The Wall and Beyond

Sunday I was struggling. Barely into week two and I had hit a wall of doubt. But, like the Kool-Aid dude I crashed through it.

How? Well, first I whined all over the digital-verse, because venting is therapeutic; next I re-read parts of my story - for some reason that tends to get my groove back on - my characters pump me up; and then I did what you have to do: I sat in front of my computer and forced my fingers to type words. The more I typed, the easier it got.

Are they any good? Is my story better for them? No doubt at least a few of them are keepers, but I can't let myself obsess about that right now. I have a goal to meet. I can't let those tendrils of self-doubt (this is fluff, you know you're just typing these words to meet your word count, this part of the story is unnecessary)...yeah, those - well I just don't have time to let them hold me back.

And I'm glad I didn't. Yesterday was an awesome day. I hit a part of my story where I was weaving in a visit to my MC by someone I met in the RW (real world), well a fictionalized version of her. She is a dynamic person, and she was getting the kids psyched about math. A double bonus. (well, if you like math puzzles that don't involve calculus) The point is, it was a fun part of the story to work with, and the words just came to me. They probably aren't all brilliant either, but I enjoyed the process - and that's the whole point of being a writer - isn't it?

I mean if you're writing just for the big bucks - I'd say you're living a pipe dream. But if you're writing because you enjoy the process - you know, overall - because you love bringing characters and their worlds to life; well then days like this are like Hannukah/Christmas.

I'm feeling that the wheels of writing are a little stickier today, but have overcome that first wall; I have the confidence that I can crush the road blocks in my future. I know they are out there, waiting to pop up. But I also know I have the equipment to knock them down. If I have any doubts, I'll just come back and re-read this post!

Best of luck to those of you who are writing. May the wrecking ball of perseverance hover in the ready over your shoulder.