Sponging.
That’s what I call the thing when the work has wrung all the creative juices out of your skull and you are sucking on dry bone, trying to put just one. more. word. on the page. When what you really need is to take some time off so that someone else to fill your creative well back to the overflowing point.
It’s a difficult juggle, though, when you make your living as a creative person. Whatever that creative thing might be, you sometimes need to take a break (or at least make a change), or you start producing inferior, uninspired products. There are deadlines, and you have to meet them to make your money. But also there is the understanding that if you try to push through, you’ll end up with something dull and flat. (I’m not talking about writer’s block here. I’m talking about producing things until you hit the wall. Not because you’re blocked but because you actually have nothing inspired left to give).
That’s where I am right now. I am doing a last pass on my non-fiction book, those elegant fleur de lis, the little finishing touches that make something beautiful and take it from good writing to great writing… and I’m stuck. I know, I know, I know that a little down time, a little sponging time is all I need to come back refreshed and nail that sucker.
But deadlines. They stress me. I don’t like the miss them. In fact, I hate missing them. And so I sit here and I try and I try and I try. And eventually I realize that I’m just wasting time because there’s nothing left in me to give to the book. So, this weekend, I’m only going to input, to sponge, to absorb and soak in other people’s creativity. I’m going to read and look at art and watch movies and play games and then I’m going to come back to this on Monday morning and I’m going to nail it.
Just you watch.
In non-writing news, I went to see Her. Sexy, heartwarming, lovely, smart and tells some serious human truths that had me laughing one second and bawling the next. So beautiful. Get thee to a theater.
Kiss kiss bang bang, s.
**Today’s title courtesy of “The Names They Gave Me,” a beautiful essay by Tasbeeh Herwees.
New Words:
2,200 gaming
Miles Walked This Year:
Words Written This Year:
My 42 Writing Projects This Year:
6. The Bone Key (novel)
5. Love and Sex in the Ninth World (gaming)
4. The Ninth World Guidebook (gaming)
3. Numenera CO (gaming)
2. Izaltu’s Needle (gaming) 3,500/8,000
1. Kinky Rewrite (non-fiction book) 50,000/60,000