I’ve spent the past few months focusing on completing manuscripts rather than concentrating on writing. My language skills, writing exercises, tips from various writers’ magazines and literature journals are ready to go in my mind, but the message in my writing gets lost in all the formal structure.
I’ve been substituting emotion and thought, for conventional words and rhythm. I forgot how easy it was to capture the moment by free styling. Simply sitting down at the computer and typing what I feel brings certain tranquility to my storytelling.
When I first started writing, I would jot down anything ‘inspirational’ that came to my head – on napkins, scrap paper, and on the back of receipts. I don’t do that anymore. Instead I get hung up on how behind I am in my revisions. I’ve learned this month that in order to keep my creativity fresh and true to myself, I need to take a break from the conventional. I’m setting aside time to put the laptop away and scribble on paper. I’m reverting into my old habits – while keeping my new skills… to remember how to write and why I write.
Blogging for me has actually become a way to exercise my free-style writing. I think a writer must take a break from that incomplete project and come back to it with fresh eyes and mind. New ideas (to include in my stories) come to my head as I blog clumsily about my mundane life and writing process.
Do you remember the quarks that got you through those first drafts? Maybe incorporating them into your writing routine will bring about those youthful ideas that drove your passion in beginning.