Writing & Jumbled Thoughts
Writing is a constantly changing process that jumbles up your thoughts a thousand different ways.
As a writer there are constant scenes, characters, character flaws, memories, voices, and many other items vying for you to make them your priority in your writing. You sit down to right thinking about Paul. He is a character you have worked on for a very long time. It has taken you months to hone him and his characteristics down. Now comes a memory of some other character you wrote, some person you knew actually named Paul, then your mind wanders to Paul Newman and all your thoughts are now jumbled up.
How can you possible sit and write anything now? If you write your characters out, your scenes out, something out, then it is in stone. Nope definitely not. Might I suggest a way to un-jumble all those thoughts? Take a stack of colorful index cards and give your scenes one color, your characters another, your voices screaming in your head another, and keep going until everything is on those index cards. One color for countries your story takes place, another color for languages your characters speak. The point being to make your thoughts each have its own place. Once you have your jumbled card mess you can make piles. Paul speaks French, has traveled the world, has a lisp, and smells of cedar and leather. You can go as deep as you want, or stay in the shallow end. The point is to get all the jumbled thoughts settled. Once you do this, your mind is free to take a card of another character, place him in another scene, and then your writing will flow more smoothly.
If you do not like pen to paper, then try a writing program live scrivener. It allows you to keep all your jumbled up thoughts on the computer in different files under one story. You can put keys to online paper so to speak. It allows you again to build timelines, build up characters, it allows you to now use Paul and say "Hey I think Michael would work better in this place." You can move files around, shape timelines, log research, it allows you the process of de-cluttering your mind and writing clearly. Like before with the index cards, getting it out of your head is the first step, but then how do you write?
Writing, like sorting your thoughts, is a process. Supposedly there are two methods most writers use, but honestly don't worry about that.You need to find your own process. Do not be concerned with should be's and what if's. Focus on the minute details of each character. How does he/she look, do they have a smell to them, any distinguishing features, anything that allows them to stand out? On the flip side what allows them to be undetected when they are mingling with the public? Are they quiet as a mouse? Do they attempt at to remain unseen but are awkward and knock over a whole table display in a store?
If you focus on one detail at a time, your writing and your thoughts will flow much smoother. I do hope this helps you wiggle your thoughts out of the jumble and settle on some semblance of peace of mind. Keep writing. Keep sorting your details out. Do not forget to edit and then do revisions. Perhaps you said John went to get a piece of cake. Do come back during edits and revisions and put how big, what kind, what did it look like, smell like, taste like. Edit all your errors out as best you can and then revise it to the best of your ability.
Until next time,
your story teller/poet
Debbie
xoxoxox
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