Stop Write Now

 

What stops us in our tracks while writing?

People have mentioned before that it must be difficult to be the Friday Fox, since everything that could be said on a topic must have already been said. I generally find the opposite to be true; I do my posts ahead of time, but if, after I have read what everyone else has had to say, someone sparks something that I think should be covered, I will  edit my post and add more.

Which I probably do will this time.

So far, everyone has said everything.

I am starting late, (on Wednesday), and I will see what The Hound covers before I schedule this, but so far, the other Foxes seem to have covered it all, and it is the one time that I am not sure that I have anything original to add. (Indeed, finishing this on Thursday, I picked something up from today’s post.)

Two Foxes mentioned family, which always must come first.

I used to be on-call for The Next Generation (grandkids) and run-run all the time; that’s stopped for the most part, but The Husband is now retired and he likes to run-run, and wants me along a most of the time. More about him in a minute.

I have not done any major housework in some time, but the regular needs to be done, (and it’s time for a big Spring cleaning). I enjoy cooking, but can usually get it done ahead so I can write. However, Son #1 lives in town and is now gluten-sensitive, so I have been experimenting for him with good results, and  we are all eating healthier. (I’ll be posting on my other blog how you can use prepared quinoa as breadcrumbs for filler in almost anything, and cooked-then-dried, flavored chickpeas as a substitute in toppings). Plus, now The Husband goes shopping with me, which is a big help, but we buy and re-fill the parts of the freezer which I had been so glad to thin-out. (I prefer to freeze prepared foods).

My own health will stop me. My ‘companion pain’ (chronic) doesn’t impede me, but fatigue surely does. (Needless to say, the months of post-surgery stopped me from everything.)

Some people get stopped by characters’ names. I have not, although I have changed them, and that is time consuming. (Thank Heaven for Word and other helps that find the names in whatever has already been written!) I often name characters for people whom I know, or who have inspired me. Some other names have been integral to the storyline, so that is not a problem. I sometimes base characters on people themselves  and if I don’t use their name, I will use a name that starts with the same letter , or the same letter as their middle name.

Noise does not bother me, generally. When I am alone, I purposely put happy or familiar music on, usually good Oldies will do it, or some ethnic, or even some swing-pop-big-band. I could even write when ONE Grandkid was here, if he/she was otherwise occupied, (and a bit older), right around the corner from my PC, TV on; no problem.

What can be a problem is some of the dirge-like music that my husband often plays. (I swear, you’d think you were time-warped into a medieval king’s funeral.)

Another great mention was getting stopped by story-lines. Most of the time, that is not a problem for me. If I am stuck, like the others, I insert a note-to-self, and carry on, only to come back later. I never get blocked; if I need to get my steam up, I simply start reading the story from the beginning. Sometimes I have a scene in my head, or started to the side, and leave a message to INSERT [specific] SCENE HERE. If I have time and am on a roll, I won’t stop…unless I am stopped.

When I was writing a play, (which became a short story afterward), I could be writing it fast and furiously when The Husband came home at night. He had no problem letting me continue. I’d usually stop soon afterward, but he understood that I had what I wanted to say at my fingertips, and/or editing to do where I saw it needed attention.

Now, he wants to know what I am writing, while I am writing. I can’t tell you how that throws me off; I end up losing my train of thought and what I write makes no sense.

I had posted that I was getting up earlier to write, but getting to bed at a decent time has been harder.

I was determined to get my starts finished and more that were done submitted, but ….

I’m working on it,

and on him.

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