Writing Update: Changing the Scenery

This month has been a fun and enjoyable writing month for me. A few friends and I are currently in the middle of a challenge we set for ourselves to get a lot written and that has definitely kept me on my toes. I also joined The King’s Daughters’ Writing Camp this month as well. It’s been so much fun interacting with all the writers on there!

But it didn’t start out that way.

At the beginning of the month I was really feeling a lag in my writing. I was struggling to write at all and simply couldn’t get the words on the page. Granted, I was very busy with launching this blog and didn’t always have time to write. But it was more than that.

I realized that what I desperately needed was a creativity spark. I needed a change that would get my creative juices flowing and get me in love with my story all over again. Starting a new project always does this for me but I already have more WIP’s than I care to admit so this really wasn’t the route I wanted to take (yes, I had to work hard to talk myself out of doing this #writerissues XD).

To be honest, I was a little stuck as to what to do other than simply taking time off from writing (which I really didn’t want to do). Then, one night, I did something I don’t often do. I started writing in a notebook.

It was a total spur of the moment decision. I was planning on doing some reading that evening but instead I found myself writing page after page in a notebook. But it felt so good!

For me, sometimes all I need is a change of scenery to get my creativity flowing again and be able to get those words out. Usually this means taking my writing outside, or to my bedroom, or anywhere that I haven’t written in a while. But, this time, that wasn’t going to be good enough. I needed a completely new scenery — and time away from the computer.

Every so often I get that way where a I need a break from the computer, and after so much time on it launching this blog, I suppose I should have expected it. I’ve done this before and found great success! I’m not someone who enjoys writing in a notebook all the time, but in such instances as this, I love it.

If you’re finding the same struggle with your writing, maybe consider changing the scenery like I did. Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that make a world of difference. And your writing will thank you later for it.

In a way, I did still start a new project this month… A friend and I decided we were each going to work on editing one of our novels but when I set out to edit mine, I realized just what I had already feared about it. It needed a complete rewrite.

I was very young in my writing when I wrote it and, though I still loved the idea, it needed a lot of help. More help then some edits could give it. I had been suspecting this for a while and so I’ve actually been dreading this — as well as pushing it off and pushing it off. But in the same spur of the moment decision that I decided to write in a notebook, I also decided to start rewriting this novel.

This is the first time I’ve rewritten a novel and I can already say I’m enjoying it more than I would’ve thought. I don’t have any words of advice to give about it (I’m still learning how to do this myself!) but I can say, if you’ve been dreading or putting off a rewrite yourself, just do it. Go grab a notebook or your computer and just do it. There’s no better way to start as I figured out.

It’s not as hard as you might think. Or maybe that’s just me because I’m kind of pantsing this… XD In general, I’m usually very much an outliner but I guess I’ve had this story in my head for so long and I know better how I want it to go this time that I don’t feel like I need an outline. We’ll see if I end up regretting that.

So that’s how my writing month has been! I’ve learned a lot in many different areas. I’ve learned, or, remembered (since I’ve done this before and found success), that changing the scenery is sometimes all I need to get my creative juices flowing and feel inspired all over again to write. I feel writing in a notebook connects me to my story in a way I don’t always find on the computer. I’m thinking of doing it more often!

I’ve also learned more about the rewriting process. Or, I’m learning… Still a work in progress over here. But I’ve found a lot more fun and enjoyment in it than I would have expected and am enjoying this story way more the second time than I did the first time.

Your turn!

What has your month looked like? Have you gotten much accomplished or are you eyeing your to-do list regretfully? Do you find changing the scenery helps your writing at times?

Blessings, Allyson