The More You Write, The More You Write

I've been pretty ambivalent about writing again. I wrote a lot in 2023 and burnout caught up with me. And true, I had no ideas, but I never let that stop me before. I knew that if I didn't start a new project now I most likely never would.

So I dove in. I mentioned in an earlier post that all I had was a setting. I write about small towns, preferably dots on the map I'm familiar with. Setting is never an issue. My new setting is Keystone, South Dakota, although I can't call it that, because while I've visited a few times, I don't have pinpoint recollection of the layout of the town, and besides, I don't care to be sued for libel. But suffice it to say that based on my descriptive elements, that's where the story takes place. 

I knew I needed a female protagonist ~ I write women's fiction, after all. But that was all I had; a setting and a nondescript lead. Starting off was brutal. Really, I just spilled words onto the screen. Then two days later I spilled some more.

Yesterday I spent a solid four hours writing and it became easier. I actually grew interested. I, in fact, didn't want to stop, but the hour was growing late and if I stayed up all night writing, my body would revolt. But somehow I crossed that magic threshold in which I liked writing again.

It's true that you've just gotta do it, whether you want to or not. I did not want to. I strongly did not want to. Really, the only thing pushing me forward was knowing that if I no longer wrote, I would have nothing to do with my time. And I needed to defy myself, the one who's always telling me I'm a failure. That I give up when the going gets hard. "Myself" wasn't going to beat me this time.

I don't know how this story will turn out. It could all fall apart, easily. Or worse, fail to come together, especially with all the characters I've created that don't seem to have much connection to each other. But that's sort of the fun part ~ figuring it out. 

I'm happy I've hit upon the fun part. I'm happy this is no longer a slog.

You can't call yourself a writer if you don't write. Otherwise, you're just a daydreamer.