There are many reasons why I procrastinate...doubt is one of the biggest ones.
Today I was working on my novel turned screenplay. A story that I came up with but I knew would never work as a book...well not if I wrote it anyway..and I also know it's not something I'd read...but I would watch it.
I was working on it today anyway and was reading some of the intricacies of screenwriting...all the INT's and EXT's and CUT SCENES, and the example script they used was really interesting.
As soon as I went back to my script, I immediately thought to myself "why are bothering to write this? it's so crap, even an example is better than you!"
These exact thoughts are part of the reason that I don't have a full chapter of anything yet.
The doubts creep into my head and I lose interest in my own story because I am convinced that it's awful, right now I am trying to write something, anything every day, I don't have a word count and now that I'm using Celtx (which is really good by the way) I am trying to type up as much of what I can as I go.
The doubts are trying to get me, but right now it's just a matter of fighting through them, hopefully - maybe - beating them one day so I can concentrate on writing instead of doing them both at once.
CURRENT PROJECT: LIVING INK
DAYS WORKED ON: 2
WORD COUNT: 109
StoryWings Has Moved
12 years ago
Hi Wings!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I used to let the doubts get the better of me, and sometimes, they still do.
It wasn't until I took last year's NaNo attempt and entered it into a contest that I had the slightest feeling of validation. I never knew if what I was writing for crap or something someone would be interested in. And guess what, the editor of the contest contacted me back, which I thought was very nice of her, and told me I had an interesting story, unique, and to edit it, and let her see it again.
I did, but I'm still learning, and nothing ever came of my re-submit, but it gave me confidence.
This year, I'm entering the contest again with a different MS, and I hope it's as appealing.
Don't doubt yourself, and if you start, take a break, come back to your writing, and look with new eyes. And if all else fails, let someone else take a peek, I did, and though it scared the hell out of me, I'm glad. I'm a better writer for it, my confidence is better, I like what I'm doing. If you'd like to, contact me, I'll be happy to share what I've learned.
Also, as practice, I host a weekly flash fiction challenge on my blog. If you have time, stop by. Each week, I offer a new image, and our little group writes flash for it. We'd be happy to have you join us. Great practice and no pressure.
Dottie :)