Writing a novel vs. launching a huge site: rationalization or rational thinking?
Wednesday, 24 February, 2010 at 10:01 AM Remember that novel I'm writing? Sure, I've mentioned it here before. Several times! Only, it's been so long since I've written anything worthy in my novel that I almost believe I have to stop saying "I'm finally writing my novel."
There's a quandary that's dancing all over my thoughts of what it means to "push through your writer's block." Here's the thing: For over a year now, I've been passively working on a website that will separate everything related to work, from everything related to my personal interests. Which means the goal is to retain this site as my personal one, and launch a different one for business purposes. In spite of the fact that I continue on, seemingly oblivious to how inadvisable it is to intertwine personal blogging and professional efforts in a single location, it actually bothers me quite a lot. But people, do you know how much work it takes to actually create an entire site from scratch? No. I don't mean the design. I have that pretty much locked down. The other stuff, though? The planning and goal setting and development of content? All that stuff is time consuming and, if you're like me and your eyes are often far bigger than your proverbial plate, then very often you'll just become daunted and put the whole business aside in lieu of designing the sites others are paying you to design.
Fair enough. We all have to pay our bills, right?
But how long can one go on, putting the necessary work aside, dangling the carrot of "one day when I launch xyz site..." as if it's just going to build itself? So I had a great long talk with myself a week or two ago, and I'm back on track. (Which is to say I am busting my patootie, working on this site during every spare moment available.)
The new site is much bigger than just putting up samples of my work and blogging about related matters. I'm adding a whole extra facet, as well, in which I will offer downloadable files - some freebies and some for sale at reasonable prices - and darlins? It's still daunting!
What does that have to do with writing my novel? Thanks for asking! Here's where my brain starts to hurt. So far I've only committed 2 hours a week to working on my novel, so you'd think that I could just compartmentalize that block of time, and keep writing, and all the other "spare time" (when I'm not working on these client projects, that is,) could be devoted to The New Site. And maybe that's what you would do. But for me, it feels like this insurmountable hurdle to put down the one project and turn my mental energy toward the book. I tend to be a "total immersion" kind of person. When I'm into the novel, I'm 110% there. During the writing, these characters become as important as the real people in my life.
The same goes for my website. These designs I'm working on are all-consuming. I have poured a shocking number of hours into the site this week. And? Today is the day I go to my writing group.
So what would you do?
Force yourself to return to the novel, and build discipline? I can do it. I can force myself, if it seems the best course of action. But I know the writing will suffer, and in the end is that wasted time?
Between now and noon, that's the burning question I'll be trying to answer in the back of my mind, as I work on things that have nothing to do with either project.
The good thing is that if I decide I can only handle One Massive Creative Personal Project At Once, I'll still be writing. My site has quite a lot of content needing to be developed. So maybe I should just go to my group, sit with the other writers, and continue with the momentum created with the design fabulousness that's surrounding me, only work on the written part of the site.
Here, in black and white, temporarily putting the novel on hold while I get my site launched by March 31st seems the most rational thing ever.
However there's a nagging feeling. And that nagging feeling tells me that these are just excuses. The nagging feeling tells me I'm losing my footing and that this rationalization is what will pull me even further from my writing groove. The nagging feeling tells me that if I indeed want to publish a novel one day, that I have to turn off he chatter of All That Wants To Get In The Way and write on, even when other things feel more important.
Help!!! Anybody care to weigh in?
10 Comments | Share | in: Challenges, Choices, Creativity, Webdev, Writing, Writing a novel tagged: writer's block
Reader Comments (10)
Hey sweets,
While I'm not actively engaged in writing a novel, as you know, I spend a great deal of my spare time writing. Someday all that writing might morph into something publish-worthy but that's not where I am right now.
I do know that writing has to organic. And what I mean by that is that if you force yourself to do it, it will feel that way. When you allow yourself to do it, it's true and real. As I so often say (especially when my "brief little story" ends up 400 pages long) "the characters decide. I just take dictation." And what you said about the characters in your novel being as real as your Real Life friends - yeah, I'm right there with you. I know their middle names, their birthdays, their favorite colors, the food that they will absolutely NOT eat under any circumstance. Because, again, these details make them "real".
It may not be you that's not ready to continue on with your novel. It may very well be them. They are tired or overwhelmed or just need a break. Let them rest. They will tell you when they are ready to pick things back up with you.
As far as the writers' group is concerned - you have to decide if it will give you energy or take your energy away. And only you can judge that.
Even if your characters are on break and don't want to continue the story right now, you still write all the time. You are a phenomenal writer, even if it's "just" an email to friends. You don't have to be working on your novel to be really "writing." To you (like to me) writing is as natural as breathing. We write because we must, not because we choose.
And that's my two cents worth. Don't know if it will be helpful but I do understand!!!
Love ya'
Mean it!!!
-M
Different things work for different people, so take this with a grain of salt. I fall into the writing is NOT organic and writing will NOT suffer if you make yourself do it when you don't feel like it. If most waited to be inspired, nothing would ever get written. I'm talking about writing professionally - not for personal fun and enjoyment. In that case, by all means, let the cards fall where they may. But the fact is the hardest part of writing is just showing up for it.
That nagging feeling telling you you're making excuses? I think it's right. However, that's okay. Just put out there that launching this site is more important than the novel, at least for the time being. No harm in that. Other than yes, you will more than likely find yourself slipping away from the energy of the novel. You need to decide where your priorities are and follow accordingly.
Of course, this is all do as I say and not as I do chatter. ;)
Thank you thank you! You're both right, of course.
Margot, you write for pleasure. Therefore you should only do it when it pleases you. Dena, writing is your career. If you only wrote when it pleases you, your hubby would likely make you get a different kind of job that requires leaving the house on a daily basis. Eek!
I, on the other hand, fall somewhere in between. I used the word "commitment" in my blog post, which nobody called me on. And so I revisited that word. If it's a real commitment, there has to be some amount of accountability, right? And with the appearance of accountability, we cross somewhat out of the "writing for pleasure" neighborhood.
Margot, your point about listening to the characters hit a nerve for me. I read this just before leaving, and thought about what you said all the way there. Which led to some good questions, particularly: what do my characters want? And you know what? I realized I hardly knew because I haven't been listening to them for some time. I've let myself, instead, just ignore them in lieu of hundreds of other things.
So i challenged myself to see if I couldn't connect with them again for today's session. Which worked, because the last time I really enjoyed the writing, I wrote something that I think is quite good. So I reread that scene, delved back into the mood that overtakes me while reading that scene, then picked up where I left off, to write the scenes that followed. Voila! 2694 happy words, which didn't strain or stress to get here, whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Dena, in my case, this time, turns out... they were excuses. I've given myself another month to get my new site launched. I decided I can "forfeit" 2 hours a week to keep the momentum flowing. A month should be plenty and if it's not, two little hours a week isn't going to change anything.
Which made it easier to jump that particular hurdle, after all.
You guys are awesome!
Firstly - I haven't read the above posts. Here's what I think. My son - whom I home school, has an immersion kinda brain. He's also quite clever - like you. And ADHDish. Like you. He's also delightful and funny and cute. LIKE YOU!
This is what I would say to him as Teacher: Take the time to focus on the website - without guilt. BUT keep going to your writing group religiously. Put do-able deadlines on the calendar, stick too them, even if it means late nights, and look forward to the time when you can throw yourself back into your Novel. That's my advice.
Bob's advice is to go out for a beer. Preferably with us.
I like Bob.
I think you ought to do both! Even writing a little on the novel each day is better than nothing. I like to think about it by writing two pages a day. or three or four or..., but keep wiriting and you'll eventually get there. 2 pages a day is 60 pages a month is 300 pages in 5 months. One of my favorite writing sayings: the worst written word is better than the best unwritten one.
GOOD LUCK!!!
:-)
every book starts with a single word....
maybe the cheez-it lady can help....
Very well put and my thoughts exactly! What have you decided to do? Don't bogart all the insight about this. :)
i think you need to lock yourself away in an isolated room covered in teddy bear wallpaper for another month until you finish your professional website and then you can go back to the novel. The voices in your head will come back as they are always there.
Brenna, this is great advice. Insightful, balanced, supportive... Owen's lucky!
Dena, I like Bob too.
Brad, athough I did decide to try and balance both, I haven't yet moved to the point in which I can work in novel-writing every day. The blogging (which you have likely already discovered for yourself!) keeps me on my writing toes, enough. But maybe that could be a good goal for after the site's launched. For now, I think I'll just keep to my once-a-week schedule, and write my heart out on Wednesdays, then keep the site dev moving forward while trying to keep up with my clients.
Susan, the Cheez-it lady would help in ANY situation!
Karen, my follow-up prolly got lost in the comments here. I'll add a more obvious post - thanks for the support!
Sharon, you're prolly on to something. "Teddy Bear wallpaper in a farmhouse where they have your breakfast ready when you bother to shuffle downstairs..." I never once saw anything remotely so indulgent in a writer's retreat promotional copy! And how insightful of you: "The voices in your head will come back as they are always there." Hopefully the voices really are only those of my characters!