Archive for May, 2007

The Slump

by Pappy May 11th, 2007, Posted in: Writing


So I’ve been dying to write more lately. Listening to Michael A. Stackpole’s “The Secrets” podacst, Holly Lisle’s “Holly Lisle on Writing” podcast, Mur Lafferty’s “I Should Be Writing” podcast, Grammar Girl, and the “American Writer” podcast.

I’ve taken a lot of hints and inspiration from these sources.

I just finished retooling this blog software, build my story bible wiki, and converted and cross-referenced all the old blog entries, as well as data from our old Worldbuilder Wiki project.

All the online tools are in place that I wanted to get set up so I could access from anywhere. Things should be perfectly ripe for plundering the ol’ creative reserve.

Why is it, then, that I cannot seem to write anything? Normally when I’m in this state I just sit down and start wanking out a scene - nothing particular, just the first thing that comes to mind, be it dialog, action, descriptive prose: anything. Those are usually the pieces that end up in the Miscellanium section of the blog.

But now I seem to have the creative juices locked up in a sea of frustration, capped like a bottle of soda recently shaken. Pressure is building and the bottle wants to burst, but there doesn’t seem to be a bottle opener anywhere within accessible range.

So instead I’m just going to plow along this entry and try to describe my problem. Who knows, maybe this will force enough self-evaluation to finally pop the cork and let me get on with the fun, creative stuff.

Why do I feel the urge to write so badly? What is it about writing that draws me so freely? To me, the idea that one can create a story world that a reader can get entirely lost in is very powerful indeed. With writers like Greg Bear I find myself yearning to just dive in and be a part of the story, event the scary, life altering parts. I want to be able to create that same sense, that same desire. Even if nobody but myself and a few friends ever read it, to be able to generate such emotion and then control it, guide the reader through each stage, revealing just enough to draw them back for more, is very compelling.

My wife says I’m a control freak. I tend to agree with her. Maybe being able to control characters’ lives like the consummate puppeteer is what does it for me. To force upon them the joys of life, followed by the jarring fatigue of despair, fear, anxiety. To cause them pain and reward them with comforts. To awe them and inspire them with the universe only I can conceive of. To be god.

Mayhap I’m emotionally stunted and need an outlet for my subconscious to delve into things my conscious mind would best leave buried. Writing may be the the chicken soup to my long neglected soul.

Whatever the reasons, I just love to write. I’m certainly not the best at it, although I think I’m not too shabby. I write all day for business (ug, non-creative boring, stuffy writing). I write for letters to family, stories for grandkids, and dribble such as this for myself.

I write because whether anyone reads or acknowledges my writing, I am a writer all the same.