Tuesday, May 24, 2011

When the words dry up


The question posed by the Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog this month was: "What do you do when you lose your writing mojo?"
 
This topic hits home with me.  The mojo disappeared several months ago, and I haven’t figured out how to get it back.  This isn’t writer’s block – I could pound out words, and did for weeks after the problem started.

I’ve completely lost faith in my writing.

The story is dull, the carefully outlined plot is boring, the voice is as flat as a C-movie robot’s.  I bore myself.

Still, I’m not willing to completely give up.  I turned to a non-fiction project, and I’m currently in the third draft.  Since it’s an academic project, I’m not worried about voice.  It’s running long, but I’ve decided not to worry about that either.  Yet, anyway.  I’ll break it into two parts, most likely, assuming I find an agent or publisher.  I’m not thrilled about self-publishing, but I could go indy.

Once I finish my non-fiction project, I hope my creativity will return.  It’s happened before.  Or I might just decide that non-fiction is my strength, and I’ll sit back to read and enjoy other writers’ fiction.  I refuse to give up, but I am willing to be realistic.

What do you do when you lose your writing mojo?

5 comments:

  1. Oh, I hate it when I feel like a talentless hack. The good news, then, is you're not alone. MORE IMPORTANTLY, you've got GREAT talent as a writer.

    *hugs* Best of luck with your NF project. ;)

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  2. It's great that you can also do non-fiction. But still, I bet your fiction mojo will just magically return, when you're least expecting it to!

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  3. Switching to non fiction sounds like a good idea. That way your imagination gets a rest, but you still get to write.

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  4. Oh Deb, I missed you! Okay...I'm not a stalker or anything, but I enjoy your post and the reality of, well, you...if that makes sense. I think the overwhelming idea of giving up is hard to compete with sometimes. I'm glad you haven't given up. But don't beat yourself up either. It happens. I think of writing as my lifeline. It's what keeps me sane and happy. If it didn't, I wouldn't do it. Good luck and I hope you find whatever you are searching for.

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  5. Thanks, Laura! I need all the encouragement I can get. ;-)

    I'm keeping an eye out for my mojo, Lydia. It'll show up sooner or later.

    Hi, Liz. I must admit, I'm having fun with the non-fiction, even if it isn't terribly creative.

    LOL, Elizabeth! Friends aren't stalkers, they just care - even virtual friends. I hope I *figure out* what I'm searching for. That would help, I think. :-)

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