So The Question Is...

[mmerriam]

Despite my plans, I found myself mugged by a shiny new short story that demanded it leap over the queue and be written right now, thank you very much.

I'm a little over five hundred words in and my brain suddenly realized that I was doing things I had never tried before as a writer. Things with voice, and language, and tense, and perception. I've wondered off into new, weird, uncharted waters.

And then I stopped cold.

So the question is: what stopped me? Is it that I've overreached what I'm capable of as a writer? Or is it just raw naked fear of wandering off into the unknown?

I'm going to go for a walk and see if I can sort myself out.

Peace,
Michael

Comments

[sksperry.livejournal.com]

What stopped you is the realisation that you wer doing things you've never tried before. Kind of like Wile E. Coyote when he walks off the cliff, then looks down and notices that he's walked off a cliff.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Writer wander into uncharted place.
Writer discover he is walking on air.
Writer plummet.
Writer go SPLAT!
Writer pick self up and try again.
Writer wander into uncharted place...

[mylefteye.livejournal.com]

Reached your limits? Nah, more likely you just need to practice sailing these formerly uncharted waters.

Here be dragons!

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

It's either going to work brilliantly, or blow up spectacularly. Either way...

[songwind.livejournal.com]

Sounds like just one of those times where you're doing something without thinking about it, and once you notice, you stumble for a minute.

I have played the guitar for minutes without conscious thought, perfect all the way, thought "wait, what bar am I on?" and come crashing down. :)

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Yeah, while I was out for my walk, I realized where the story is going. Now all I have to do is write it.

[wordswoman.livejournal.com]

You haven't overreached, you just had one of those moments when you started to think too much. You snapped yourself out of the moment and started analyzing.

You'll get back in the creative zone and you'll be fine. Can't wait to see the result!

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I've got it moving agan, but it still feels....odd.

[aliettedb.livejournal.com]

It's hard to tell. It's nice to stretch yourself as a writer, but the stopping out cold might be your subconscious telling you something is wrong with the story. I'd suggest plodding ahead and see what happens. It's just a short story, after all. If things turn out really wrong you can delete it.

But if it really doesn't take off, then maybe you need some time for it to coalesce.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Good Advice :-)