Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Lost in the Writing

There are times when I write that time just drags on. Word after word, paragraph after paragraph, and . . . OMG, only 5 minutes has passed and I haven't written much at all. CRAP!

Then, there are times when I lose myself in the writing.

Sunday afternoon was one of those times. I sat down at the computer to edit a chapter of two in the Project with no Name (insert sound of big echoy computer voice repeating those words endlessly) and next thing I know . . . 90 minutes had passed.

Same thing last night.

I was lost in my writing. Nothing existed around me except the words on the page in front of me and, well, those synapsing with delight in my brain. Time didn't seem to exist.

These are the writing times I like the best. I love losing myself in my writing, caring about nothing, but the story and characters unfolding in front of me.

I wish every time I wrote was one of those times.

They're not.

I think the down times, the draggy times, the times when it takes forever to write a paragraph are there to make me truly appreciate when the words do flow and I lose myself.

S

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been having these excact moments lately. It's like falling into a giant void where 2 or 3 hours pass and when you come out the end you've written almost 4,000 words of the best literary you that you will ever achieve!! Sadly, I did not have that night last night.
Maybe tonight I will?
Hopefully, because if I don't finish at least one manuscript I'm going to shave my head.
Not really though...I would look weird bald.

Scott said...

@OfficeGirl - in the early days of my writing, I'd start a project, set it aside, start another project, set it aside . . . and rarely would I complete a project. I finally decided to set a specific goal: one project, rough draft, done, complete, finished. This works for me. Then, in the downtime between rough draft and beginning of edits, I might pound out the rough draft of another project. This works for me. I've also learned, that the words flow when they want to flow, and I need to be grateful for those moments . . . because there are far too many times when the flow of words is quite sluggish.

Etienne Stoller said...

I know exactly what you mean! I love getting lost in my writing, though. It is the most euphoric, magical experience. Only when I pull away from my computer and find that the sky has darkened and my computer has such low battery that I don't know how it is still functioning, do I get this overwhelming sense that I was too immersed. But then, when I re-read those snippets I have written, they are almost always the lines I don't have to rephrase or rewrite. Maybe it's because I am young, but I never have a time when I stare at a page and it takes forever to crank out a sentence. Mainly because I never know what I am writing. I don't have a plan, or even a spider diagram. I am the worst person with organization! So, really, writing every word is an unplanned experience. I am slightly against planning and strategies and strict goals, because then I think you lose the magic and whimsical happenings of those moments when you get an idea it blows your own mind. Those moments... I live for.

Etienne Stoller said...

I know exactly what you mean! I love getting lost in my writing, though. It is the most euphoric, magical experience. Only when I pull away from my computer and find that the sky has darkened and my computer has such low battery that I don't know how it is still functioning, do I get this overwhelming sense that I was too immersed. But then, when I re-read those snippets I have written, they are almost always the lines I don't have to rephrase or rewrite. Maybe it's because I am young, but I never have a time when I stare at a page and it takes forever to crank out a sentence. Mainly because I never know what I am writing. I don't have a plan, or even a spider diagram. I am the worst person with organization! So, really, writing every word is an unplanned experience. I am slightly against planning and strategies and strict goals, because then I think you lose the magic and whimsical happenings of those moments when you get an idea it blows your own mind. Those moments... I live for.

Unknown said...

There is nothing like getting lost among the words, thoughts, and keyboard clicks when you're just telling a story and not mired down in the how's or why's or anything but connecting with the words. It's like prayer or meditation for me. Hope you enjoy many more "lost" moments!