Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Have You Seen My Man Muse?




So I'm rounding in on the 20,000 word mark on my current WIP. The thing is, its taken me so long to get here! I feel like I've been struggling with this story for so long its knitted to my bones.

Since June, I have clawed and deleted and guzzled cold coffee at one in the morning...only to snarl at the monitor and slash every paragraph I just wrote. 

I don't know why this seems to happen...EVERY time. I start out all bright-eyed and hopeful and then the image I had in my head seems to come out in a twisted, heaving mess on the paper. No worries, I tell myself. Its part of a process, the sculpting and winnowing, and I keep typing until...

Nothing sounds right, the characters betray me at every turn with their dumb dialogue and pointless action beats. The plot, once so clear and brilliant, disintegrates into a muddled, meandering mess. 

Mr. Vicious
Frustrated, I no longer even try to hide the arguments I am having OUT LOUD with the vicious book reviewer that occupies the dank corner of my mind. ----->

I believe I have reached this sanity-questioning point in my "process" for this book.  I'm a plotter and a planner, so most of my three-ring binder is filled with notes and flow charts and diagrams and the detritus of an uptight mind.  

So much so, that I may have planned myself out of inspiration.  Sometimes too much of a good thing is what gives you the dry heaves...right?

Man Muse
I think I may have to resort to some old fashioned free-writing, seat of my pants, stream of consciousness exercises to get my muse to return...that sadistic, fickle, desperately missed mister. 

<-----You know who you are, Man Muse! *sigh* 

What do you do when your story goes off the rails? Any great advice?  Feel free to commiserate in the comments. I feel you.

Photograph by The Shorts and Longs Photo by gdeantownshende