It has been an interesting week. As you know, like thousands of writers all over the world, I am participating in the National Novel Writing Challenge (NaNoWriMo). I really enjoyed concentrating on one project. Having too many things to do in a day dissipates energy and compromises quality.
But focusing on one thing is really difficult when you live at times where constant bombardment of distraction. I don’t know about you, but as soon as I declare that I will do something, my brain wants to do everything else but the thing I want it to do.
I was fine for the first nine days. I wrote down the synopsis, outlined the story, identifying the main plot points and the main characters. I started exploring their physical features, specific habits, internal and external goals. I learned it would be the story of two protagonists and will have two point-of-views. I researched euthanasia and listened to the stories of the people who have opted to use it to end their lives. I got myself fully immersed in the gloom of death, which depressed me and fascinated me at the same time.
Then my mind rebelled.
On the tenth day of the challenge, my mind wanted me to everything else but work on the project. It pointed out that my website needs upgrading, dental cleaning needed to be done, vision tested, spectacles made, a car-serviced, and annual blood test to be done before the year was over. Fair enough I made all the booking. But still it didn’t want go back to the proejct.
All kind of gremlins started appearing from every direction.
Then my brain came with something totally unexpected.
It brought a crystal clear outline for a non-fiction book I wanted to write for some time.
It was ridiculous. Earlier this year, for months, I agonized over it and I couldn’t figure out how to structure the book and now it came out of nowhere.
I had two choices – make some quick note, put it aside, and get back to the novel. Or work on it while I had the clarity and capture the voice that is so hard to get.
I chose the latter. I decided to write as fast and as much on the non-fiction book and put the novel aside for a while.
I figured out why my brain was rebelling so much. I had bombarded it with lots of new information about a topic and commanded it to come up with a full-blown story complete with fully-grown characters. It refused to work under those conditions.
Creativity needs time to make connection.
While I was giving it new input, my brain, on the side, got busy to process the old information. I wanted it to cook a story with new information; it baked me one with the old material.
I am progressing nonetheless. I have accumulated almost as many words for the non-fiction book in three days as I did for the fiction in nine days.
Why I am sharing all this?
I am sure you guys would have similar encounters with your mind. When you wanted it to go one way, and it would have gone the other. The confusion, frustrations, dilemmas are part and parcels of our daily lives. We can’t avoid them, but we can learn to work with them.
This week I learned to move on rather than getting stuck. I am sure my novel will “cook” in my mind while I am working on non-fiction. All stories need a “gestation” period. Who knows before the month is over, my mind might figure out the rest of the novel.
That’s it from me this week.
Take care.