Desperate Gasps
Wrong man beating up the wrong guy
Hey! Do you have a mantra?
A few words you like to repeat to gather your focus or calm yourself down?
The effectiveness and trustworthiness of the sounds may be dubious, but that doesn’t stop them from helping those wandering thoughts find a new balance on an uneven scale.
That’s a part of the magic behind getting over writer’s block. The internal force to keep going in the face of an anxious blank page.
Rather than a meta-commentary on my own lack on inspiration this morning, I wanted to work this introduction into a conversation around what I will be working on in the coming weeks.
That’s right, there’s a new season of Buildspace around the corner, and despite my better judgement, I’ll be participating. I don’t think I’ll even pretend I have a chance of winning the lump sum of cash, but it is a powerful motivator for getting something done in a short amount of time.
So of course, I’ve decided that I will be writing another new story.
Nouvelle Histoire
Adding some spice to the mix, I’m shifting away from my original idea of quickly adapting the collection of short pieces of prose.
As of this writing, I don’t know exactly the shape it will take, but I’m hoping for something closer to a light adventure than the heavier subjects that seem to attract me.
Even if I avoid tropes and give certain segments dramatic gravitas, I would like it to also contain more moments of levity. A chance to relax between the trials and tribulations.
All that is vague and that’s not because I want the plot to be a secret.
I just don’t really have anything yet.
That will be a fun challenge this time. Although I succeeded in writing a novel from scratch when I wrote Revification for NaNoWriMo, it was much less directed and withheld any regulations for digestibility and readability.
So again, I want this unnamed and unwritten story to be a lighter adventure and an easier read. Having said that, I may also keep it within the same setting—room left to have those pieces of prose as an addendum.
Leave It Alone
At this stage, my first concern is finding motivation. My creative process is remarkably similar to how MF DOOM talks about it here:
He uses the metaphor of waiting for a wave and just being prepared.
I think of it as having a ticket to board the right train.
No matter the exact metaphor, the common element of not being able to force an idea is what matters. There’s a passive aspect to inspiration that is overlooked, underrated, and impossible to fully explain.
For me, once I am finally on board, I can stay on the tracks until the very end. There may be a few stops and transfers along the way, but with the right ticket it all works out.
Umbral Winds
All I can hope for is that the final result is something you enjoy. I’ll be sure to provide updates as the letters and words take shape in my heart and mind.
Regardless of the exact text in the final draft, it will always be true to who I am.
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That’s what I find many struggle with.
Honest expression and true emotions.
I just have to make sure I can afford the price of admission.
Until next time.
Cheers,
JMB