Not sure why but this year, I’ve impulsed my way into writing workshops, events, and this week a series of conversations on the artisan author. I think my subconscious decided I needed a kick to get back into novelling.
And it worked.
The retrofitting ended…almost…but it took a year longer than planned, and technical and squirrel failures prolonged it or derailed my attempts to get back to “normal,” whatever the heck that is in my life. Normal seems to be me planning something productive or fun then all chaos breaks in and kicks it to smithereens. And this time it lasted so long I doubted I could write fiction anymore.
Wrong!
I wouldn’t have been brave enough to try, though, if not for the Storygarden series and before that the Story Genius writing craft series. Receiving encouragement, meeting new people and talking writing for way longer than any of us expected in the Airmeet Lounge after the webinar, and speakers validating my “woo-woo” experiences with characters have put me back into the fiction writing mindset.
Fatigue was slaying my attempts to edit my trilogy’s first novel with ProWritingAid. My attempts went like this: Feel good. Open Scrivener with the ProWritingAid extension. Start editing. Fatigue stuffs head about three paragraphs in. How am I supposed to edit — how can I want to edit? — when fighting to grasp words through a thicket of exhaustion?
I reminded myself that the path to brain improvement is working to the edge of ability, which means almost crippling fatigue. Yeah, but, I rebutted, in those programs, a brain trainer chuffs you on. I just wanna watch Netflix!
Luckily, this week’s series of noon-hour webinars with Airmeet Lounge conversations after, reminded me that writing and all that it encompasses is enjoyable. Focus on what I like doing — I like editing, finding the right word — and the fatigue may not dominate. It worked!
My brain injury fatigue still sucks joy, but reminding myself that I’m doing the things I like doing, diminishes fatigue’s effect on my mood. I no longer have to fight the desire to quit.
Now, it’s time to put all my energy into editing. I’ve finished editing 11 chapters, 19 to go, then I can give it to my long-time manuscript reader for final thoughts. Phew!
