August 6, 2014

Squirrel Syndrome: #IWSG & #ROW80

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (or IWSG) is a wonderful group put together by the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh (which now has an equally cool Facebook group). 

The first Wednesday of each month is the perfect opportunity to share my insecurities on the #IWSG therapy couch, get encouragement and support about such insecurities, and to read how other writers are faring. 


In the summer, I have a severe case of squirrel syndrome. I have it all the time, but it's so much worse this time of year (holidays rank a close second).

This is me...



So many things bombard my brain. I'm getting better at avoiding the major distractions to productivity--social media, Twitter, FB, phone dinging--but that leaves me with a to do list a mile long. Then, there's the added craziness of a summer with all three kids at home and visitors. I love company, but it does make balancing it all that much harder.

Then, a new phenomenon for me. I have WAY too many characters and stories in my head right now. I am so not complaining, because one of my biggest fears as a writer is having writer's block. However, I'm worried I'll either lose passion for my current trilogy characters/story or miss out on some new characters/ story. Or, worse, I sit down to a blank page and get overwhelmed by voices and end up paralyzed. 

Any suggestions? 

Can't wait to see how others are doing!

*****

Wednesdays are also A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) check-ins.

I'm sinking a bit with productivity. I've let the to do list get too long, and I'm overwhelmed. Still, I did meet with my anthology group and received some great feedback on my story. I'm going to finish up some rewrites this week.

In addition, I am working on a final edit of a NA Contemporary novel and have set a deadline for finishing the Chasing Forgiveness rough draft (9/15).

Now, to keep the Squirrel Syndrome at bay until I can get some things done. 

7 comments:

Chris Loehmer Kincaid said...

I hear ya about the squirrels. I have so many distractions in my life all the time. It does make it a challenge to get anything done.

Best of luck with tackling all of your goals.

John Holton said...

Maybe you need to look at your to-do list and find the things that you can just cross out and not do. I'll bet there are a couple...

For someone who's "sinking a bit with productivity," it sounds to me like you're being pretty productive.

emaginette said...

Write out index cards for each character--every detail. Ask yourself how many you need to tell the story you're writing. Merge some characters together until you have the correct amount. :-)

Anna from Shout with Emaginette

Anonymous said...

I can empathize with "I have WAY too many characters and stories in my head right now." You're right... that is MUCH preferable to writer's block! And yes, I have "lost" aspects of a character because I couldn't dedicate enough time to their development when inspiration hit. But making notes can help, not just about the characters, but about their situations and relationships and the story in general.

Anonymous said...

I haven't had too many distractions, my problem is this summer is flying by. At least you have a to-do list. Maybe you should try prioritizing it? Rank them and see if that helps boost your productivity.

PS: Checking out your books because the covers are pretty and caught my eye.

Michelle Wallace said...

Good luck with your goals, Tia!
And just tell those errant characters to have patience... wait in line... you have plenty of story ideas and they'll get their turn... Lol

Jo Michaels said...

LOL! Productivity? What's that? Seriously though, I'm having a hell of a time just...

SQUIRREL!

WRITE ON!