Welcome Back, Me

So something happened to me last month: I lost my mojo.  I couldn’t write. I couldn’t edit.  I second guessed everything that I did.  I was convinced that I just had to work harder, because isn’t that the way that you get through life?  Just work harder? Study more, put in more hours, get up earlier, stay up later, whatever.  Just work harder.

But it didn’t seem to make a difference.  My brain short-circuited, and shaking my fist at it didn’t seem to help.  I felt like I was watching everything disintegrate.  Writers write.  I’m not just a dabbler; I’m a writer. It’s as much a part of me as my blood type. So if writer’s write, and I can’t…then what am I?

I’m too young for an existential crisis.  I was simply burnt out.  I have no idea what finally switched the switch tonight (after a month, no joke!), but I just breezed through eight chapters of editing like it ain’t no thang.  And that’s pretty sweet.

I’m back, baby.  Booya!

Google history: storm troopers on their day off, bright eyes, the black cauldron, tarja nightwish, lloyd alexander, surreal horror, where can i find a decent peppermint shake

17 Comments on “Welcome Back, Me”

  1. “yayyy!” for getting it back like that, that’s awesome!
    I actually just had to say stuff about your google history… have you noticed how we now ask google questions, instead of just typing in a group of relevent words? “Where can I find a decent peppermint shake?” …did you find one?
    And what DO storm troopers do on their day off?

  2. Maybe Dr. Evil stole your mojo and you went back in time and your back in time self got your mojo back before your current self ever even realized it?

    That being said, can I borrow your time machine?

    Congratulations on getting back on track. It won’t help you defeat me in the long drawn-out battle to the death that is the HWA Challenge, but I’ll let you have this moment.

  3. Natalie-Huzzah!!

    Sam…er, littlegirl-I know in my heart of hearts that somebody in this town makes a mean peppermint shake, but I can’t find them. And storm troopers do this! (I was looking for it specifically.)

    http://wildammo.com/2009/08/09/what-stormtroopers-do-on-their-day-off/

    Alan-Burn out is an ugly thing, at least at my house.

    Aaron-Thanks! 😀

    Nisa-Was it when Luke yelled at me and told me to get back to work? He’d like to take credit for that.

    Matt-I think you could sell that plot idea and make millions.

    Oblong- I’m embarrassed to tell you what our mojos were doing out there in the Big Wide World. Neither one is fessing up to being the instigator.

    Simon-Why, thank you, good sir. You know who turned me on to Nightwish? The Shock Totem staff. With some of the bands that you mentioned, you might like the Shock Totem radio feature on the forums. I’ll listen for a while, find somebody that I like, and then run off and study them. Iced Earth? The Darkness? Yeah!!

  4. So, is this how you came up with the brilliant piece of wisdom you offered me yesterday? 😀

    I have this tendency to approach my writing like Chow Yun-Fat in a John Woo movie. I’ve had to because I have let laziness stop me in the past. But it takes a toll, doesn’t it? Hence, my Twitter whinging last night.

    I took your advice and chilled out during my AM writing time, where I was planning *not* to write. Of course, this is when a short-story outline comes bubbling out of me. Go figure.

  5. Actually, Don, I think that talking with you last night might have been what threw the switch. I knew that you had hit the wall, and needed a second to catch your breath…but I was in the exact same position and was driving myself into the ground?! It’s funny how you can see other people more clearly. So thanks. 🙂

  6. What’s amusing is that the old saying, “If you struggle, work harder,” doesn’t work. At all. What usually happens is you need to alter your approach to things. Change your setting, change a habit or two that go beside it, etc.

    Our minds feed off novelty. Going into the same routine day-in, day-out, will eventually land you in a block.

    Also, I have a few projects I’ll be attending to as soon as these finals are over (and I’ve actually been studying… some. Because I promised a professor an A. xD).

    Talk to you soon.

  7. I’ve been reading your posts during the last several hours, and it all may be very beneficial and nicely written. I did want to permit you know that for some reason this post doesn’t seem to function in Internet Explorer. On a side note, I had been wondering should you wanted to swap blogroll links? I hope to get your emails rapidly!

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