By Dame Toni
We, the Deadline Dames, have a number of catchy phrases regarding deadlines. These include the one we ended up choosing for our various banners: “Deadlines Don’t Stand a Chance.”
Pretty big talk.
Some writers work well under pressure. I’m not one of them.
Oh, I’m good at setting goals and following a plan. I have more irons in the fire than a roundup on a cattle ranch, and I do a fair job at keeping all of my plates spinning (how’s that for a mixed metaphor?) but actual deadlines do not inspire me.
They paralyze me.
Oh, no-- smells like a deadline!
My current work in progress was going pretty well when the deadline seemed far off and totally doable. But as I get closer and closer to the (now looming) date, I am finding it increasingly difficult to create a coherent chapter. Or a paragraph. Or a sentence.
In my former life as a Business Analyst, I learned to consult an SME (Subject Matter Expert) when I found myself in a quandary. So, let’s see what the experts have to say on the topic of deadlines and (for lack of a better term), writer’s block.
Nora Roberts is famously quoted as saying “The only thing you can’t fix is a blank page.” And since The Nora turns out a bestselling book approximately every twenty minutes, I must remind myself to listen to her.
On my desk, I have a copy of Anne Lamott’s brilliant Bird by Bird. It has a chapter entitled Shitty First Drafts. In it, she says:
- All good writers write them. This is how then end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts.
Okay, this is helping with the paralysis. I can hear a few pops and cracks as my brain cells begin to unfreeze.
Perhaps the most famous quote on deadlines is from humorist and science fiction novelist Douglas Adams:
- I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
While funny, that one is a bit terrifying. Not that my editor wouldn’t give me more time if I asked her, but until I turn in the manuscript, I don’t get paid. And Oscar the cat gets only the finest cat food.
When asked about the most frightening thing he had ever encountered, Ernest Hemingway is purported to have answered “A blank sheet of paper.” Sounds like Ernest and Nora have a lot in common. Who’d have thunk it? But although it’s nice, on some level, to know that the greats have experienced similar issues, it doesn’t comfort me as I sit in the shadow of The Deadline, which is growing claws and teeth like some morphing creature from a Stephen King novel.
And, speaking of Stephen King, his On Writing is also on the shelf above my desk. Let’s see if he has anything to say on the topic of deadlines and/or getting motivated to write. Ah. There are two that stand out.
- When asked, “How do you write?” I invariably answer “One word at a time.”
- I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries.
Okay, that second one isn’t really about motivation. But it was too good to leave out.
Margaret Atwood says “If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.” That one’s better.
When asked about inspiration, William Faulkner said, “I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at 9 o’clock every morning.”
Now we’re getting somewhere!
Roy Blount Jr., who writes hysterically funny essays (and is an occasional guest on NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!) penned the following:
- I think writer’s block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible. But as a writer, I believe that if you sit down at the keys long enough, sooner or later something will come out.
Finally, I must quote my good friend Kristan Higgins, who, in a recent blog, declared that every writer should follow “the two commandments.” These are:
- Commandment #1: Believe in yourself.
- Commandment #2: Get over yourself.
I think that last one did it. Gotta go, folks…time for me to employ a little BICHOK – Butt In Chair, Hands on Keyboard.
What unfreezes your brain? Taking all suggestions…
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Tags: deadlines, Writers Block
Hi Toni. Here is the advice I have to unfreeze: First, if you play music, try some different types. A band that got me flowing again is Fever Ray. Unlike anything I’d heard.
Second, try writing little snippets, maybe some flash fiction.
Third, go out. Catch a movie. Hang out with friends. Talk about your book with someone. Explain what your book is about. Sometimes just that works for me. I talk myself out of the block.
Hey, good luck with your circumstance. Have a great day.
The quotes are terrific. I don’t write but I like the Adams’ “whooshing sound” very much.
If I’m on my way to doing something that scares me (anything), I sing to myself “I will survive” (by Gloria Gaynor). Left-over from my days of exams and it still helps.
I have several methods.
One is very similar to that of the actor who asks, “What’s my motivation?” and is told, “Your paycheck.” I don’t have a day job. I don’t write, I don’t make deadlines, I can’t pay the bills.
So, if I’ve procrastinated and a deadline’s looming, I suck it up and do it, whether I feel like it or not. Those are the days to rely on the craft, and hope that, after you start working and getting into the groove, the art follows.
I’m also a big walker and mutterer. If I’m having trouble on individual scenes, I talk them out, walking and muttering. All those years working on Broadway mean I talk out a lot of conflicts.
And, I often get my best break-throughs in the shower.
If I have the time and I’m feeling really, really stuck, though, I go to a museum and look at paintings. I find that staring at paintings unsticks my brain, and I start mentally meandering back into my story and I can get back to the page without trauma.
Good luck!
Toni: As usual, you are a hoot. And, yes, I have sat at my keyboard and wondered just who was going to put the next paragraph of great words on the screen. My biggest issue is to get rid of all the chatter that goes on–email, facebook, blogs, twitter. And then there is the phone, the door bell and the two Golden Retrievers. Once I put it all to “quite mode,” the words seem to emerge.
Thanks for a great post, Cassy
What works for me is to do a pattern break. So I’m stuck on writing something. At a certain point, I’ll stop and write something completely different. usually what I do is try to begin with something totally nonsensical. I’ll give it a shot right now: “The pink horses began playing canasta by the pool when suddenly they noticed the erupting volcano and decided that they weren’t horses after all, and in fact weren’t even pink but more a lighter shade of red. Embarrassed, they immediately consulted Cassandra, who told them not to worry.”
It makes no difference how good or bad it is (you did say something about shitty first drafts
Whatever my writing brain was doing before I wrote that – it isn’t doing any more. I probably would try to write a few more sentences like this before turning back to my problem.
I’ll also agree with Carrie that talking about it with someone can be helpful for me if the problem is more plot-related than writing related – obviously the two overlap a lot.
Good luck!
I am by no means a professional, but whenever I get stuck, I pick a scene I know will happen later on in the story, a scene I’m longing to be part of….and write it down. Then I kind of have a guideline where to go…
I think the suggestion with music is really good, too.
In the latest issue of “Poets & Writers” magazine there is an interesting article on the psychology of writer’s block. You might find something useful in that,Toni, or just going to the book store and browsing is also good for letting your writer brain rest and sneak ideas in for when you do sit down at the computer again. At least that works for me.
Martie
Haha I love it! I love all your quotes. I am bookmarking this so I can return to it and laugh whenever I’m stuck.
The one thing I do when I’m stuck is this: I put on really loud music, and I dance around my apartment as embarrassingly as I possibly can. It has the advantage of both a) embarrassing me (and hopefully can’t be more embarrassed at any sort of crap I write) and b) all the tension is gone from my body.
I don’t do well undor pressure, either, so I plan plenty of time and start working right away on projects . . . and I’ve learned to get fed up enough with block to just shut up and write straight through it.
Wow, Toni. I could talk writer’s block forever. It’s a procrastinator’s favorite topic. I loved the comment of Devon Ellington above – rely on the craft and the art will follow. Writer’s block is so personal. What works for you probably won’t work for me. I don’t get ideas in the shower, I don’t snips of scenes or dialogue or anything else from my dreams. Mostly what works for me is the deadline. I seem to do my best work under the gun. It’s not ideal and it’s not comfortable, but whatever works!!
Kathye makes a good point – I’m not necessarily comfortable with my process, I don’t necessarily LIKE my process, but it works enough for me to accept it.
To open up the flood gates of creativity, I have found several methods that work for me. Geting up and cleaning something; reading a book or magazine; watching a movie; taking a nap; going out of the house for a coffee or a bite to eat; going for a walk; generally doing anything that allows the mind to wander. Don’t stress about it; seizes it more. In order to allow the genius or your inner muse to pop out; you must play!
Take a friend and go people-watching. Exercise your creativity by speculating what might be going on in their lives. Take notes.
Research. I will research the location, the time period..etc. It always helps to unlock my imagination.
I have an eight-step program for dealing with this sort of thing. It’s sort of specific to the genre I write in (thrillers) so step one is “Kill someone”, but the most important lesson is to remember that the 26 letters on your keyboard are the same 26 letters everyone gets, they’re the same letters used by everyone from James Joyce to James Patterson. Remembering that helps me for some reason… To see the illustrated edition of the full list, go here: http://sites.google.com/site/swalkerperkins/get-unstuck/dealingwithwritersblock
Cheers!
The Deadline Dames.
Maybe you need some sugar… The brain is apparently the body’s prime consumer of glucose. In fact, over 75% of the glucose that gets used gets used by the brain to create neurotransmitters. These levels fluctuate, but the harder you think, the more glucose you need to fuel the thinking (which is why studying in college gave us the munchies and writing does too).
I like the Samuel Beckett quote: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
Honestly, deadlines set by or at least anticipated by other people are the only things that get me to *stop* procrastinating, so I can’t help with that part. But keep trying, and you’ll get there.
This wasn’t written in regards to writing, but it helps me when I read it (on the bright pink post-it hanging over my computer).
NOTE TO SELF: Stop trying to fix everything. You cannot save the world from itself. People suck.
Strange as it may sound, today that was a reminder that I can mess with the draft, that it can be messy. I don’t need to fix it or save it, and it can suck, because right now, I just need to get it done.
For some odd reason there are three things that help me when I am having writer’s block. The first thing that works extremely well for me is nature. The park down the street from my house works well, just hearing the wind whistle through the trees. Nature has always had a calming effect on me. I also swim to find inspiration. I just do laps upon laps when I can’t find the words. The last thing I like to do is jog; for some reason my mind runs through story lines when my bodies moving in time to my iPod. My methods may seem different, but then again- whatever works has to be good, right?
What motivates me is my desire to write books and ride horses… without the day job. Sometimes I need to remind myself that’s where I want to be, and often it works and I’ll squeeze out a few more words.
I also have to remind myself that the rough draft is allowed to be less than stellar, cause that’s what rewrites are for.
Thanks for the quotes! They helped
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Hmm, I like the advice I got from a class with Karen Kay. Go back to the last place you weren’t stuck and read forward from there. Nine times out of ten she finds that she went off track some where and once she finds it, she’s unstuck again.
The best advice for me is BICHOK – you can’t get unstuck if you aren’t working on it.
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