tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219469306659051423.post8658687679121069371..comments2014-09-19T21:49:50.354-07:00Comments on Siana in Black: Writing through the fearSiana Blackwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00979578358791264383noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219469306659051423.post-32707731020488563032012-11-03T23:12:30.000-07:002012-11-03T23:12:30.000-07:00Yes, you're right - the tunnel is a lot longer...Yes, you're right - the tunnel is a <em>lot</em> longer than I ever thought. When I decided to rewrite <em>The Frozen Tear</em> I had this idea that it could go from unbelievable crap to awesome in a single rewrite. Not true, apparently. Trying to take a step that big just made the whole thing fall apart in a steaming heap. Baby steps, Siana. Just make it a little bit less crap this time around. Something like that, anyway.<br><br>Maybe it really is true that as long as we keep writing everything is going to work out in the end.Siananoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219469306659051423.post-81230674174129496382012-11-03T22:35:46.000-07:002012-11-03T22:35:46.000-07:00Ahhhhh. I needed to read this post. This is exactl...Ahhhhh. I needed to read this post. This is exactly what I am going through. I won't go into the details, because it is basically just as you described. I think my biggest one is number one, fear of failure. Success is so far off that it seems almost ridiculous. As for rejection, I have yet to finish something, so I do not really know what that is like. I like to think that I can handle it, but so do we all, until it happens. As for baring my soul...I actually do that all the time. I splurge all over my blog, all over my PPTs, and even in my stories. Just… It does not always result in good writing, per se. My soul has no concept of sentence structure and organization of thoughts. And--it's MESSY! :-) I really believe pouring your soul out onto the page takes practice. I'm working up to it. So, 4 is an area in which I definitely need improvement, but I do not think I actually fear it.<br><br>But back to failure for a minute. The worst part is that it is a constant cyclic battle, occurring every day. Every time I sit at the computer, I deal with it. I admire the people on NaNo who can churn out an excellent first draft with no more than grammar and spelling errors, where essentially, all the elements that need to be there, are there. I can't do it. I read the articles. I write with reckless abandon, if not with soul-vomiting intensity. I look at the crap I have written, and it is a sucker punch to my gut, telling me that I did it all wrong. Why? Because as you said, those things could be fixed if I'd done what the article said, and planned. <br><br>I am starting to think that the light at the end of the tunnel is still there...but the tunnel is just longer than we think it is. I used to think that I'd make progress by leaps and bounds, or that good stuff would spring out of nowhere, but it's not the case. Sometimes, what seems like no progress at all is really just extremely slow progress, which only becomes evident with time. The first time won't even be recognizable as the final. <br><br>The most important thing we can do for ourselves right now is to push on through. Write a draft. Then tweak it. Then tweak it again. We know what we are doing wrong. We can fix it. Then we can spot new problems, and fix them. We cannot not let the fear stop us from continuing. That shining, perfect story in our heads will eventually come to life, if we polish the turd long enough. We must remind ourselves that it might take us a lot longer to get there, but the destination IS worth getting to.<br><br>One. Word. At. A. Time.<br><br>Sorry, long comment. :-PAgent Double Oh Zerohttp://godofephemera.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com