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Plz feel free to share your “funk” stories.
I just wanted to highlight a few bloggers out there, thx for stopping by.
Rachel McClellan at http://blackbirdinmywindow.blogspot.com/ is doing a critic of the first 3 pages of your manuscript. So swing by and enter if you want some feedback on you WIP.
Shawna Railey at http://sycamoremeadows-myjourney.blogspot.com/ gave me a blog award, her blog rocks so go check it out… thx.
Thx for the award, but I just might be setting my manuscript on fire...lol.
And the world turns...
Oh I hate those funks :( Hang in there! Reading usually helps me get out of them - spend some time in someone else's head for a bit. Then maybe Chapter 10 will make sense.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered writing something completely different for a while?
ReplyDeleteI know everyone is different... but even a little short story, or some haiku, or even something in a different medium might work.
I am the queen of funk (sounds funny, doesn't it?), so I understand, I really do. Getting my teeth into something else, though, often helps alleviate the funk, and it freshens my mind to return to the manuscript that's giving me fits.
Actually, keep at it. Things look worse right before a breakthrough!
ReplyDeleteAnd you are probably being too critical. That only means the end result will be even better.
check out Mastery by George Leonard.
http://www.amazon.com/Mastery-Keys-Success-Long-Term-Fulfillment/dp/0452267560/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305112612&sr=8-1
Shakespeare's has good advice as well, free your mind.
I absolutely have those funks, a lot. I just take a break and then get back at it when I can't stand to be away from it anymore. Sometimes its a couple of days and sometimes a couple of weeks. :)
ReplyDeleteI have rewritten all my first chapters so many times and still can't get most of them right. Out of the 4 completed novels (one I'm still revising, actually) I only like the first chapter for one of them (my current one). And I revised that one to death too - but I had a breakthrough moment that helped me get it to where it is now. You'll get there with your chapter 10!
Congrats on the award. If you set your book on fire make sure to youtube it and post it.
ReplyDeleteDon't be discouraged. We all fall into a funk once in a while. Usually a hot shower will do the trick perfectly. If not, take some time off to write a short story. You'll get your grove back.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with Chapter 10.
It's so frustrating when a chapter doesn't work. I don't know if this will help. but sometimes what I'll do is take the chapter completely and challenge myself to bring about the scene giving me trouble in a totally different way. Even if you don't plan on using the new idea, sometimes by just writing a new scene you will gain insight on what isn't working with the older one and gain ideas on how to fix it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse
Listen to some music. Usually a certain beat, lyric, or an entire song will wrench me from the funk. I also find that thinking about the next part, or chapter will help me to solve the quagmire. A kind of connect the dots if you will. Good luck, I've been there many times.
ReplyDeleteJulius
We all feel your pain with a frustrating chapter. I'm doing final edits on book #3 right now, and book #2 is still out there, a big hairy mess I'll need to fix. Maybe take a break and come back to it in a day or two. Sometimes mulling it over in your head for a while helps a lot. Or exercising.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone gets a creative funk once and a while. Perhaps putting your ms to the side for a while and let it perculate in your subconscious. You could start something new or different to stimulate your mind.
ReplyDeleteThis too will pass, Jeff. :)