2 posts tagged “into the anduiuar”

A few years ago I realized I needed certain things to be productive as a writer.  For a long time, before I moved out of California, these things were a consistent art of my writing experience.  Since the move, I've not done so well, a lot of which has had to do with broken habits and work.  With it so hard to create particular routines, some of what I knew may have slipped away.  So, it's time remind myself of what has worked and try to determine what will work even when I have to be up at 5 a.m. on morning and not until 8 a.m. the next (the down side to being a substitute teacher).  It's time to revisit an old post I wrote on another blog about the discoveries I made about my needs as a writer. 

In 2004, I explored the archives for that journal and looked for comments that indicate what helps me as a writer, as well as those things that are implied or that happen over and over that affect how much writing I get done.  These are the discoveries I made:

What Helps
» Music:
Slow is okay once in awhile, but used too often it makes me depressed.   Best: music associated with the project or world.

» Goals:
They make great targets - use them, but don't lock myself into them.  Start with weekly goals, then use daily goals to break them up into smaller, more manageable chunks.

» Project Choice:
Work with the project I am most motivated to work on, but have an alternate going for when my motivation flags.

» Creativity vs. Rest:
Being a night owl doesn't mean working all night.  My most creative time hits around midnight, and bed time should be around 2 or 2:30 a.m.  3:30 a.m. is pushing it. 4:30 a.m. is bad.  I end up too tired, unable to focus, and don't get anything done the next day.

» Organization:
I need an organized work space (though not necessarily spotless clean - just has to be neat and be able to find stuff), organized notes, etc.  I need to file the stacks once in awhile.

» Multitasking:
I need to multitask, but I also need to control the interruptions so they work for me but don't take over my writing time.

» Tools:
Check off lists and profiles forms help me to focus.

» Breathe:
Breaks are good -- take time away from the pc and writing <u>every</u> day.  Spending time with the family,  reading, playing -- these help keep the burnout away.

» Medication:
MEDS ARE IMPORTANT!  They keep me focused and healthy.

» Routines:
Write FIRST.  Jot down notes for any new projects, but keep working on the current ones until they are done, <b>then</b> pick up a new one.  Take my current project, crits, and writing notebook everywhere with me.

» Process:
Plot build my novels.  And sometimes I need to bulldoze through the blocks and false starts.

What to Avoid
» Pressure:
Whether from myself or from overwhelming goals or from other sources.  Too many new projects can overwhelm and create all kinds of problems.  Work on 2 or 3 at a time, rotate them if necessary, but don't drop everything for every new idea.  If the story is that cool, write it down and get back to it.  Overloading  my goals for the day or the week, or trying to lock myself into them causes another kind of pressure.  It's good to be reaching, not good to be floundering.

» Memberships:
I'm working, a mother, manage several communities.  It is tempting to join more workshops, but, right now, 1 is all I can commit to.

» The PS2:
Cool toy.  Don't let it take over.

» Process:
I'm too much of a perfectionist to write longhand.  Longhand works for revisions, but not the writing.

Keep In Mind
» Fallow Periods:
There are times when I will write less (when I'm sick, moving, or have some real life stuff sapping my energy and time) and I need to do two things: LET myself write less and be okay with it, and reduce my expectations.  When life changes, it takes time to adjust.  Let myself do that. After working on a larger project for an extended length of time, I'm going to need to take time off from writing.  Go with it.

» Habit:
When I interrupt the writing habit, it can take some time to get back into it -- several days of off time means more of a fight to get back into my writing.  Breaks are good, but don't extend them too long if I can help it.

» The "Flow":
Naps interrupt my creative process. If I need a nap, I'm not writing for the rest of the day; but, if I need a nap, I should take one to save everyone else's sanity.

How do I measure up?  Pretty good on the "What Helps" list -- my multitasking and routines seem to be the most disrupted right now.  The biggest problem is probably in the "What To Avoid" list -- the PS2.  I let that thing eat up my time and keep me up too late.  So, while i may have only that one issue on this list, it's one that's causing quite a few problems for my writing.  Those problems are only compounded by the fact that my writing habits have been non-existent since the move.  Some how I need to get my daily writing habit back on track and the PS2 turned off.

The Anduiuar is the name of the spiritual place the lynathry go when they enter a mediative rest state.  It's more than just dreaming, and they aren't sleeping in the traditional sense that we know and experience.  Lyanthry, the people in Alden who are similar to elves, must enter this meditative state or become very ill, even die.  This place allows them to explore and learn from their experiences.

And so it will be here in Journeys.

I have other writing blogs on the net, but they tend to be more scattered, more personal, less focused.  You won't find meme's here.  There may be a scattering of personal posts.  But the real focus here is to explore and learn from my experiences as a writer, to give more meaning to my progress than word or page counts.  Journeys is a meditation on my writing process.  I've been on my journey as a writer for quite some time, learned a lot, grown tremendously, but never really explored that journey.

That is what I hope to do here.

Welcome.