Writing a Novel During Novel Times – Writer’s Block
Day 151 of Writing
We’ve all seen writer’s block depicted on television. It was a major plot element of a series we just watched on CBS All Access, Why Women Kill. It gives some very talented female actors the opportunity to really tear up the screen. It stars Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Good Place), Lucy Liu (Elementary), and Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time). It also has lots of twists and turns so you are never certain where it is going. Overall a very fun ride with strong writing and a great cast. It follows three different marriages in three different time periods in the same house. Yes, it ends in a lot of murder, but not in the ways you might expect.
Reid Scott (VEEP) plays a screenwriter who hits a wall on his latest screenplay. He finds a very destructive way to break through that wall. All writers hit points where we need to take a little time to think about the next steps in the story. I am at that point with The Relentless.
It is not writer’s block, though. I continue to write. In fact, I have been under pressure to finish another book that was mostly done, as it was felt that it might have a decent market under these trying times. Over the last few weeks I have been scrambling to finish the final edit, which I did, and it is now in an editor’s hands. The goal is to get it out as quickly as possible.
I basically write every day. Some projects do require you to take a brief break so that you can see them with fresh eyes. If there is something I just don’t feel like working on on a specific day, I have tons of other projects to work on in the meantime. Many times there is something that I want to write about, but there is also something that I am on deadline for and have to write about. Time management is important, and I often bribe myself by finishing writing a chapter or a set number of words before I can go on to writing what I really wanted to work on that day.
I used to do a lot of magazine features with really tight deadlines. You did not have the luxury of waiting for inspiration, nor did you have the time to make it perfect. You just had to get it written, and if you did that quickly enough you could polish it a bit more.
When on deadline, you can’t make excuses if you want to continue your working relationship with your editor. They want to work with people who can make their deadlines. Imagine an accountant telling his boss that he could not finish the month end close because he just wasn’t inspired. If you are a writer, you write. Some days my writing is not great, but it at least gives me a starting point and something to polish.
Writing a novel, as with writing a screenplay, is an art form that takes more time. Setting unrealistic deadlines is simply self-sabotage. No one has everything figured out in a novel when they start to write. I have never focused solely on writing a single book. I always had other things to write when I needed a break.
One of the top recommendations for beating writer’s block is to write. Write anything, just write. I don’t wait for inspiration. I get my inspiration from the process of writing, of manipulating the words, of looking at what I am writing trying to see how I can make it better. Now, if I can just get myself motivated enough to get back to The Relentless.
UPDATE: I take a break for awhile from working on The Relentless, and humbly am forced to admit that I too can suffer from writer’s block, as described in Getting Back in the Saddle.
What’s Up with Us
I am still not fully recovered. I don’t snap back quite as quickly as I used to. We want to try to find a way to be with friends socially but safely, but until I am 100% better, I’d rather not risk it.
We did go for a drive yesterday. We eventually arrived at what is the Covid era equivalent of the holy land. It was not our intent, but we were thrilled to get there.
We went down Topanga Canyon Blvd., which takes you all the way across the San Fernando Valley, along a twisty path over the Santa Monica Mountains, and ends up in Malibu. It is a pretty drive over the mountains.
We drove past the Theatricum Botanicum, an outdoor theater nestled in the lush greenery of Topanga Canyon. It is an outdoor summer theater and it has been planted with every plant mentioned in Shakespeare. It looked sad and forlorn, a place that needs people to make it come alive.
It was founded in 1951 by Will Geer of The Waltons fame. He was much more than just an actor. He was also a social activist and labor organizer. He was involved with the 1934 port strike that led to the unionization of all west coast ports. His activism led to his blacklisting, forcing him to move to the much less expensive Topanga Canyon, where he established his theater. Folk singer and close Geer friend Woody Guthrie had a small shack on the property.
It is claimed that Will Geer was bisexual and a lover of Henry Hay, founder of the first gay rights organization, the Mattachine Society. Geer never came out and never championed gay rights himself. Being gay was a career ender for an actor at the time. His daughter did say in an interview with Ed Rampell after his death that he was probably bisexual. Interestingly, Grandma Walton was gay. Ellen Corby had a 45 year long term relationship with Stella Luchetta, which lasted until her death.
When you hit Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1, also known as PCH), turn left and right there is the Getty Villa, the amazing museum of Greek and Roman antiquities. We turned right, and followed Highway 1, which hugs the coast for many miles and offers some beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. The drive reminded me once again of how much I love living in Southern California.
We drove past Leo Carillo State Park, named after the vaudevillian, political cartoonist, actor and conservationist who was best known for his role as Pancho in the 1950s series The Cisco Kid. You can spot the park from a large distinctive rock formation, below which is a small sea cave that has been featured in movies and television.
We continued on to Point Mugu. You can see Mugu Rock from miles away. This towering rock is not a natural formation. It was created when they cut through the promontory for PCH. It has also been featured in movies and television.
We drove past the sand dune (really a sand hill) across from Thornhill Broome Beach. It is a popular place for people to climb up and slide down. Climbing up the steep dune rewards you with a great view of the ocean and Mugu Rock about a mile in the distance.
We then turned inland towards Camarillo, past farmland that stretches on and on. By now it was eight in the evening, getting dark, and we were getting hungry. We pulled into a large strip mall, but most of the places that looked interesting to eat at (or in this case, eat near to in the car) were already closing. Then, at the end of the strip mall, as if enrobed in a halo of light, was a Trader Joes with no line. We used to buy a good percentage of our groceries there, but here in L.A., the lines just to get in have been incredibly long. We have not shopped there since February.
We entered the larger than usual and nearly empty store, giddy with excitement. We grabbed up our favorite and long missed items. All thought of eating in the car vanished. We would transport our treasures the 45 minutes back home and have a feast. That is exactly what we did. This counts for adventure in the Covid era.