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Thread of solidarity for those freaking out

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AlmostSquamous View Drop Down
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    Posted: 25 Jan 2017 at 12:38pm
So, which of you are stumped completely? How many have stalled? How many thought you had it, but then binned five million ideas in a row? How many have had life get totally in the way?

Solidarity thread for those of us who are not feeling it/frustrated/terrified/in a spiral of self-loathing. Maybe we can all give each other a collective hug.

I myself am beating myself up internally. Got an "amazing" idea right off the bat, then binned the idea for being a load of bollocks six hours later. Then spent 24 hours hitting my head against the wall of inspiration until another idea fell out. I ran the idea past a trusted friend, wrote some notes, and banged out my first two paragraphs. Then life happened at me. Over the next two days, my partner turned up and I don't have the willpower to send him away, and I get zero done when he's around. Then spent hours on the phone with my broadband supplier's tech support because my 'net died. Then had a doctor's appointment. Suddenly four days have passed and I promised myself I'd write this afternoon, or at least plan out my paragraphs, and I've done sod all other than procrastinate. Saturday is written off because my sister is coming to visit and I can't reschedule. So yeah, I have this evening and two full days to write. I am so screwed.

Hug? Someone experienced want to assure me that I can pull anything other than complete garbage out of my ass in time for the deadline?
Read my 1st Round story titled Radio Violence

--

58 weasels in a trench coat. Or possibly a duvet full of coconuts. Author-in-training. Bunburyist.
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Jeannine View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Jeannine Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jan 2017 at 12:59pm
Hug and, this might not be comforting but, we are all pulling garbage out of our butts, we have only so many words, so much time. Even in the right light, Shakespeare is garbage. I do think you can polish it into something that doesn't look like garbage in time.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Tynnyt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jan 2017 at 1:02pm
You'll be reight. *fist bump*

I'm not just saying that, my best stories have been written in a mad panic rather than meticulously planned out. The trick is to just start writing. (Something I haven't actually done yet). Don't worry so much about the end result, just worry about what the next word on the page will be. In the mean time, just tell the boyfriend he's on tea making duty and he'll just have to wait until your authorial excellence has splurged all over the page. He'll understand when you're world famous LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LisaJade Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jan 2017 at 2:00pm
I still haven't written a word :(
I got comedy, and I thought of an idea. Ran it by my husband and he didn't think it was funny, so now I'e got nothing.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Puffindor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jan 2017 at 2:04pm
Glad I'm not the only one. I have yet to write a single word, too Embarrassed
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LisaJade Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jan 2017 at 2:10pm
What's your genre?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote HanG23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jan 2017 at 2:42pm
Somewhere I feel at home! Smile
 
It seems to have been a rollercoaster of ideas these last few days. Started strong with an idea then realized perhaps it wouldn't be my strongest so half way through my first draft I trashed it!
Found another idea lurking in my mind = wonderful! Planned it thoroughly and then couldn't quite get the story I wanted onto the actual paper. So as of last night I played with my first idea again and had some sort of epiphany as to a new direction that I knew I could work with!
 
My shift work means I have around 2 hours a night to get this planned, researched, drafted and completed... definitely feeling the burn!!
 
Very distracting having a partner around too but my wife has been a star fortunately at keeping me sane and supplied with tea!!


Edited by HanG23 - 25 Jan 2017 at 2:43pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BunnyOz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jan 2017 at 3:01pm
No worries. Just scrapped my second idea. Thankfully I'm on a third and final go to try and get this down. My family sprung a surprise vacation trip on me so I'm spending time writing in the car and sitting in the hotel room. I just hope I can get this out on time and good enough to be worth the read
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote seawhere Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jan 2017 at 3:08pm
Sending hugs Hug

You're not alone. 1,500 wds in at midnight on Mon. and I knew it wasn't going to work. Went to work yesterday and came back with a fresh idea. So far so good. But with work and family, how am I going to finish, edit, beta, clean up in time?

Pretending everything is just fine....
~Sea

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote justmel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jan 2017 at 3:15pm
I spent from Friday night to Sunday trying to come up with an idea I didn't hate.  Read two novels.  Came up with nothing useful.  Got to a point where I had no motivation to bother trying. 
Monday I came up with something I thought might work, and I spent the rest of Monday and all of Tuesday thinking it out.  Sat down this morning to start writing.  Got four pages in and hit a brick wall.  Despair.  Agony.  What ever made me think I could do this?  Ack!
 
But this is my third year.  Every year I think it's going to be a fun little jaunt.  Every year it's not--it's AGONY.  But every year I do wind up submitting something on time.  Something I'm actually pretty happy with, even.  I might get it in with only seconds to spare, but it's still on time.
 
We CAN do this.  We ALL can.  The only reason for any of us to not to is to allow ourselves to give up.  Don't do that.  Just don't.  Keep on plugging.  One word at a time.  Even if it sucks.  Finish that draft you got halfway through.  Once you have a complete draft, you can fiddle with it until the deadline. 
 
If nothing else, look at it this way:  Right now, we still have more time left than we're going to have for all of Round 2.
 
SOLIDARITY!
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