Since my girlfriend and I live in different states for the time being, I’ve found that I have a lot of free time to write.  While it’s been great having her down to visit or going to her place I find that I’m not able to concentrate on writing.  It’s easy to say “oh, just focus, block out the distractions”, but it truly is not that easy.  Since we only see each other twice a month at most I want to spend as much time with her as possible.  So, when I’m visiting her I get zero writing done, which can be good since it forces me to take a break.  My normal routine is this:  Work all day at full time job, come home, go for a jog, then write the rest of the night.  Going to visit her provides me with a break from the actual writing and allows me to think about where the plot is heading and a chance for ideas to incubate in my head.  The result when I arrive back home is a flurry of writing.  When she visits me, however, I sneak in some writing while she’s getting ready in the morning, and later at night when we’re unwinding and she’s doing her own thing.  But if she’s sitting next to me on the computer, it’s difficult to not get distracted.  Even if she isn’t saying anything, just having her near me distracts me, and for many reasons.

I’ve seen this advice given before, and I am a believer:  a writer needs a special place of their own to write, uninterrupted.  The door is closed, there will be no phone calls taken, no taking the trash out, mowing the lawn etc.  Not until the designated writing time is over.  Other writers have spelled that out way better than I just did, but you probably get the point.

For me to focus on getting any writing done I need a block of time and no interruptions.

Alistair

I wrote a few scenes last night where I felt as if I were a master of the craft.  Those moments happen from time to time, and I’ve found some characters and situations much easier to write than others.  In fact, this particular character and setting is much easier for me to write than my main protagonist. 

So how do I deal with this problem?  Is it indeed a problem at all?  Yes and no.  I know that once I’m in revision mode for this book, I’ll be able to fix problems and polish the parts I was less comfortable with.  Even the parts I thought were brilliant upon writing will probably have plenty of errors.

It’s a great feeling when the ideas and dialogue spring from my fingertips like a rapidly flowing river, but that brings its own set of problems later.  I find more grammatical errors, and if I was writing dialogue, I notice that I’ve left out a lot of description and characterizations. 

For the times when the prose doesn’t flow I have other issues.  I find that I am constantly searching for the right word in my synonym finder.  This leads me to construct sentences that are filled with expensive words.  The end result is a sentence that does not flow, or read well.

I don’t go by a detailed outline.  I have an idea of where the entire story will end, and some ideas about how I’ll get it there.  Along the way the characters tend to dictate what will happen, and at times I am surprised at the outcome.  It is when the characters take over that I know the writing session will be inspired.  The other times are more difficult, but ultimately just as rewarding since I feel I’ve learned something about the craft, or at the very least, I’ve added a few more words to my vocabulary. 

As far as the entire project is concerned, I’m happy with the progress I’ve made.  I think I’ve improved as a writer over the course of the 100k words or so I’ve written so far.

Alistair

My vision for this online journal is to document all the joys, trials, frustration, and rewards of writing and just being alive!  I may write of other things from time to time that reflect my interests, but the focus will definitely be on writing.  :)

Alistair