The Novel Thing

[satyrblade]

Cold water’s rising fast, drowning the city in thick deep gulps. Branches dance in the trees above our heads. Cain trembles next to me, chest-high in the rising flood. Something wild, drunk and terrible runs loose up the hill near Turner Street, smashing bottles and laughing at the rain. We saw that pack of hurricane commandos busting car windows

Comments

[gafferbear]

Your "trouble monkey" is synonymous with my very loud "Inner Critic". I regularly have to thrash this daemon back into the form of something that HELPS me; it keeps my standards up, it keeps my practice schedule disciplined. But like other obsessions or compulsions, when it interferes with my proper functioning, it is a Disorder (meaning some inner daemon needs a good thrashing, and set in its proper place again.

Let your monkey show you where improvement is possible, but don't give it more than an inch; dangle positive external feedback in front of it as incontrovertible proof of your previous successes, and make it admit that you CAN do it right. Suddenly, your Monkey is your ally.

[arielstarshadow]

Dearest, re-read this:

I've authored over a dozen novel-length projects, over a hundred game books, two complete screenplays, half-a-dozen film treatments, comics, short stories, serials and so on

Read it again. And again, until you realize just how awesome you are. :)

(And there's nothing wrong with being able to express envy - I know the feeling all too well, as someone who has never finished any publishable work she's ever started)

[chuck_lw]

Your "novel curse" sounds a bit like my problem. I'm too damn thorough. And combined with my tendency for wordiness, I tend wind up with a lot of stuff to check over and fix. It makes me wonder if I should just leave the crap behind, and run away from it as fast as I can by writing more crap.

[tannenwynn]

As someone who's been too chicken-shit to actually even attempt submitting anything for publishing (until recently, that is), I get this. Despite having friends/family read my stuff and give me praise, I look at it and go "Really? WTF? I don't see how it's that awesome..." and proceed to go back to editing it over and over and over until I can't stand the sight of it. Maybe I can take a page out of your book (hur-deh-her! A pun!) and wrestle my inner critic into submission. (Another pun!)

♥ to you & Dami! Perhaps we can have you two back to FoS sometime!

[mlerules]

Awesome - hoping the door's back open again. May the words flow forth so we can all enjoy the novel that comes out. *hugs*