traveling to another world is exhausting.
yesterday i was able to jump back into my current writing project. i can write 10 pages of nonfiction and i'm fine, but fiction? that first day back is like traveling -- you have to get used to it. once i return from the fictional world in my head, i'm wiped out. i tried to post here yesterday but i was brain dead. i read other blogs, but couldn't put together a coherent sentence. i actually went to bed HOURS early because i was so drained. in a few days i'll adjust to the transporter beam and won't be nearly as tired. anybody else experience this?
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13 comments:
Oh yes. When I'm really into a story, my blogging goes down. It's as if I can only shift my creativity to one outlet at a time. I've been writing this week, and luckily all I've had to type have been notes. =D I'll be scrounging for ideas and energy next week.
Creative jetlag. Yeah, I have the same problem. Takes me a while to get back into the rhythm of writing something if I've been away from it too long.
Feels the way the gears in my old Honda would grind going uphill.
Even my husband as noticed when I'm really brain dead after a long writing session. He thinks I'm weird, until I relate it to a movie like "The Patriot." He got so wrapped up in that story that after he watched it, he was a bit shell-shocked.
But I have to remind him each time it happens
Creative jetlag. I like that. It's the starting that's tricky - those first few words. I feel like I have to get it right because it will set the whole tone for the rest of the work so it takes about 1000x longer than usual.
kelly, it's nice to have some backup blogging material!
stephen, i like the jetlag description too.
i used to have an old mustang that required hitting steep hills at a certain speed. if i wasn't going fast enough i would almost reach the crest-- then have to back down. :D
stay-c, i have the same thing happen to me!
here's the conversation:
daughter: are you mad about something?
me: no.
daughter: what's wrong with you then?
me: nothing.
daughter: you aren't saying anything.
me: i've been writing all day.
now she usually goes directly to: have you been writing?
sandra, starting off on the wrong note can screw everything up!
I get a bit of "writing jetlag" but what I find is when I'm really into my story, I can listen to music or even have people around me and not even notice. If I've been writing for two hours and have been extremely focused, I look down at my ipod and think, 'wow, was I listening to music?' It's as if I entered another dimension! That's how I know if it's going to be a rough writing day. I can't tune out anything!
"once I return from the fictional world in my head, I'm wiped out."
Making the transition from the fictional world in my head to the world around me sometimes takes a little while. People who try to talk to me within the first fifteen to thirty minutes after I finish writing are often likely to hear, "Huh? I'm sorry, what did you say?" :)
I'm just the opposite - writing non-fiction (what I call WORK) is mind-numbing. I come home in a fog, have some whine (yes, I meant to spell it that way), and pass out. Writing fiction invigorates me - and I've been doing a lot of fiction lately. I feel like I can write all night (and sometimes do).
tami, i used to be able to tune everything out. now if somebody is breathing a block away i have to tell him to stop. :D
jeff, that transitional stage can be a bit bewildering! but i think that's a good sign.
mark, i used to write in huge chunks. over 30 pages at a time. too old for that stuff anymore!
I'm a bit like Mark in that writing can invigorate me, but I do have problems shifting to "reality" (whatever the definition of that is) after a writing session. Maybe they need to make a sort of bifocals for the mind.
Writing a story is like singing a tune for me. The longer I stop to take a break, the harder it is to come back on the same key. Too many breaks like that and recording turns to crap.
eve, i do sometimes experience a kind of euphoria when things are going well. that's always nice. :)
jason, i think the longer you can stay in the story the better. i remember reading a ms where the breaks between writing sessions were really obvious. i think the writer's mood at any given time can even impact the story.
jeez, i had to go through five word verifications before that would post.
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