...you forgo reserving tickets for the musical that was just extended, even though just three months ago, you were upset that you waited that long in the first place and lost the opportunity.
...you nearly miss your cousin's wedding (this one needs no further explanation, it's just plain bad).
...your friends start to wonder if you don't like them anymore because they haven't seen you in months.
But you're writing. Writing. Maybe you're in the thick of revisions, and you've almost gotten that scene just the way it's supposed to be. Perhaps you're so close, you can almost taste it...
Yes, my friends, this is the stage I'm at right about now.
It's all I think about. I don't want to do anything else. It's like I'm possessed. At work, I have to force myself to stop dreaming about this book, and the next chapter I get to rewrite, that last little bit of detail I left out, the amazing, better ending...
Sure, it's great... it's wonderful to feel this passionately about something again. It's been a while since I felt that zest (another story for another day), but at the same time, it's pretty amazing and strange how it can change your life. How both things that used to seem so important, and things that are still very important start to mesh... and the only time you feel any clarity is when you're working on this darn MS.
But I didn't miss my cousin's wedding, and I am going to call my friends back. I know my priorities, but it does seem like this book is determined to remain in the spotlight.
Do you guys ever experience this? Do you ever give anything up in order to write? Have you noticed that your priorities have changed since you started writing?
27 comments:
Yay for zest! Ride the wave--it feels crazy to be obsessed, but we've all been there and it's so much better than starting at a blank page with nothing to write.
Have fun!
Good for you! There's nothing like the feeling of a story that has you in its grip and won't let go :-) At times like that, I forget to eat!
Oh you are so in the zone, and it's a great place to be. Enjoy, and happy writing to you :)
Absoposilutely. I went nuts over the weekend. You should see the disasterous state my house is in but I don't care. I ended up with 15k words in two days. I'm in the zone and it feels good.
There's a line from Bull Durham -- A player on a streak should respect the streak.
Your friends will understand.
I sacrificed a lot of time during NaNo, but I didn't let the revisions take over my life. My wife might disagree with that statement...
HA! That's awesome that you're so wrapped up! Enjoy it, even if you're missing out on things because it always comes back around that you have free time to do those things and can't write for whatever reason, so enjoy it while it's magical!
Of course your priorities change if you genuinely care about your writing.
I stopped watching American Idol because of the fact that Simon's not there. So I got more writing done.
Oh, I do struggle with this. Finding the balance when you're in the honeymoon phase with any WIP is tricky. I'm so glad you feel passionate about it - it's sure to show in your writing!!!
Yes. Yes, I have. And still do.
I can so relate to this. I'm in the thick of it at the moment and it's hard to drag myself away to experience some - gasp - real life ;)
Sometimes I just get this lost feeling, like I'm spinning purposelessly through life, until I sit down and write. And then, like you said, everything is clear.
That's fantastic! I love it when writing grips you so strongly.
I never give up what I consider important things. But I can get very involved--did get it involved--like you are. It's exciting!
This is one of my favorite feelings in the world! Getting in the zone, not being able stop right in this stage when I can't think of anything else but what I am writing about.
It's great that you've got all this passion inside. Even though the passion doesn't always stay this way, we as writers live for the moments when it does. It makes all the writer's block, the pain, the hours of slow typing worth it in the end.
~TRA
http://xtheredangelx.blogspot.com
I give up on TV and social outings. It's worth it.
You are in the zone! Yes, sometimes life passes me by and I didn't even notice. Well, at least you didn't miss the cousin's wedding. That's a plus!
Congrats, you're in the ZONE!
I try to keep the family first. Easier said than done at times. But I have their support and that is what is important. I rarely make them feel they are second best when it comes to writing my books. Occassionally I have my slip ups. But about 98 percent of the time they know they can approach me when I'm writing.
Ohhhhh, yes. I give up almost everything when I'm in the zone. The zone doesn't last more than a few weeks, I've found, before I emerge from the office and need a break. And a shower. Just kidding. Sort of...
I can totally relate. I feel compelled to get it finished since I've been such a late started. I'm worried I'll die of old age before it's finished. =D
I haven't been that lost in a project since last fall and I miss the furor. I'm hoping to drop back into the rabbit hole this summer and lose myself in my current WIP.
The good news: You're not possessed. The bad news: you're a junkie. Your prognosis? Bad. There is no known cure to this addiction.
Absolutely. I fall off the face of the earth when I'm writing!
I LOVE that feeling! And it always worries me when I don't have it that I've lost it forever. Of course it always comes back, which is all kinds of awesome.
Just dropping by to say hello, but it looks like you haven't posted for a while. I hope you're doing great. Have a lovely weekend. :)
Hahaha as it happens, I'm there too. My story is sucking me right in and just when I thought I won some balance, I realized that I would have to let it go so that I can finish in three weeks.
Eeep!
Good luck!
Hope everything is going well.
Good for you. You have the "magnificent obsession.".
Post a Comment