Throwing In the Towel

Have been feeling like hell since Friday, and simply cannot focus tonight. I tried. For about an hour.

So.

No words. No cards. No plot ideas. No nothing.

I’ll be back tomorrow, and it damn well better go better than it did tonight.

How about you?

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37 responses to “Throwing In the Towel”

  1. Mark Avatar
    Mark

    Totally agree. My girlfriend had to interfere this once and say, “No writing tonight. Get some sleep.”

    Sigh… But she was right.

  2. esj Avatar
    esj

    been on and off for the past few days but managed to get 1200 words done as well as salvage/resuscitate a bunch of story fragments that didn’t belong elsewhere but were pretty good scenes. Unfortunately, they aren’t plug-and-play so I am going through with writers spackle and fixing up the rough spots.

  3. Karen Avatar
    Karen

    Hope you feel better soon. Haven’t done much writing the last two weeks, a lot of family stuff going on that has made life chaotic and surreal. Have been doing a lot of thinking about my wip though, the plot’s simmering for the moment.

    Hope everyone else is doing well.

  4. Gabby Avatar
    Gabby

    Well, I’m psyched. Just found out my husband has a paypal account for ebay already. Therefore what I thought was going to be a big obstacle to taking the Revision course isn’t going to be an issue at all. Yay. Right now I am on track for Feb finish. I tried to be conservative with my goal and so now, everytime I go over 500 words, it means I’m shaving time off my end date. I’ll try and write some more tonight to see if I can get rid of a few more days. :))

  5. Beverly Avatar
    Beverly

    Ok, I admit it. It made me feel better to find out that I’m not the only one thinking “what’s the point?” Spent the weekend with hubby’s blood tester and a thermometer. Both registered “not happy numbers” high. We are waiting on results from the blood tests. Sure would be nice to know what the heck’s going on. Needless to say, I’ve had a difficult time focusing on writing.

  6. Rabia Avatar

    No words. But I did brainstorm a story idea with my husband, so the evening was not entirely wasted.

  7. Don Avatar
    Don

    Did 587 things are chugging along hope you feel better.

  8. SCBrazil Avatar
    SCBrazil

    Just under 200 here and I’m sure they will be tossed. No verve, no fun, no muse. I wasn’t even going to try but I want to stay in it. Better luck tomorrow.

  9. Gabby Avatar
    Gabby

    So this weekend was really hectic. I was in the unusual position of being anxious to write and not having time to. Thurs: 384, Fri: 331 and today, Monday, so far it’s 2072. I wasn’t feeling well this weekend and so today I am home trying to get lots of fluids and sleep but just couldn’t not write. I wrote the final transition scene before my big conclusion to the beginning (where the world gets turned upside down). Sorry, it’s probably unusual to get excited about just getting through the beginning but it’s my first WIP.

    I feel a little burned out by my marathon session today so not sure whether I will tackle the next scene or wait until tomorrow when I feel better. But anyway, my biggest fear has been whether there would be any conflict and craziness in my next scene. I was asking my Muse for help on that and now I know exactly how I’ve set my MC up for wonderfulness to come and I actually have a big rug to pull out from under her. [yay] Hopefully it will be a real tear-jerker for me.

    And one more scene and I am into the scary middle. Yay squared. :))

  10. Lisa R Avatar
    Lisa R

    0 words and throwing in the towel does seem to fit for me as well. Between company, Guard Drill, work, and fibromyalgia, my word count has been terrible. But four and a half more days of work and I finally get a quiet weekend! I even get Columbus Day off.

  11. jensens Avatar

    Last seen, I was heading out into the Canadian be-wilder-ness for some summer fun and writing. I wrote a lot then and kept up the momentum when I got home. I dedicated an hour a day to completing my poetry manuscript, “Agate Eyes” (poems about agates and geology and caves and such). A poetry manuscript is 74 pages, so I hit that and sent it off to three major Northwest competitions to see if it can make its way in the world.

    Then I thought I’d get back to my novel. However, I presented at the Communal Studies Association National Conference on Saturday on my twenty years in an Emissary of Divine Light intentional community. I cleverly showed the crowd my hundred pages or so draft of “Special, Gifted, Divine: Life in an Emissary Community” (subtitle isn’t there yet). Afterwards I connected with a publisher who specializes in such topics who asked for a prospectus and sample chapters.

    But it’s a loong way from finished. Even an hour a day intimidated me–oh, did I mention I got a full-time teaching gig at Lane CC here in Eugene, OR?–but I had committed to running with Holly. Cut to the chase: I did 300 words this morning, and I’m back in action.

    WAHOO!!
    Hey, Holly! Never give up on your dreams! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Sandy Jensen

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      AWESOME! And welcome back, Sandy. Hope the trip was inspirational, fun, and full of enigmas waiting to visit while you sleep. ๐Ÿ˜€

  12. Treelight Avatar
    Treelight

    Another week of writing every day, although I was visiting friends during the weekend.
    I managed only about 180 words on friday, because I spend some more time planning my fairy-tale for NaNo.
    Then there were some 350 more on saturday.
    And somehow I wrote over 500 on sunday.

    Jheyrien is about to pick up the trail that will lead him to Cathrine.

  13. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    Holly, I really hope you feel better soon!

    I wrote 863 words today, and I’ve finally finished the climax scene. It actually made me cry at the end!!! It sucks, and even just from writing that scene I already know tons of things that need to change earlier in the story, but I’m so happy to at last have something on paper for it. I only need a few more scenes now to finish this draft, so then I’ll be working on the sequel till HTRYN is ready for public consumption. ๐Ÿ™‚ I’m already holding my breath for that one; I can’t WAIT to revise this novel!

    I actually really, really want to write more right now, which pretty much never happens when I finish a scene, but Baby won’t nap much longer and I have some paid work I have to do, so I gotta slog through that first.

    Oh, and Holly, I love it that you love office supplies so much. I never could understand that about myself, since I do the vast majority of my writing on a computer. But there’s something about Staples that gives me a thrill…not quite like a library or a bookstore, but close. (The worst, of course, are those overpriced notebooks and pens they sell at bookstores…dang, I covet those things!!!)

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      Those damn notebooks…

      Yeah, I have on occasion bought one instead of a real book, because I could then sit in the bookstore coffee shop and work out an idea I just had while my guys went to the video store or GNC or other manly places in search of manly things.

  14. Holly Avatar
    Holly

    Thanks for the good wishes, folks. Did get the two beta testers for RYN chosen over the weekend in spite of everything.

    And sometime this week, I intend to rediscover the art of sleeping. Napping, if nighttime sleep continues to elude me.

    1. Beverly Avatar
      Beverly

      Go ahead and take the nap. I was just reading an article about how lack of sleep hinders the healing process. Plus if you are anything like me once you get to a certain level of tired then it’s not like you are going to get much more than survival needs taken care of anyway.
      I wonder what is going on? Changing seasons? Weather? Something going retrograde? Hubby who is almost never sick had been feeling sucky since Wednesday. He even spent most of Saturday sleeping. Maybe if we all got some sage and went running around with it we could turn the corner to things going smoother?

      1. Holly Avatar
        Holly

        In my case, I’m blaming the annoying onset of middle age, plus exposure to somebody’s viral something. One or the other, no problem. Both at the same time… Ugh.

        But yeah, I have heard about stuff going around. That may be the viral something that has me bogged down. Ugh.

        Hugs to you and yours, and hope he kicks it quick.

  15. Patricia Avatar
    Patricia

    Sorry to hear you’re having a rough time Holly. I hope all goes well. ๐Ÿ™‚

    As for me, I’ve been a little under the weather. A nasty cough that just won’t go away…I’m actually taking medicine for it this time and still. Nerve racking coughs about every five seconds, the kind that leaves your face red and gasping for breathe by the time they’re over. I still got some words down though. ๐Ÿ˜€ Only 369, but words are words and I’m happy.

    Ryan encountered his master’s eldest son, and I have a feeling a fight will start soon. I wonder who will win…Ryan (larger, smarter, has a crude spear, but doesn’t want to hurt a ‘child’) vs. Growmr (faster, more agile, less experienced, wants to prove he’s a ‘man’).

  16. June Avatar
    June

    I normally don’t try to write on Saturday or Sunday, but I got few words last week and this week looks like it will be busy, so I decided to write Sunday. I got 440 or so. All but the last few are generally solid, though they will need another go over when I write again.

    I’ve got a good spin on this portion of the current scene, subtle but not the normal expected thing. So, overall happy.

  17. Peggy Avatar
    Peggy

    1865 on Sunday, except that 221 of them are ignoring some of the inherent tension in the scene, so they’re going buh-bye today, and then I’ll pick up where it left off.

    Poor Chase, caught between his dead wife and his girlfriend…

  18. Tami Avatar

    Yikes. I hope you feel better soon, Holly!

    After allowing work to take over my home time a lot more than I’d like, I finally managed to get back into some kind of gear this weekend and crank out nearly 2000 words of draft on Choose, my interactive webserial.

    My airship pirate captain tries to keep his emotional distance from the vivacious heiress, and she finally reveals just exactly what she was doing in a seedy bar and why she needs an airship pirate. She believes in fairy tales, and our intrepid captain isn’t about to let an eccentric, pretty, insane woman aboard his ship for any reason, not even…oh, is that money?

  19. Jessica Avatar
    Jessica

    My weekend hosting husband’s big 40 b-day was a success. Everyone had a great time and now I can get back to writing. Only 150 for the whole weekend, on a possible alternative to the second world thread – trying to get it to match up with later events when the characters cross worlds.

    Sorry I missed the RPing thread. I’ve never been in a sit down D&D type gathering but I’ve played a few online RPGs and gotten inspiration from characters to write stories, which never panned out because they didn’t cross well into the worldbuilding I’d made for them post game. I did however, create some worlds strong enough that my sister borrowed them for her D&D group when she was DM.

  20. Debora Avatar
    Debora

    Wow, I feel really out of the loop. I know nothing about role-playing. Holly, I hope you feel better soon!

    I’m still lost in the suspense of the days leading up to the battle. My MC’s father joins a group of men wielding axes and shovels headed west along the Chambersburg Pike, hoping to block the Cashtown Pass. But they are too late! An advance guard of the Rebels has already crossed through the Cashtown Pass and fires a few warning shots at this hastily assembled group of citizen-soldiers.

    This really happened. But how do I make it interesting to the non-history buff. How do I make it a part of the story? How do I make it matter?

    So 600 words or so, but not really writing. Still working through the history, and trying to figure out the best way to channel it through the eyes and ears and, well, psyche, of my MC/narrator.

  21. Larkk Avatar
    Larkk

    1555 words. MMCโ€™s initiation into the Guild. Still working out the details of who/what the Guild is ๐Ÿ™‚

  22. Minze Avatar
    Minze

    Get well soon, Holly.

    I’ve discovered that most of my plot cards are crap. So now I’ll take a sheet of paper and write a hundred times: “A plot card is NOT a summary of what happens to someone. A plot card is NOT a summary of…” etc.etc.etc. Hm. I wish I knew whether to write or plot. I’ll do both. If I don’t write every day, I’ll get rusty. Onwards.

    1. Minze Avatar
      Minze

      910 words today. That’s the writing done for today, now I only hope I’ll find some time to redo my plot cards. I think I’ll put a few index cards and a pen in my back pocket. Perhaps I’ll be able to do one or two cards while the kids are playing.

  23. Dena C. Avatar
    Dena C.

    Hope you’re feeling better Holly. I managed to get 1193 (Sunday) and took Saturday off.

  24. The Pencil Neck Avatar
    The Pencil Neck

    Get yourself healthy. You’ve been feeling like hell quite a bit lately.

    I’m having to deal with family issues for the next 3-5 days. So, I’m not expecting words until probably next Wednesday or Thursday.

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      Very best of wishes with the family issues. Those can be rough.

      As for feeling badly a lot … yeah, I’ve noticed. Considering I’m usually pretty healthy, I’m not sure whether to blame the fact that I’m almost 49…or the fact that my subconscious KNOWS I’m almost 49.

      A lot of this is stuff you can’t even imagine will become a problem when you’re a younger woman.

      Like sleeping. I never imagined there would come a time when that would become a challenge. I can sleep anywhere, anytime…only not anymore.

    2. Beverly Avatar
      Beverly

      Good Karma your way. Family. Nothing can lift you higher or take you lower.

  25. KQ Avatar
    KQ

    After a hiatus, back with (some) new words. Around 2000 ish. Getting there. On a side note, I have been teaching my computer to listen to me and take dictation, which is interesting.

  26. ramble Avatar
    ramble

    Sometimes it’s just best to curl up with some hot cocoa and a nice wubbie and call it a night…
    It’s 10:30 here and I’ve been sketching out drawings for a part-time job (I picked up a third…yay!) and didn’t get any writing done. But since I promised myself I’d write a little every day, I’m curling up with a beverage and a note book. And the cat, of course.
    Feel better, Holly!

  27. Saje Williams Avatar

    I’ve been there, seriously. Have a couple of projects on hold right now because I can’t kick-start them. My muse is apparently as sick as I am. Stupid muse needs a flu shot. Who knew?

  28. Leah Avatar
    Leah

    I know how that feels. I did that half way through last week. I knew that I had some emotional writing coming up, and I wasn’t ready for it yet. It had not come to fruition.

    Now it has. 724 words today, and another tear. It’s amazing what sort of cathartic responses writing invokes in one.

  29. Teri Avatar
    Teri

    Sorry to hear that you had a tough night. Hope you recover soon.

    My night was very good. For the second day in a row, I got over 1k. Just. The last hundred were hard, but I managed 1,038 words for Sunday. Now it’s back down to my 250+ goal for the weekdays. Taskh is continuing his plan to start a war and is heading back to the rebel’s forward base to convince them to try to capture the small patrol that’s in their way.

  30. Charmaine Avatar

    873 words for The Pirate Girl. It moves a lot slower for me than Dog Show Detective, but maybe because of the shift in language and the need for constant research.
    Anyways, the Duke, despite acting like a right twit in the bar, has managed to convince a band of pirates to sail with them.

    Hope tomorrow goes better for your words.

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