120 bpm – the beat to which I write

Yesterday was a difficult writing day. It took me a long time to pick up the script and start writing. This was partly due to the fact that I wasn’t quite sure where it was going.

This has happened before. I see all the options in front of me, but each option has a domino effect, both in front and behind me, and it’s impossible to predict how each choice is going to affect the final outcome of the script. The endpoint of the story becomes a hazy destination as a result.

The diversity of choice, and the unpredictability of the knock-on effects, can prove overwhelming.

How I manage to break myself out of this mental stasis is to make a choice, any choice, to get the action moving again.

And to realise that I’m not married to that choice. Nothing I write is set in stone. Everything can be re-written.

If I don’t go forward there are no more choices.

Once I forced myself to sit down and set my characters in motion again I eventually worked out what was happening. I even made my daily quota.

Now, that endpoint is bit more solid.

It will be a relief to finish this draft. It’s hard work to push forward through these blocks, and to maintain my output. I’ve only left the house once in the past ten days. And if I’m not writing I’m guilty about not writing.

On the plus side, I have discovered an interesting fact. Drum ‘n’ Bass and Dance/Trance makes for excellent writing music. The momentum of the music propels you along, and the upbeat tempo keeps you optimistic. Well, it’s working for me at the moment.

Anything that keeps me writing at the moment is a valuable tool.