Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog/I Think I Can

Anyone who has experienced the joys of writing knows it’s quite common to get sucked into a story, only to have several hours pass without even realizing it. Seriously, I get so immersed in a project that I become detached from my surroundings and almost BECOME part of my characters’ world. That level of commitment helps me to visualize the scenes, characters, and emotions.

The drawback?

I often get so obsessed that the story takes over my thoughts, intrudes into my dreams, and seeps into my daily life.

Cool, BUT…

Getting too close to a manuscript leaves me vulnerable to blind spots. I can’t see plot holes, wonky phrases, or–gasp–adverbs!

So I take breaks. (Sometimes I need a rest too, Amen?)

Problem is…

Jumping into the thousands of words and hundreds of pages feels overwhelming. What if I get lost in the details and can’t find my way back? What if I think the whole thing is an exercise in futility? What if I find a problem I can’t fix?

Phooey. Now I can’t work on it. I stalled out because I flooded the engine with worries.

So, how do I get out of catastrophic thinking?

I talk to writerly friends. I read a book. I write blog posts. I read and comment on others’ blogs. I repeat a mantra that’s remarkably similar to that of The Little Engine That Could.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…

Somehow, it works. Thank. God.

My question: What do you tell yourself to keep the writing wheels churning when you hit a tough spot or a steep hill?

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Don’t forget to check out Zoe’s answer about how much she’s like her characters!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog/Blog Awards!

I’ve had the wonderful honor of receiving TWO blog awards this past week!

Thanks Natasha!

Thanks Marieke!

The “rules” of each award say I need to pass the awards on to 15 blogs. Let me tell you, it’s too hard to pick because I LOVE EVERYBODY’S blogs! Really, each and every person who blogs puts in such a fantastic effort! So, I wanna give a big THANK YOU to all the bloggers in the interwebz! And I’m really honored that all y’all take the time to read my posts–it’s SO awesome!

The Versatile Blogger “rule” suggests I share 7 things about myself…

1) The last movie I saw was Eat, Pray, Love; I think Javier Bardem is a GREAT actor. (Oh, darn, that’s two things. Oh well, they kind of go together…)

2) I sleep in waaaaay too late on weekends.

3) I think Dunkin’ Donuts coffee is hands down much better than Starbucks.

4) I prefer rain to sunshine.

5) I take it one day at a time.

6) I am saddened by this trend of 3D movies because I can’t see the effect. All I see is red and green and a blurry screen. Bah.

7) I kill houseplants. (Not on purpose, really. I swear.)

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Don’t forget to check out Lydia’s post on how much her characters are like her!