Wednesday 1 June 2011

Bitter Like Orange Peel was a little too bitter for me to swig!


I was having a REALLY hard time getting back into my current work in progress, Bitter Like Orange Peel. Actually, to be honest, I hadn't even opened the document since last December until this Monday. I kept thinking about it. But I never actually DID it.

You see, last year, I was only about two or three chapters away from finishing the first draft. Then, I got a contract for String Bridge, and pushed it aside to work on the revisions for that. I finished those revisions at the end of February this year.

But since then, I couldn't bring myself to continue this tangy tale. The thought made me feel kinda nauseous. I think because I knew once I opened it, that's where my mind would be until it was done.

It's a dangerous place to be in when there are so many other things going on right now that need my full attention. My brain is in String Bridge marketing mode as well. I can't stop being in that mode, so I need to figure out how to slip in and out of it. I don't know why it's been causing me such a problem. I guess it's because it's the first time I've had to be creative with so many things at one time. I think I can adjust, though. I'd really like to have the second draft of Bitter Like Orange Peel ready by the end of the year (at the latest).

I wish I could just take a month. Shut out the world. And put all my energy into the story. If it were financially viable and possible to ignore the world, I wouldn't hesitate another second. Perhaps I should stick my book in a Campari and soda and imbibe the thing in one swift swig?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this? Did your procrastination last long?

REMINDERS: Have you signed up for my String Bridge Book & Music Blog Tour yet? If not, and you'd like to, just click HERE.

Over at All 4 ALABAMA, my poetry book, Twisted Velvet Chains is up for grabs. Head on over and bid on it for a worthy cause! (It will go live at 10 am)



28 comments:

  1. I procrastinate on calling people back. Then it gets to be so long that I don't want to call them because I know they'll be mad at me.

    Good luck with your WIP!

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  2. I really try hard to finish a draft before taking a break, b/c like you it would be hard to get back into it. I would love to take a month away from the world and get projects done!

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  3. I procrastinate all the time, and when I do this on one of my wips, I don't force it. If I really don't feel like writing, I don't. I know a lot of experienced writers say you should just sit down and do it, but so far, for me, it works best if I just wait until I'm ready to roll--and then the words come pouring out. Good luck with yours, Jessica!

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  4. I didn't work on my novel for nearly two months last year, because I just couldn't get motivated, but I had no good excuses like you do.

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  5. "I kept thinking about it. But I never actually DID it." That's the story of my life. Sometimes I find I have to kick-start things by starting from a new angle.

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  6. Dive in and commit to speed--do it like a WriMo, but it isn't so many words... what is 3 chapters, maybe 10,000. You can do it in a week--even working. I'm totally serious. I get you aren't normally a speed writer, but it sounds like the emotional drain of this merits an experiement. Accept the fact that first drafts are only that--they don't HAVE to be perfect. You just need to get it DONE and it can be fixed in the rewrite.

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  7. I think marketing for String Bridge is a top priority. Marketing in today's publishing world is HUGE. When you get a handle on that, you'll see that your mind can get back to Bitter Like Orange Peel.

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  8. I procrastinate a lot. But that's mostly cos life happens and distracts me from my WiP. Like, I haven't been able to work sanely on one specific WiP for a month cos I had finals and I'd be inspired right the nights before my exams and then I'd try to hold it off till the next day so I didn't get carried away and then..they fizzled out.
    I have to do soemthing about it.

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  9. It took me about six months to be able to seriously sit down and get back 'involved' with a writing project after finishing the last so I can imagine its probably doubly difficult for you with all the release preparations going on. Don't sweat it!

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  10. Um... It took me a long time to write the final chapters of my last work. I knew what had to happen, I just didn't want to get it out. So I kept stopping at around the 80,000 word mark and then when I came back to it, found the only way I could reenter the "vibe" was to rewrite the entire thing from the beginning.

    Eh... Good thing I'm a recluse.

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  11. well i've never had to switch off marketing, but i do have to struggle every day to actually write and not, you know, laze around or whatever.
    The more i write, the easier it becomes, but it's never going to be easy for me.
    Maybe set yourself a goal? Sometimes that works for me. Especially if i get something fun at the end

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  12. I wish I had a good answer. I try hard to get the draft finished, but I have had times when I set down a project.

    What worked best for me was to just reread the whole thing until the desire to finish it came back.

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  13. I think I could join the competition for longest procrastination and at least place in the top three ;0)

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  14. I try setting a goal and just writing until I get to it. Even if it's all crap it doesn't matter because usually it gets me through the hard part. Good luck getting back on board with the Bitters :)

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  15. Yes, I have. Sometimes it's b/c of things I must do and others b/c of my procrastination. Somehow in the end it always seems to work out, but it can be frustrating in the process. Wishing you the best with it! :)

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  16. I plan to start procrastinating one of these days... ;)

    Seriously, sometimes I think it's best to just allow yourself the break. Give yourself time to WANT it so much nothing could stop you, if that makes sense. :)

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  17. This is a tough one. I think you have to either take some time to finish it, or just let it go for now. That didn't help at all, did it?

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  18. I'm a pretty bad procrastinator when I know what kind of mood I'll be in after the fact. Love the new site, btw!

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  19. Oh, ugh, don't even talk to me about procrastination! Sometimes I do find it hard to get back into things after leaving them for a bit. But I force myself... eventually.

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  20. Guess I haven't written enough stories for that yet. I do remember when you were choosing that name though!

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  21. I procrastinate, but I hide it under that fact that my motivation has gone missing...

    Maybe it would help if you laid out a schedule? Like Tuesdays Thursdays are for Orange Peel or something like that.

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  22. Do I procrastinate? Uh...I'll get back to you on that one...eventually. ;)

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  23. My fear is that if I put something aside for a short bit, a SNI comes up and I forget about the other project. No biggie in the other project is a bust, but a big deal if it isn't.

    Good luck, Jessica, rediscovering the love for your story.

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  24. Hi Jessica, I lost the whole though of the second book, when I started to work with the editor on my book, then the designer. Hopefully soon you'll be on a lull between promotion and the launch date, I found then I could write more. Now I'm going back over the eleven chapters and fixing them. Then I hope to finish the four last chapters. It's not easy to work on two or three books at once ,thou grab the quiet times to continue, good luck.

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  25. I feel like that a lot. And sometimes even though I schedule the time to write, my minds not with it. I don't have the cure, I'm sorry.

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  26. I hear ya on this. I need to tear apart and rewrite a story, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by it. I know I just need to dig in and get started!

    I'm happy to participate in your blog tour. In which area do you need the most help?

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  27. I always seem to go through phases of procrastination with any project I'm working on. I don't know, like I just have a hard time getting back into it and I need my excitement sparked again somehow. Sometimes it onlys lasts a day or two, sometimes longer. I can't really seem to pinpoint why it happens.

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  28. One word - Scales. Yes, I've been in a situation like that. :)

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