#IWSG: How do you commit to a story?

In my last post, I spoke about how I was being a wee cool cucumber with regards to NaNoWriMo 2012. Indeed, on the 1st November, I still didn't have an inkling of what I was going to write about.

Every time I thought up a new idea, it didn't grab me, or excite me enough to want to commit 50k words to it. I have a plethora of ideas in a document at home, but I was reluctant to revert to it. I wanted something new. Something fresh. Something experimental.

That's when the insecurity set in. What if nothing looks appealing enough to write about? What am I all about, not creating an outline? Why am I making it hard for myself?

As the panic set in, my mind instantly started to cloud over. The gates of my imagination welded shut.

There was only one way to get that gate back open and I'm blogging about it today so that every time I start a new project and feel stuck, I can look back and remember what to do...

I need to, at all times, immerse myself in creative expression. You'd be hard pushed to find anything better than the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum. I defy you to come away from it unscathed.

I'd covered no more than a mere corner of the gallery (The Glasgow Boys gallery, to be exact. Go see it. It's splendid), when my NaNo story appeared from nowhere and practically assaulted me. I had to keep perching on a nearby seat to scribble down ideas before they disappeared forever, and when it came to typing them up, I was finally grabbed.

Seven days in and I'm currently sitting at 11,056 words. I'm really happy with that, considering I've been blighted by sinusitis the past few days. It's hard conjuring up the motivation to write when it hurts to move your eyeballs even a fraction. I don't like moaning about illness though, it's depressing. On a brighter note, I did discover that I don't need my eyeballs to type. I seem to drift off into a weird gaze whilst my fingers navigate my well-worn keyboard.

I just knew that "Teaching Yourself to Touch Type" CD ROM I purchased eight years ago would come in handy one day...

I suspect many members of the Insecure Writers Support Group will also be doing NaNo and might not have the time to visit their usual amount of blogs. That's not to stop you visiting them, though. Go do it here! They're all lovely.

How are you all getting on with your writing projects? Also, what is it about your story that made you commit to it? How did you get the balls to see past your "blank page" insecurities? Do share... :) x ◦

#IWSG: How do you commit to a story?

On Writing

Today's A-Z Blogging Challenge is dedicated to O for On Writing: A memoir of the Craft, written by Stephen King

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with "How To" books, especially when they're written by people who haven't the goods to back up their words! That could never be said about Stephen King, however. He's an absolute master of his trade.

In the first of two sections in this book, he goes into quite personal detail about his life; about how he came to be the writer he is today. From writing Carrie in a laundry room with a child's desk balanced on his knees, to his alcohol and drug problem, with his struggles as a writer throughout. We all know how that turned out, though :)

The second part details how he writes. He admits it may not work for everyone, but if you're like me, you'll love reading this kind of stuff. His words are very inspiring. I'm fairly sure a person with no interest in becoming a writer would want to start their first novel after reading this!

When I'm feeling bogged down with my WIP, or losing direction, I just dip into this book and, magically, it won't be long before I'm inspired again. Therefore, I'd gladly recommend this to any writer in the hope that it does the same for them.

Some of his words of wisdom that ring true for me:

"The scariest moment is always just before you start.”

“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”

“In many cases when a reader puts a story aside because it 'got boring,' the boredom arose because the writer grew enchanted with his powers of description and lost sight of his priority, which is to keep the ball rolling.”

Today's O music video is for my favourite Oasis song: Slide Away. Enjoy!

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On Writing