say that I’ll have to find what works. In the meantime, I hope you don’t stagnate in whatever you desire to achieve.
Now let’s go create!
Maybe I’ll scribble down a Haiku before logging off…
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I can't believe you wrote that much, my gosh! That is one of the reasons I write poetry…besides the fact that I sucked at any attempt at novel writing. I don't seem to be able to write longer than a piece of poetry, not without much stress. I do sometimes write two or three pieces in quick succession.
You're correct about things being seasonal and I believe to accept that is on the road to sanity.
Your posts are always enlightening and encouraging. 🙂
Thanks for reading and replying so kindly, dear, but don't you dare say you "suck" at anything. I can understand stress as a reason, though.
So far, I've been reading more than trying to write. It's a good story for which I'm to pen a review. Hmmm… Come to think of it, I enjoy sharing thoughtful reviews, which does take some creative thought.
I like your stories, Byz. I agree with Darla. ~hugs~ You should write more of them.
Darla, I guess I would say just start small. You know how Julia Cameron has that phrase, "show up at the page"? That sometimes works when I'm dry. It's hard as hell, but just open up a blank document and turn off the wifi if you need to. Try setting the timer for 30 minutes. Even if you fart around looking at or reading stuff you've already written (which I sometimes do when I'm "supposed" to be writing), I figure the important thing is show up at the page again the next time (the next day or whenever the next writing time is). That way, you are providing the habit and time so that when the Muse is ready, she has a place to go.
And if that fails, just be gentle and give yourself a hug. Fallow times are necessary, but Spring always returns.
I really appreciate the encouragement! Starting small is an excellent idea. Goals are best when made achievable, aren't they? Thanks again.