Not as planned
Some days go well, others not.
I had been planning on writing this day about the study in Hebrews which our ladies’ Bible study should be finishing tomorrow night. But things have intervened. Maybe next week.
Ever notice that sometimes you have a good day, get almost everything you wanted to do done, and finish the day with a sense of accomplishment? And if you have several days like that in a row, you tend to think that they will go on forever?
Well, they don’t. Other days, things go poorly, you get into a sharp temper with those you love, and spend the day exhausted. And usually, it’s not even the events that have changed (or not much, though there may be an inciting incident.
Well, that happened this weekend. I still got a bunch accomplished, but I tended to be cranky and exhausted all weekend. And the snow didn’t help any, especially since I didn’t go out in it. I watch church on FaceBook. A sentence that would have been nonsensical two decades ago. So, I was a bit trapped, with no outside contact. (I don’t need much, but I do need some.)
What to do when this hits? I wish I knew. Usually, I just try to keep my head down and plow through it, since I know it’ll only last a few days, and things will be better again.
Thank you for this post!
I find that my pain levels can really effect such days. If I've had a few days, where I've gotten a lot done, but was still hurting at a low level (and maybe hurting myself more by "pushing" because I was feeling good/getting things accomplished). It can turn into a pissy mood or even a wiped out day for one day or even more, if I really pushed it too much. I try to communicate to my hubby that I'm not upset with him, I'm just hurting, he has lived with me long enough to understand that. All we can do is give ourselves grace, and some self care and pick back up where we left off.
That is where some of the habits expressed by a number of authors can come into play. Never leave your manuscript on a finished chapter. Always start the next chapter, even if it's just a sentence or two. That way, when you come back to it, we have a beginning and not just a blank page. Making some notes about where we see the scene going next can also help, as when we are foggy brained, it's hard to get things going again, or even sometimes remember what we were thinking. (Like notes during midnight wake ups!) So, having some notes (even if you are a plotter, than can help, as a discovery writer, it might be vital!) to start from - even if you change your mind! - can help get things moving smoothly again.
I like what Harvey Stanbrough said about an idea he got from C.J. Cherryh - when you stop writing for the day - add a quick scene of the character sitting down, or in the shower, or taking a nap. One or two sentences up to a whole scene! Then when you come back, you take them out of their down time and back into the story. Then eraser the downtime scene!
Any of those things might work, because it tricks the brain (even if it's been DAYS! since you were last able to write) into thinking things are still moving along. It's like the 3 seconds before an episode of tv where they say, "Last week on 'how to raise phoenix's for profit'..." and it jogs the memory and off we go!