I've always had trouble with sticking to my ideas, not taking them much further than the conception stage itself to be honest. Sometimes I'd really get into it, start writing it, then I just lose confidence in the idea. I get this self-doubt where in my head I hear, 'this isn't worth it', 'it isn't going anywhere', and 'this is a terrible idea anyway' which, of course, is never encouraging. This is the gremlin.
I've seen it talked about in various blogs shared on the likes of Facebook and Twitter and it's scary just how much I could relate to them. That said, it is so re-assuring to know that I'm not the only one who has to deal with the little arse hole every once in a while or, as the case may be, constantly.
Recently something clicked in me though. I started writing down all my raw ideas because I'd been repeatedly exposed to advice by tutors and self-help books to keep notebooks to do just this. It sounds obvious but, would you believe, how well it works? I have to say as well it is very encouraging and motivating to see just how many ideas you have written down on paper; how many you can actually start to develop. It's best to try to stick to one or two though I think because it can get exhausting but certainly keep writing down anything that strikes you.
I own a fair amount of books on writing because I find them helpful, motivating and inspiring. When I feel as though I've lost some hope or need a touch of guidance, I pick one up and give it a read. James Scott Bell talks about 'The Big Lie' in his book Plot & Structure (2004) in his very first chapter where writing allegedly cannot be taught. He gives you tips and tricks on how to improve your writing and the very first step of which is motivation. He gives you examples of what motivates him and states you should do the same, albeit whatever is unique to you. He recommends starting a quota and to not give up with your writing. They are wise words. Very wise words that are worth at least giving a shot.
The difference with me now is that I'm actually carrying out these exercises and, so far, I'm sticking to them. The purpose of this blog is for me to record my progress and is also a part of my writing quota to change things up a bit so I don't get bored or tired of the same thing. If I don't stick to it, well, that's just going to be a big disappointment in myself and I'll have to deal with that. So far, the little Gremlin in my ear is pretty quiet and he's going to ruddy well stay that way until he shuts off completely. Ignore them 'til they get bored and all that.
I'm not just going to record my progress in this though; I might talk about the things that inspire me as well, like what I enjoy watching or listening to and what it says to me. I think writing about it will help motivate me and it's another form of writing so I can at least practise my structure and stop be more concise with my points and what have you.
I've got some projects that are coming up which have me pretty excited for writing and that's the now unofficial Script Frenzy April, or Screnzy for short, which is a set one hundred page target for one or multiple scripts within the month of April. These are designed at people like myself who keep saying they're going to write, then don't. As NaNoWriMo's sister challenge, it encourages you to just write and worry about redrafting later. You have some fab ideas? Get writing! Definitely prepare it beforehand but the idea is to just write and make these ideas actually exist.
The entirety of my writing quota, which I officially started on Tuesday of this week, has been preparation for my Screnzy project. Character profiles, discussing the themes, the lore of the series, et cetera, and I'm just thankful I have my friend Luke to discuss it with. He's encouraging but still offers solid critique so I can grow and develop the ideas more effectively. It's great to have someone like that for the re-assurance and, even if it's an online friend or pen-pal, I'd say it's dead beneficial to have. What isn't helpful is negative energy so cut that out from your life whatever way you can.
I think thwarting the Gremlin in whatever way you can is really important if you expect to grow and improve yourself as a writer. I had a teacher in grammar school who said that 'there is no such thing as writer's block; just laziness' and I actually agreed with him. Now though, I've adapted that writer's block as being the little Gremlin that whispers despicable discouragement in your ear and stops you from writing. I understand how difficult it is to just ignore it and to just do it; that is pretty lazy advice but that is, no doubt, one of the first steps to overcoming it I think. This is a good list to read and it's final step is to 'just go for it'.
That's what I'm doing now and, although it took a while, I'm hoping I'll stick to it for a long time and the the Gremlin will be so miniscule I just won't give a damn about it anymore. It's starting to work and I've been pretty happy with myself lately because of it.
