For the love....

[j_cheney]

arcaedia recently asked in her blog how writers keep the love in their writing. (That's a paraphrase, not her exact question). I, among many others, responded.

One thing I do is try to work on something 'fun' once a week or so. Not the official WIP.

Yesterday I spent a few hours working on IS3, which is soooo far away from getting published that it's merely a grouping of scenes at this point. It hit 13.5K last night.

But I'm not working on it 'seriously,' so it's just for fun. (Although I do have a research book being shipped to me right now.)

But tonight? Back to DitD, like a good writer.

Do you do that kind of thing, just to give your brain a break?



PS: And boy am I glad I never invested any time or emotion in BSG....


PSS: I didn't mean to imply that I'm tired of my WIP. Instead I feel like bits and pieces of plots and scenes from the plot bunny's other ideas build up in my brain, so once a week or so, I can take time to set them down and clear out the fluffy clutter....

Comments

[reudaly.livejournal.com]

I don't know that I have stuff that I work on "for the fun" but I do have old projects I go back to in order to restart the brain. And I do read at night "for the fun" not research, not work related. It for turning "off" the brain.

I just finished Scalzi's "Android's Dream" and now I'm reading a Bill Crider mystery.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I'm still having a lot of trouble reading fiction. I seem to be able to read some Non-fic, but I pick up fiction and get....bored easiy...it's sad.

[reudaly.livejournal.com]

I still like fiction. I tend to be more critical of it. I can suspend disbelief for about 10 - 30 minutes right before I go to sleep to slow down my brain enough to relax.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

....jealousy....

I may try that this week.

[reudaly.livejournal.com]

I've always done that - since I was a kid and learned to read. Unless I'm REALLY exhausted or sick enough to not concentrate - I read at least 5 - 10 minutes before bed.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I must practice. ;o)

[reudaly.livejournal.com]

It's an acquired skill, I guess. 8-)

[orogeny.livejournal.com]

I came to the BSG party late -- midway through season 4.

I have to say, if you're the type who likes to rent series, it was worth Netflixing. I don't think it would have been "appointment TV" for me, but it was a decent ride, overall, despite the holes.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

The bad part is that I watch so little TV that I'd never get around to it. I got the first two seasons of Mission Impossible for Christmas 2007, and I still haven't finished season 1. ::sighs::

And I'm actually thinking about buying Jericho to watch.

So BSG woudl be waaaay down the line....

[rogue-psion.livejournal.com]

"And boy am I glad I never invested any time or emotion in BSG...."

Judging from the finale reactions jumping all over the Intarwebs, I'll second that.

I dunno that I have somthing fun set aside so much as I usually have another project in the wings that I'll switch to if I get jaded towards the current WIP. And then will swap back, once the situation reverses. It's a wonder I finish anything. :)

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I generally don't get jaded towards the WIP so much as the plot bunny's been whispering to me, and I need to set aside some time for him. So I make time to do that regularly so that my brain doesn't get all untidy with the plot bunny's snippits...

Yeah, I haven't seen a loving review of BSG's finale yet

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Writing *is* the fun thing that I do, the thing that I can just sink right into... I guess because I don't have very many hours to give to it?

So far it hasn't lost any shine. I do indulge in writing small side projects during the course of something larger.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I suppose I should clarify that it's not a case the the WIP isn't fun so much as I build up little things (scenes or plot ideas) during the week, and a day off give me time to clear them out. I always worry that if I don't write them down, they'll get lost...

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Ah! Yes, that makes good sense--and I see how that's different from feeling fatigued by the project.

[amsaph.livejournal.com]

If my current WIP isn't fun, then it's not worth writing. The last few years, I occasionally come up with something new in the middle of a WIP and have to take a break from said WIP to explore the new idea, but I always go back. I write whatever I love. I can't write something unless I love what I'm doing.

As far as BSG, I completely agree (but I wouldn't let DH watch it either, because we have two young children and it wasn't appropriate for them to see. He doesn't miss it.)

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Actually, my WIP is fun, but like you I occasionally need to spend time on other ideas. So I set aside tiem for that. Work on whatever I want then (what ever the plot bunny orders, I mean).

[amsaph.livejournal.com]

It's not that I need to, but my plot bunnies are more like the killer bunnies from Monty Python. They're very threatening when they don't get their way ;)

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Big nasty teeth....

[jess-ka.livejournal.com]

Yar, I do. Lately I've been working on very esoteric bits of flash for fun, indulging all my language joy without trying too hard to make it anything at all.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I don't share your felicity of language, but I know what you mean. ;o) Sometimes it's nice not to be working on a 'story arc' or 'character development'....just writing ;o)

[david-de-beer.livejournal.com]

I start too many things I never finish as is. sometimes it's fun to just write, and halfway through I might decide it's not actually worthy working on but it was fun while it lasted.
But mostly when I'm feeling drained I walk away for a while.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I actually am not feeing drained by the WIP, and I didn't mean to imply that, although I clearly did...

I think of it as clearing out all the scenes or ideas outside the WIP that have collected in my head for the previous week. Get them down on paper before the WIP subsumes them, so to speak.

[david-de-beer.livejournal.com]

>clearing out all the scenes or ideas outside the WIP that have collected in my head for the previous week

that works? wow, no, I'm not like that at all. if I'm not writing, nothing comes, but the more writing I do the more ideas I have. Makes it harder to focus sure, but eventually I'll get into the rhythm and only that one idea will dominate. But all the time there's more. No way I can get rid of them.
different strokes then:)

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Very true ;o)

[babarnett.livejournal.com]

My "just for fun" thing used to be these weekly hour writes with an online group, where you get a topic and see what you can spew out in an hour. But after a while, this resulted in a stockpile of so many flash pieces and story openings I wanted to later finish that I sort of OD'd on those.

As for BSG, I think I'm in the minority of people (at least the ones I've encountered) who weren't utterly disappointed by the finale. Plot-wise it wasn't so hot, but character-wise it (mostly) worked for me enough that I don't regret having invested any time in the show.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I tried to do Liberty Hall, but kept putting it off until I got deleted in the last changeover ;o) Oops!

THat does seem like a good escape valve...

[isleburroughs.livejournal.com]

You don't have to buy Jericho, J.. It's right here free:

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/


or here

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/video/


I'm pretty sure they're all there. You have to do a little searching sometimes for the right season and ep.. Sometimes youtube has them all broken up. Those are harder to find. Like Season 5, ep. 3 part 1 of 6million but they are findable with determination.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I like buying them ;o)

[isleburroughs.livejournal.com]

Here's another spot for BSG:

http://www.scifi.com/rewind/


I'm having fun with the novel edit. I'm surprised I'm not frustrated.

I'm reading way too many books all at the same time. I wish people at the pizza, sub shop and doctors' offices would stop interupting me:o)

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

;o)

[justin-pilon.livejournal.com]

Keeping the fun is a big part I think. That's why I write the occassional humor piece, though I know they're hard to sell. But I have less emotion invested in them, too, so takes the bite off any rejections they may rack up.