Beginning freezing

I posted that little bit  the other day of a story I wanted to work on. And then I promptly froze. It was so easy and so fun to write, and then I froze. I know a bit about the character, but not much. I wanted to just write a story and play. Emphasis on play. But then I started investing it with more importance in my head. I don’t know if I started thinking of it as a novel or what, but I got a deer in the headlights moment where I just couldn’t go forward. I had to choose what would happen and I kept thinking, what if it doesn’t work out? What if it’s wrong? What if I ruin this lovely beginning with a bad story?

I let that go on for about a day and then had a personal intervention from my friend, Sanity. It went like this.

Sanity: Don’t be dumber than you have to be. Write it. If it doesn’t work, that’s what delete is for. You know you don’t know if it will work out until you write it anyway.

Me: gibber gibber wasting time gibber gibber

Sanity: it’s not wasting time if you discover the story. Lots of stories have false starts. It’s called discovery. You do it all the time. Get over it.

Me: gibber whimper gibber whimper urban fantasy gibber whimper epic whimper whimper???????

Sanity: Oh please. Yes it could go both ways. Try it both ways if you must. But at this point, you have to start, so pick something and try it out and if you don’t like it, then go back and start again in the other. Duh. You know this. Why are you being such a baby?

Me: whine whimper whine whimper

Sanity: It’s called being a writer. You just have to deal with all the fears and self-doubts. You write well. You know it. So shut up and get in there and do it.

Me: biting my lip and trying not to whimper any more

Sanity: And no chocolate either. You can have some when you get some words down. Now. Pull up your big girl panties and go to work. Snaps whip menacingly. Before I have to use other methods to convince you.

One Comment

  • Adrianne

    LOL! I love it!

    I think I’d vote for epic. The urban has a hard edge I don’t like as much, but then, I’m not your average reader.