Monday, June 11, 2012

Bursting Blue Balloons

Does your brain ever feel like it's on the verge of being a bursting balloon.

This week I discovered the wealth of information that is Janice Hardy's blog. And every Friday, I read all of Stina Lindenblatt's links on her blog. Both are brimming with wonderful tips

The problem is eventually I feel like my mind is ready to explode with all the information:

How to make your characters more emotional?
How to move your plot along?
How to plan out your novel?
How to write a great hook?
How to write a compelling query?
How to make your reader continue reading?
etc...

Now when I read my scenes, paragraphs, and sentences, I keep wondering if I'm implementing everything I'm reading. Am I showing more emotion? Is the dialogue forwarding the plot? Do my characters motivations, responses correspond with their personality?

At times I feel overwhelmed.

I think I might start engaging in some free writing where I just write what I want and not worry about any kind of rules, plot, or character.


How about you? How do you stop yourself from feeling so weighed down with information?

12 comments:

Wendy Paine Miller said...

This happens to me sometimes when I get too invested in craft books. I sort of fall out of love with the writing part. Yes, I think the solution is almost always to freewrite or to get back to the heart of why you love to write.
~ Wendy

Stina said...

I totally get this. In the end, it's whatever sticks with me that I incorporate into my writing. I can't remember it all. The more I read the same advice, the more likely it will stick and become second nature.

Martin Willoughby said...

I let it overwhelm me...and when it's finished doing that I sit at the PC and start typing in the full knowledge that the info has lodged itself into the various parts my brain that no neuron can reach and can be quietly forgotten.

Either that or I sit sdown with a cup of tea and wait till the feeling of knowledge goes away.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

I think we all suffer from information overload at some point, free writing sounds like a good idea.

Laura Pauling said...

I think at some point we have to stop reading about craft and start to learn how to apply it - big difference. The best way I did that was to stop studying craft books and start studying the books similar to what I wanted to write. How did they find success with emotion? Or transitions? Then I'd apply that to my writing. I still do that and it has helped me the most.

Gina Gao said...

Well, I tend to like to like to talk about what is overwhelming me to friends and all that. I find that it helps a lot.

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

Robyn Campbell said...

Info overload can be bad, yep. I print some of it out and study it in my reading time at night. It's just easier for me that way. I think your idea of free writing is a great one. And all the helpful stuff is just there should you need it. :-) Love Stina!

Angela said...

I'm not a good example in this regard because I tend to get overwhelmed easily.

I used to deal with that by gorging on chocolate cookies or any sort of baked good I could get my hands on. But that wasn't good for me, and I've had to find other ways to cope.

I think stream-of-consciousness writing is good for the soul. I need to do more of it.

Heidi Willis said...

You got me thinking so much about this, I wrote a blog post on it. :)

I'm becoming okay with focusing on just one thing at a time. I also kept a revising checklist, so when I revise, I go through that checklist one item at a time and can fix some of those things that way.

Free writing is good just to loosen the cogs in the brain, though. Sometimes we need to write without the pressure of it needing to be good or to be seen by someone. Just write because you love it.

Melissa Amateis said...

I think I just have to take a deep breath, clear my head, and just dive into my novel - I think of it as actually being "IN' the novel - walking around in it and observing. I have to let my subconscious take over at that point. But I know exactly how you feel!

Carolyn V said...

That is an excellent question. Sometimes when I'm bogged down, I have to step away for a short time and then come back. ;)

ali cross said...

Yeppers! And freewriting is usually the best solution for me, too!