COMMISSIONS OR OMISSIONS--CONFESS YOUR SINS

“Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.” --Walter Inglis Anderson

I read this quote the other day and the same evening my husband commented that one of his clients was suffering paralysis through analysis.  It got me thinking about the balance between weighing ones options and acting on a decision.  The pondering of every possible alternative to find the perfect solution—which almost never exists-- can lead to nothing happening at all.  On the other hand, snap decisions made with too little deliberation may miss details that affect the success of the final outcome.  You can see the dilemma. 

A personality profile test my company use to give was designed to tell us which prospective employee would commit sins of omission and which sins of commission. In other words, it identified who would screw up through what they didn’t do and who would screw up through what they did.  To no one’s surprise, I fell into the latter category. Hey, it’s easier to apologize than get permission, right? 

I thought about how the two personality traits relate to writing. Some people dive in and start writing with little more than a protagonist and a vague premise—Lee Child and Nora Roberts have been very successful and prolific with this approach. Other authors begin with detailed character descriptions and plots that act as a chapter by chapter guide to what needs to go on the page. Both methods have merits and disadvantages recognized by pantsers and plotters alike. 

Unfortunately, there usually comes a point in a story (or several points) where a writer gets stuck. In my case, I know where I’ve been and where I’m going but flounder on the page in front of me. Some people call this writer’s block, others writer’s hell. Analysis only makes the anxiety worse. Staring at the scene brings no solution. Going for a walk or having lunch, reading a book or watching a movie may distract but the hurdle still looms in the back of my mind, nagging and insisting I suck. Yep, welcome to my Sunday afternoon. 

Over time most writers develop their own methods to break through the block—the last resort, the desperate effort to climb out of the morass. Mine is WRITE OR DIE. In Kamikaze mode. With dire consequences. I take a deep breath, get into the zone (setting and POV character’s head), click start and type like the devil himself is after me. My typing skills are horrible but in Write or Die only forward momentum counts. No time for analysis or picking the perfect word. No time to worry about varying sentence structure or not re-using favorite words again and again. The only thing that matters is the characters’ journey, the story unfolding and not having the screen turn red or my laptop scream at me.  The action of writing, getting imperfect words and sentences down on the page, relieves the anxiety and frees my mind to be creative. As for the typos, and crappy writing…oddly, it isn’t usually all that bad. It turns out my subconscious is  a much better writer than I give it credit for. My typing, however, still stinks! 

So tell us, are you an omissions or commissions sinner? How do you break through blocks and make decisions? 

MAKING HEADWAY--WRITE OR DIE!

A couple years ago one of my favorite historical romance writers, Shana Galen, talked at a WestHouston RWA  meeting about the writing life and making it work. She mentioned a writing productivity application from Dr. Wicked called WRITE OR DIE that forces you to write by providing consequences for distraction and procrastination. In short, slow down or stop typing and screen turns red and your computer starts yelling and making rude noises at you. 

I love this software! Not everyone does. 

At one time I was national marketing director for commercial architecture and interior design firms.  Much of my job was generating multiple, complex proposals on very short deadlines. Simultaneously. Without adequate staff. Many a night I cranked out page after page of persuasive prose in the interest of landing highly competitive, multi-million dollar contracts projects. I learned a secret about myself—I’m at my most creative late at night and under intense pressure. During the day with plenty of time  think, re-think, strategize and consider, I could produce a darn good product. Eleven o’clock at night with one day left to Fed-Ex that sucker off—my mind came alive and the results were brilliant. Those were the times, we rarely lost. 

I’ve tried to analyze why turning to WRITE OR DIE works for me. Most of the time I’m a fairly slow writer, considering every word and sentence, every nuance of character and scene as I go. As soon as I click the Write icon on the WRITE OR DIE screen, my conscious brain checks out in protest and my subconscious kicks in. Words pour out, stampeding in typo-ridden lines across the screen to keep the dreaded shift to red at bay. Every time the flow falters, panic inspires a desperate effort to drive on and up my game. Another twist, a hook, a character rebellion that proves my subconscious does indeed have a clue about how this writing thing works. And when the time is finally up or my word goal achieved, I cut and paste the lines into the WIP and begin to edit. 

Oddly enough, most of this writing is surprising good. Editing is required, but not as much as I’d expect. And if I’m stuck, WRITE OR DIE is always the kick my butt needs to get back on track. Maybe NaNoWriMo works the same way for some people. I’ve never had the time or motivation to attempt the grueling schedule, nor could I sustain the pace over so many weeks. Instead, I love the adrenaline rush of kamikaze writing one productive hour at a time. 

When are you your most creative? Do you have any tools or secrets that take your writing to a next level?