So I said I might post more, and then right after I started to panic. What am I going to post about? Will it be any good? That’s exactly the stress I don’t need more of. So I could just not post… but another solution is just to post any garbage and not care if it’s good. We’re going to try the latter.
By the way, the creative process is stressful. When something just feels like it isn’t working in a novel, my whole mood is shot. When I used to make columns regularly, I got so worked up trying to find some new funny idea. And when you have the idea, for a new column or how to make a plot point in your novel work, it’s the greatest thing. But it’s rather miserable until then.
I’ve gotten good at brute forcing creativity. I used to write here every day for years no matter what, and it wasn’t easy. And I think I learned something from that. I can pound something out by sheer force of will if needed. It always feels better when I have some muse and the words just flow, but I don’t think you guys can tell what was fun to write and what was brutal torture.
Still, with novel writing, it’s become my rule that if I get to a section where I’m dragging my feet to finish it, then I need to rethink it and make it more fun to write. Of course, the rethinking — waiting for that great idea — is not fun.
Usually walking helps for me. Gotten a lot of great idea walking the dog. But she’s very old now (14). What I really want is the thing Scrooge McDuck had that I admired even more than his vault full of money: his thinking room. It was a room with nothing but and indented circle in it from Scrooge pacing. I want a dedicated room for me to pace and think. I need to start a GoFundMe for that or something.
Are you channeling H. L. Mencken?
“I’ve gotten good at brute forcing creativity.”
I have a checkbox in a program under development that reads “Use Brute Force.” I’m eagerly waiting for the client to say, “What does that mean?”
I considered such alternate captions as:
“Get Out The Hammer And Tongs”
“Hit It With A Sledge Hammer”
“Just Go Crazy On It”
“Beat It With A Stick”
“Hit It Upside The Head”
“Knock It For A Loop”
“Go Midievel On Its Apps”
That’s equivalent to “Blow It’s Head Clean Off.”
“I want a dedicated room for me to pace and think.”
Peter Griffin (in Family Guy) has his Thinkin’ Grenades. “Shh…. {Boom} Uh-huhh ….. {Boom} …. That could work…”
I think liberating a few plot ideas from old episodes of Get Smart or Superfriends should get you back on track. Better still COMBINE plots from those shows and the chapters will start rolling out even faster!
You’re welcome.
“Real men don’t feel pain,” Frank.
But regarding creativity, your diet has a lot to do with it:
(1) To enhance visual hallucinations in lucid dream states, eat beets. This should bleed over into your writing with weirdly funny visualizations (and also turn your urine pink, but don’t panic, you’re not dying).
(2) To improve your mood and enhance male fertility, take Vitamin C. The fertility part just has to help with writing ideas, you know?
(3) To increase your energy and stamina, eat foods high in Vitamin B-12. Dark green, leafy vegetables like spinach and kale – and red beef. Your wife does cook, right? (Scratch the kale – it’s better eaten by cows.)
(4) For that quick, high glycemic boost in the evening, eat potatoes for dinner. Your writing will sound more Gaelic and fruity Irish, but that’s good, right?. Plus, potatoes help you sleep and put your pain behind you..
“potatoes help you sleep and put your pain behind you”
You misspelled “whiskey”…
Potatoes ≠ Whiskey
Potatoes = Vodka!
Potatoes!
Gotta make creativity your B****.
On one of David Weber’s forums, someone jested that if Isaac Asimov tripped over a typewriter, out would pop a 1000 words (see http://forums.davidweber.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8821&start=10#p246329).
“Life’s not all warm cream and dead rats.”
– Bucky Katt –
Another comic book character had a place to retreat to when he wanted to be alone and think. Yet you choose Scrooge McDuck as the model you aspire to rather than Superman.
I’m not sure what that says about you but it must say something.