January 31, 2009
Sometimes, for one reason or another or no particular reason at all, I’ll feel like my fiction writing is forced. Like I’m straining to hit my word count for the day, and it’s not coming out as smoothly as I’d like it to. Today was one of those times. It didn’t help that most of the day was devoted to the dreaded Other Obligations (flat tire on one car, picking up other car after inspection, shopping at insane Wal-Mart, snow removal, etc.). But by the time I crawled over the finish line for my word count commitment, I felt like I was seriously dragging. I had to struggle to finish…and didn’t manage to do it till five minutes ago!
What can I say? As anyone working in a creative field will tell you, it happens. Some days, you soar with the eagles and can do no wrong. Other days, you feel like you’re scrabbling with the cockroaches. Such are the tides of the human creative apparatus. By working hard and often and feeding the apparatus well, you can smooth out the deeper valleys, keep rolling on a steadier plane…but you’ll still hit bumps in the road like this. And all you can do is finish your work for the day, switch off, get a good night’s sleep, and start fresh the next day. Hope the phases of the moon or the zodiac configuration or the cosmic rays or whatever move into a more conducive arrangement. Because they will, because nothing ever stays exactly the same for long in this world. And that’s what keeps the creative process interesting. See you tomorrow!
