Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Writer With a Day Job

As much as writing consumes my time and has taken over my life I still have a day job. It is necessary to support myself and my addiction, luckily I enjoy my day job so it isn’t a big deal. However after working eight to five coming home and sitting in front of the computer for another 5-8 hours is tiring. It wears you down quickly and before you know it the words run together and all the ideas seem like bad ones. There are certain things that help me make that switch from normal professional Liz to creative writer Liz.



Liz’s Top Five Ways to Clear Her Mind and Get Back in the Story:

1. Exercise- Immediately when I get home from work I go outside for a run/walk. Once I am going with my book playlist blaring in my ears my mind finds its own way back into the story and starts working on scenes, no forcing necessary.

2. Explaining a scene that is troubling me or what my book is about to someone else who will question me about it. In order to answer questions about my work or explain the underlying emotional threads of a particular scene I have to be in my characters minds. Once there it is easy to keep going.

3. Reading what I have written. If I flip back to the beginning of a chapter or a previous chapter and reread it often it will pull me back in and make it easier to continue.

4. Chatting with my writing group. While this one often back fires and three hours later I am still chatting with them a lot of times hearing about their stories or what they are working sparks enthusiasm in me for my own story. Making me really want to create and be awesome so they won’t kick me out of the group.

5. Taking a break. Sometimes an hour, two or a whole night off is necessary. You can’t be afraid to take it and let your brain regroup.

How do you get back into your stories?

Photo by Kim

4 comments:

C.G. Powell said...

I like your mind clearing ideas. Some of my best ideas come to me in the car, when I have my playlist cranked loud and I can sing at the top of my lungs, while passing motorist stare.

V.K. Tremain said...

Love your list Liz! Talking about the scene really helps, as well as the writing group. But I agree, it can backfire :) Sometimes I need to take a day and regroup, or go out and have some fun with friends, which can spark some enthusiasm again to create. I like to observe interactions between people, and it makes me wonder what my characters would do, or act like in those situations. Also, reading other books can inspire me to keep going and create my own work.

Pamela Mason said...

Exercise is my way to clear my head too. I actually write while walking on a treadmill. Somehow staying moving and the slow rhythm makes my mind focus. Sitting at my lovely desk looking outside my writing window at the pretty flowers and the bees and the cardinals with their nest and... what was I talking about again?
Yep, dark writing corner on treadmill for me!

Elizabeth Sharp said...

Apparently tattoos work well for me, though I think it's more the sitting still alone with my thought than the actual pretty new picture in m skin...

And I will try to be less distracting. *waggles eyebrows and thinks of Damon pictures*

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