I have been struggling with my current WIP this week on how to move my characters from Point A to Point B so that the story moves forward. Logically. Without any hoodo magic even though this is a paranormal and you can get away with a certain amount of hoodo if you’ve constructed your world to make it believable.
But in the scope of things using magic in this instance would have been overkill. It’s definitely time to let the reader take a breath and there isn’t any reason that logic shouldn’t prevail. The only problem is my brain has been doing a flit this week and anything at all will distract me. Anyone remember the crow in “The Secret of Nimh”? A sparkly could distract him from any situation and this week, for me, everything but my WIP has been sparkly.
So, I’ve followed Facebook, tweeted, researched police and EMT procedures, conducted an interview with a police officer and tried to figure out if what I’d done was too far outside the realm of possibilities.
Happily, I think I’m okay in that respect but none of my relaxation techniques, exercise, meditation or just spending a couple of hours watching a favorite movie was helping me to move my story forward. Until I spied the bag of apples that I’d picked up during my last trip to the grocery store. I’m one of those people who shops with the best of intentions but I don’t really think about eating until my stomach is growling and I’m about to pass out.
The apple pie became my sparkly and lo and behold while rolling out pie dough, the next part of my story started to unfold. While peeling apples I figured out why my hero and heroine needed to have separate Point B’s and by the time I could smell the cinnamon and apples baking I was blocking out my next scene.
I think I’d forgotten the Zen of doing something so familiar that I could go through the motions and still be able to think about something else. It was kind of like discovering a treasure that I hadn’t remembered losing.
What about you? Do you have a technique that gets you back on track when your brain does a flit and everything distracts you?
Have a great Thanksgiving and until next month,
Hugs,
Paris Brandon
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13 comments:
Paris, it seems like I'm going through a time like you're talking about. Only it's lasting much longer, like months.
The apple pie sounds great. Smile.
I sweat it out until I get it right. It's usually while I watching some dumb program on TV. My mind starts to drift and whammo - I get the proverbial bulb lighting up over my head and the answer to my plot problem. :)
When I get stuck I consciously concentrate on the problem right before I fall asleep. Often I wake up around 2 with the germ of an idea. I sometime jot down a few words, or try to make a nemonic in my head to remember it. I know otherwise I'll wake up in the morning with the idea gone in the night. Mostly this works..
Paris I'm sure your WIP is going to be great!
I often get my best plot solutions during a long walk or just doing the dishes.
There seems to be a paradox about a mindless distraction's power to distract us from other distractions... lol
XXOO Kat
Cooking something from scratch seems to help me focus when my mind would rather flit about.
You just have to watch the knives. Personal experience, trust me. :)
Best of luck to ya, Paris.
I loved your sparkly metaphor.
You did the best possible thing to get back on track with your writing--you relaxed. Removing writing roadblocks is like falling in love. It happens when we least expect it. ")
Best--Adele
Sandy,
There's something about the fall that just begs for an apple pie--fall and my hubby:) lol. Hope your distractions clear up and you're back on tack soon!
Tina,
That sounds like a great plan. Curiously enough a decorating or gardening show will sometimes suggest a setting:)
Thanks!
Jean,
Isn't that always the way, lol! I've even tried to write in the dark so I don't wake hubby:)
Kat,
I love a good walk, hmmm, the dishes not so much:) thanks for your support!
Mary,
Knives? Right--no drifting into an alternate universe while using knives. Got it:)
Adele,
True, very true:) Thanks for stopping by!
I am so suspect to all sorts of sparkly distractions I don't know where to start. but usually it takes a smack in the face by reality to get me refocused.
thanks for the post! great work!
Liz
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