Barreling Through (Annotated)
Updated March 29, 2015 9:30 AM
Suffice to say that overwhelming isn't a strong enough word. I've got to finish this novel and get it to beta readers, make revisions and turn it over to my editor. Every time I opened the file to work, I would get one, maybe two sentences in and know that I wasn't present enough to do this. I tried everything I could to shake it but nothing worked. I couldn't concentrate for more than ten minutes and the novel requires more than that.
Here's more information about what a Velocity Readout is. Planet Comicon was great for me. I was absolutely relaxed and into it while I was there. Coming out of it I went back to the reality of the stress I was able to leave behind for three days. It was a lot like a mini vacation and there was a lot of love for what I was doing there too.
Short stories, flash fictions, comics. That's all I could give my attention to. It hurt that I couldn't read two things that friends had given me to read. I tried, I really tried, but I wasn't able to give the attention I know was necessary. Even stuff at the day job had to be broken down into small enough bits that I could still get things accomplished.
Fortunately, this last week has resolved almost all the issues that had created the ultra high stress levels. And as bad as all this was for me, it was worse for the people I love so dearly that it was directly affecting. Even with my abilities, I can't imagine how difficult all this is for them.
The novel HAS to be done in the next two weeks. The window to self-publshing on the schedule I've set myself is closing. Even though it's a different kind of stress, it's also energizing. I know I can do this.
The new things that have popped up are a ways off, fortunately. They're not really part of the stress level though they will be once I get the novel done. I've never been a good juggler. My organizational skills (as they pertain to my writing) leave a lot to be desired too, but I'm coming up with a cunning plan that involves coffee and late nights. Maybe that's not so cunning...
Look, not writing is an excuse. Maybe you're blocked but most likely you're not. Maybe you're just telling yourself you are. Find a way to do the work you want to do. If you don't want to do it, find something else. I think it's really that simple. Really. Which led me to wind up with:
At some point tomorrow I will come back and annotate this to expand on a couple of things I didn't in the Tweets. As you can see it went on for a while. Anyway, collected here for the benefit of whoever could get some use out of it.
I don't necessarily subscribe to Writer's Block (WB) as a Thing. One can work thru it or not. It's a choice to do or do not.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
The last month or so has been an extremely trying time. Lots of stress and obligations piling up like a damned mountain. I couldn't write.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
Suffice to say that overwhelming isn't a strong enough word. I've got to finish this novel and get it to beta readers, make revisions and turn it over to my editor. Every time I opened the file to work, I would get one, maybe two sentences in and know that I wasn't present enough to do this. I tried everything I could to shake it but nothing worked. I couldn't concentrate for more than ten minutes and the novel requires more than that.
The sweet spot was @planet_comicon where I got to relax and write Velocity Readouts for folks who thought writer's sketches were cool ideas.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
Here's more information about what a Velocity Readout is. Planet Comicon was great for me. I was absolutely relaxed and into it while I was there. Coming out of it I went back to the reality of the stress I was able to leave behind for three days. It was a lot like a mini vacation and there was a lot of love for what I was doing there too.
Strangers giving me prompts was liberating. I didn't have to think too hard but just enough to create something quickly. I wasn't blocked.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
The issue was I couldn't concentrate long enough on larger works. Even reading stuff by my friends wouldn't have gotten proper attention.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
Hell, reading novels wasn't possible. Personal stuff got in the way of just about everything. It didn't prevent me thinking, only writing.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
Short stories, flash fictions, comics. That's all I could give my attention to. It hurt that I couldn't read two things that friends had given me to read. I tried, I really tried, but I wasn't able to give the attention I know was necessary. Even stuff at the day job had to be broken down into small enough bits that I could still get things accomplished.
Fortunately, this last week has resolved almost all the issues that had created the ultra high stress levels. And as bad as all this was for me, it was worse for the people I love so dearly that it was directly affecting. Even with my abilities, I can't imagine how difficult all this is for them.
With the stress levels declining, I'm able to come back to things that've been ignored for four, five, six weeks or more. I'm really behind.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
That brings a whole other level of stress. Self imposed deadlines loom LARGE. If I'm going to make it, I've got to put nose to grindstone.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
The novel HAS to be done in the next two weeks. The window to self-publshing on the schedule I've set myself is closing. Even though it's a different kind of stress, it's also energizing. I know I can do this.
Which will be easy to do now that things are much more back to 'normal'. So I guess what this is all about is that life gets in the way.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
And when life gets in the way, falling back on an excuse to not write is a bad thing. Shifting gears and focus can help. It has me, anyway.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
There's a big pile of things that aren't done that should be and new things are coming in too. It would be easy to give up and meltdown.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
The new things that have popped up are a ways off, fortunately. They're not really part of the stress level though they will be once I get the novel done. I've never been a good juggler. My organizational skills (as they pertain to my writing) leave a lot to be desired too, but I'm coming up with a cunning plan that involves coffee and late nights. Maybe that's not so cunning...
But all these things matter to me. A LOT. I can do this, I have support on all sides. I'm gonna have to rely on that and understanding.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
You can do it too. Don't give up. Set things aside but don't stop thinking. Distract yourself with small things writing- and reading-wise.
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
Look, not writing is an excuse. Maybe you're blocked but most likely you're not. Maybe you're just telling yourself you are. Find a way to do the work you want to do. If you don't want to do it, find something else. I think it's really that simple. Really. Which led me to wind up with:
You're not blocked. You're buffering. #amwriting
— Jason Arnett (@ajasont) March 28, 2015
At some point tomorrow I will come back and annotate this to expand on a couple of things I didn't in the Tweets. As you can see it went on for a while. Anyway, collected here for the benefit of whoever could get some use out of it.
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