Empty – NaBloPoMo Day 7

I worked pretty hard this past weekend. I was at a retreat. Had some rewriting to do on a manuscript. Thought it’d be easy. Boy, was I wrong. I mean. I knew I had a lot to rework. I just had no idea that I could actually focus like that. Focusing isn’t really one of my strong suits.

I’m a lateral thinker. I get thoughts in literal bubbles, and they often float away or just out of reach. They’re usually all interconnected, but it’s like the time I looked at my friend and said, excitedly, “hey, you know what’s a great movie?!” and he said “what?!” just as excitedly, and then I said, also with the same level of excitement, “SHIT! I FORGET!” I did eventually remember what the movie was (Leatherheads), but it was during a different conversation quite some time later, and in the middle of a sentence about, I dunno, homemade bread, I said “oh yeah, that movie was Leatherheads, and anyway you have to proof the yeast first”. So being focused for an entire weekend on just one thing was incredible.

Except now I feel empty. It’s like when you’re pregnant for ten months and then all of a sudden you’re not. I don’t know if everyone feels like this when they’re kinda done a project, but I’m not sure it’s pleasant. I’m not sure it’s exactly unpleasant either. But it is different.

Are you more excited at the beginning of a project, in the middle of it, or at the end of it? Are you the sort of person who thinks in straight lines, or do you think-fart? Enquiring minds want to know.

Comments

4 responses to “Empty – NaBloPoMo Day 7”

  1. DerKaptin Avatar
    DerKaptin

    Isn’t the fact that you are just now finding out how it feels to be done with a project a good thing, a sign of maturation? :-) Many writers/artists talk about that pressure-drop when an intense project of creative expression is done. It’s like when you stop throwing up. (Apparently) you learn to enjoy the freedom, the lightened load, after a few times. Some people reconnect with their friends and family at this time. Bake the long-promised complicated almond spice cake for someone’s birthday.

    Others make sure they have a few more projects nipping at their heels to switch to almost immediately, thus avoiding the whole messy baking, reconnecting, etc. thing.

    Only experiencing the situation a few times will teach you which one of those you are. Or possibly someone else altogether. Perhaps only going out on the bawld prayree and terminating a few pesky gofers will settle your hash. U go grl.

    1. cenobyte Avatar

      I hope so.

      It’s more like I’m getting into a Fretting Cycle, so maybe the gopher hunting is a good idea!

  2. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Avatar

    Since I work in finished scenes, I get this feeling at the end of each, after it’s polished and locked into its setting in the story.

    Then I start the next one.

    At least I get a lot more chances to have something turn out just right.

    1. cenobyte Avatar

      I like finishing scenes. Then I fret about where they fit with the rest of the scenes.

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