Hashtag This
There’s a hashtag on Twitter for people who are writing – #amwriting. An innocuous hashtag for tracking other writers, but sometimes… it can be just a little bit smug. And given the nature of writers I was wondering if we could have a more honest hashtag? #amsurfingtheweb #amwatchingcatvideos #amdoinganythingbutwriting
Right now I’m doing anything but working on the outline of Carrie Mae Book 4. Because, no, I don’t know how they ended up in a brawl to the death among the Amsterdam tulips. Can’t I just wave my magic writer wand, do a little jazz hands, and write by the seat of my pants? The problem with pantsing it, is that I am no Louis L’Amour. Mr. L’Amour apparently did not believe in rewrites or edits; he believed that rewrites killed the freshness of the story. Or he believed that we would buy whatever he wrote. #hewasright When I attempt to pants it, my stories go sideways and I end up writing entire chapters that sound like vacation brochures. #needavacation No story was ever moved forward by a character actually stopping to smell the roses, or in my case, tulips. Unless, of course, he got wacked on the head while bending to smell one. #deathbytulip #nameformynextnovel #dontstealit #mine
So here I am, forced into the drudgery of outlining. Coming up with the answers before I even know what all the questions are. Or in my case, procrastinating for all I’m worth. #procrastination! I could say that I’m mulling it over or letting it marinate, but let’s face it, at no point in my life have I ever mulled something over while doing the dishes. The only thing I think while doing the dishes is that dishes suck and we all need to stop eating so there will be less dishes. #seriously It’s productivity through hatred of the other available task. #atleastsomethinggotdone Eventually, I’ll have to return to the outline – figure out the who, why, where and how. Eventually, I will have to do the research and plug the plot holes. Eventually, I will actually have to write. #amwriting Sigh. Can’t I be #amvacuuming instead?