Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Tue, Feb 26 2019
What do locals call that mountain, or is that a swamp?
Yesterday I was rearranging some items in the house and I got stuck because of approximately two inches of space. I went ahead and did the cleaning I could behind furniture and small items that had already been moved, but those two inches really put a damper on progress. I felt stuck.
This was all resolved later in the day when I had help (and a couple of extra tools) moving one large item in order to gain that other two inches of space. But it reminded me of times when I get stuck on a piece of writing because I can't come up with a character name or I can't readily fill in all the details of a story setting. It's easier to give up than to keep working around the issue. If I had taken that attitude while rearranging the items at home, we would have fallen over a dozen things on the way to bed last night. I didn't abandon the project, but I did what I could and I also made sure there was not some good reason why the detail was not working for me.
When I can't name a character in a story, I try to take a good look at the attributes and basic ego of the character to make sure I have the right charactor for the job. When I can't get a mountain backdrop to easily fit into the setting, it may be that the mountain really isn't there. The setting may need to be a flat plain with no mountain around.
Before I abandon a story next time, I plan to pause first and take a good look at why this or that detail just isn't showing up. I may not have the right focus or truth in front of me to get that job done.
posted at: 10:53 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
Yesterday I was rearranging some items in the house and I got stuck because of approximately two inches of space. I went ahead and did the cleaning I could behind furniture and small items that had already been moved, but those two inches really put a damper on progress. I felt stuck.
This was all resolved later in the day when I had help (and a couple of extra tools) moving one large item in order to gain that other two inches of space. But it reminded me of times when I get stuck on a piece of writing because I can't come up with a character name or I can't readily fill in all the details of a story setting. It's easier to give up than to keep working around the issue. If I had taken that attitude while rearranging the items at home, we would have fallen over a dozen things on the way to bed last night. I didn't abandon the project, but I did what I could and I also made sure there was not some good reason why the detail was not working for me.
When I can't name a character in a story, I try to take a good look at the attributes and basic ego of the character to make sure I have the right charactor for the job. When I can't get a mountain backdrop to easily fit into the setting, it may be that the mountain really isn't there. The setting may need to be a flat plain with no mountain around.
Before I abandon a story next time, I plan to pause first and take a good look at why this or that detail just isn't showing up. I may not have the right focus or truth in front of me to get that job done.
posted at: 10:53 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry