I’m calling this blog post a pre-writing exercise. I’ve sat down to write my story for the day, and don’t want to do it. Running theme, guys! On Monday, I said that writing blog posts and journal entries is what I want to write and what is helping me sort through the clutter, so I thought I’d try this. Let’s see how it goes.
A found a new hobby, a new way of getting my creativity out—alcohol ink art! Guys, seriously, this is some stress-relieving voodoo. Here’s a photo of a couple of the paintings (I think that’s what they’re called) I did the past few days. It’s a fluid art. While you can learn to control it, the ink has a mind of its own. It reminds me of writing in some ways.
Here’s why.
- You set out with a plan and intention. You can set out intending to do one thing with your alcohol ink, but it turns into something completely different. The same happens with writing. Even if you’re a pantser, you still have an idea of what you want to do, but sometimes/a lot of the time (me!) it changes as you go. A little, sometimes a lot, but it changes.
- You have to adapt. Because alcohol ink will change direction at any movement, puff of air, or even with the addition of rubbing alcohol or a blending solution, you have to be ready to adapt to the changes. Maybe you can keep the original plan, or maybe it turns into something else. Same with writing. You can be frustrated beyond belief if, as you’re writing, the words don’t flow, or they flow in the opposite direction of what you intended. OR you can choose to run with it. See where it takes you. That happened to me this week. Sometimes our plans aren’t right. Maybe that’s why the words don’t come easily. Or maybe we’re lazy, but we’re never that are we? Of course not….
- The finished product may seem like a mess, but it’ll be beautiful eventually. Alcohol ink art starts off messy. The colors can mix in ways you weren’t expecting and make some UGLY brown or intrusive black. But if you keep working it, if you adapt, it’ll be beautiful. The first draft of any writing piece is often messy, and let’s be honest, kind of an embarrassment. That’s what second, third, fourth drafts are for. Polish it up, keep working it until it’s where you want it to be.
- Sometimes it doesn’t work out. And that’s ok. Alcohol ink can be worked into oblivion, but sometimes you have to stop. Maybe that piece isn’t ever going to be polished to your liking, but that’s fine. You’re learning what works and doesn’t. Some pieces of writing are excellent exercises in study but aren’t meant to be anything more than that. They’re meant to hone your skills, or to try something new. That is as important as publishing it. You can’t grow without practice.
I’ve now compared writing to claw machines and alcohol ink. I don’t know if that’s genius or insanity! But there you have it. On to my progress for the first half of this week.
Day 1
316 words. Monday was interesting. I wrote in the afternoon in a corner of my house, while lying back on a chaise longue, my notebook propped against my legs. The main character took a turn. She went from being friendly and lovable to rather guarded and harsh. Not my intention, but at that moment, it seemed right. That hidden quality had to come out because she was pushed too far for her comfort.
Day 2
0
Day 3
303. Monday wasn’t too bad, but Wednesday? Man, I cringed so much typing this up!
Evaluation
The rain app is still going strong. My obsessive-thought train seemed to be on hiatus so that’s nice! I never did write in the morning. I wrote in the afternoon and evening. I’ll work my way up to the morning, hopefully. I also only wrote for 25-minute segments again, but maybe that’s all I can do for now. I seem to reach a breaking point in concentration after 25 minutes. Hopefully, the second half of the week goes well!
Excerpt
Background: Rana is getting married, and her fiancé left on a mysterious and dangerous business trip. She and her best friend Katie just finished dress shopping unsuccessfully. Katie pushed her too far at the boutique. This is the beginning of that aftermath.
“I can breathe here.” Rana inhaled the crisp air, smelling the leaves changing color. “Smell the leaves, Katie.”
“What leaves?”
“The ones all around, in the park, dotting the street, in my yard beneath the maple tree we used to sit and read under. Do you remember?”
“Yes. Now, about Wednesday—”
“No.” Rana looked at Katie for the first time since leaving Dash of Heaven. “Not Wednesday. Not any day. Bye, Katie.”
“Rana? Rana!”
Rana is slowly losing her control over her emotions and thoughts as the story progresses. Not that you can tell from that small excerpt. But that’s the idea!
Happy writing!
Taking the Waters 