Sometimes you've got to slog
through!
"I need to bookend," I said when my writing friend answered the
phone. Book ending is a way to make yourself accountable, particularly
when you're feeling stuck.
"Sure," she said. "What's going on?"
"I really really really don't want to work on my book," I whined.
"I'm bored with it."
"Yeah, it happens in the middle of a project, I know!"
"Okay, I'm going to spend the next two hours writing. I'm turning off
the radio, the phone, and I'm just going to slog through this chapter
and see how far I get with an honest effort."
I set the timer for two hours and only screwed around
(procrastinated) a few more minutes, then I plunged into the troublesome
chapter. It went sort of like this:
- I reread the purpose of my book.
- I printed and, away from the computer, read the problem chapter
and sure enough, on page five spotted where I'd drifted a bit from
my purpose.
- I didn't see how to fix it so I just marked it and read on.
- When I got to the end of my draft I could see I needed to add
quite a bit, so I returned to the computer and proceeded to draft in
the missing material.
- I realized I'd inadvertently written a great close for this
chapter, complete with a nifty seed plant for the next.
- I stopped only long enough to fix another cup of coffee, then
went back to the print out to re-read the section I'd marked as not
fitting the purpose. It still didn't fit; reluctantly I drew a big X
through it and my timer binged.
- Before I closed the bookend with another call to my friend, I
deleted the Xed out part and saved the file, knowing I was in great
shape to finish up the chapter in my next writing session.
Book ending - a major secret
Book ending is a nifty way to get the support you need for a project
or part of a project. Name a task or the amount of time you'll spend on
a task, call a friend and tell them what you're going to do. No need for
any story; the call can be done in a minute or less. It works just as
well to leave a message.
Then, when the time has passed or the task is complete, you call the
friend back and tell them you've done what you promised. It works well -
give it a try.
Slogging can reveal problems and
solutions
Sometimes the writing just slows down. I don't know if it's the
phases of the moon, the phases in our own head or what. But, in this
example, there wasn't a precipitating cause like the loss of a job, etc.
The only way I know to get through a period like this is to write my
way through. Oh, if I need a break, I may take one before slogging, but
sometimes it's better if I just start.
In the example, I broke through pretty quickly. It certainly doesn't
always happen that way. I've been known to slog for several weeks before
the writing gets smooth and easy (or easier) again.
But always, when I break through, it's been worth the effort.
That's really the key - not to stop. However you do it, find a way to
keep writing until it gets easy again.
Write well and often!
