quarantine Motivation

[Carlos Hazday]

Anyone else having trouble writing?

My next story's supposed to be an expansion of a prompt response I posted a few years ago. Meant to flesh out the MC and his environment, it should have been an easy and quick write. I can't seem to find the motivation. 

If it wasn't for cleaning edit notes on another one, I'd be watching even more TV.

[Brayon]

Semi-motivated. Busy with school stuff, but when I have time to write, I get some written. But it can be a slogfest just to get a sentence in.

[Carlos Hazday]

1 minute ago, Brayon said:

Semi-motivated. Busy with school stuff, but when I have time to write, I get some written. But it can be a slogfest just to get a sentence in.

I think subconciously I'm afraid I'll get sick and not be able to finish it. I do have two short stories and a novella in the can and I though about posting them and leaving them unpublished just I case. Myr could always release them if I croaked. LOL

[Valkyrie]

7 minutes ago, Carlos Hazday said:

Anyone else having trouble writing?

My next story's supposed to be an expansion of a prompt response I posted a few years ago. Meant to flesh out the MC and his environment, it should have been an easy and quick write. I can't seem to find the motivation. 

If it wasn't for cleaning edit notes on another one, I'd be watching even more TV.

I was making nice progress on a new novel before this hit.  It's been about three weeks since I've been able to work on it.  My mind is certainly occupied with other things.  Writing for National Poetry Month is helping.  Now that I'm furloughed, I'm hoping my muse returns and I can work on my novel again.  

[Brayon]

5 minutes ago, Carlos Hazday said:

I think subconciously I'm afraid I'll get sick and not be able to finish it. I do have two short stories and a novella in the can and I though about posting them and leaving them unpublished just I case. Myr could always release them if I croaked. LOL

I can relate to that. My asthma has been acting up more than normal, and my doctor sent me for a swab test on Thursday. Been waiting for the results to say if I have Covid-19, or it's just my normal asthma acting up with all the pollen in the air. I got seven stories in various states that I'm tempted to start posting too.

[Headstall]

3 hours ago, Carlos Hazday said:

Anyone else having trouble writing?

My next story's supposed to be an expansion of a prompt response I posted a few years ago. Meant to flesh out the MC and his environment, it should have been an easy and quick write. I can't seem to find the motivation. 

If it wasn't for cleaning edit notes on another one, I'd be watching even more TV.

Too worried about my kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids to concentrate on anything but the story I'm posting now. I keep trying to finish a story I have about four chapters written for, but my motivation just isn't sustained. Feeling kind of lost. 

[CassieQ]

I must be the odd one out.  I'm not having any trouble writing.  When I get worried or stressed, I usually find myself writing more...I guess it's a form of escapism.  

[Mikiesboy]

Writing? What's that?  Way too stressed.

[Wayne Gray]

Definitely hard to focus right now. I'm trying ... but it's tough.

[CassieQ]

5 hours ago, Headstall said:

Too worried about my kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids to concentrate on anything but the story I'm posting now. I keep trying to finish a story I have about four chapters written for, but my motivation just isn't sustained. Feeling kind of lost. 

 

2 hours ago, Mikiesboy said:

Writing? What's that?  Way too stressed.

 

1 hour ago, Wayne Gray said:

Definitely hard to focus right now. I'm trying ... but it's tough.

Feeling like a sociopath over here...  

[Wayne Gray]

1 hour ago, CassieQ said:

Feeling like a sociopath over here...  

We all deal with things differently. Lately, I’ve been losing myself in games vs writing. It’s all a way to shed stress.

[Caz Pedroso]

I'm just coming out of my 'bury my head in sand' point at the moment. 

I have so many writing things to finish, housework to do, Uni work to do, Admin work for the charity I work for, and I have to keep Ali doing her homework and not playing computer games or chatting with her friends. It got to the point that I bought a new book to read and hid in my room. It is only in the last few days that I gave myself an internal kick up the backside and set a routine that is finally getting things done. 

[Mikiesboy]

3 minutes ago, Caz Pedroso said:

I'm just coming out of my 'bury my head in sand' point at the moment. 

I have so many writing things to finish, housework to do, Uni work to do, Admin work for the charity I work for, and I have to keep Ali doing her homework and not playing computer games or chatting with her friends. It got to the point that I bought a new book to read and hid in my room. It is only in the last few days that I gave myself an internal kick up the backside and set a routine that is finally getting things done. 

i am working from home and have a routine, but my creative side is taking a bashing.  Instead i've been doing sudoku and crosswords when i'm in the mood. Michael is playing Call of Duty online and we take a walk together.  But i feel the stress of being inside all the time ... worry about the stories i read about people who have managed to live thru this virus. And i'm not sure i would frankly ... so yeah, lots of anxiety and stress from myself internally, and from desperate customers who have lost income and are struggling.

i would like some time off, but i'm not sure if it would help.

You hang in there Cazzie.. hugs xoxo

[Carlos Hazday]

I think this episode will change the world and us. Not entirely sure how, but some politicians will feel voters' anger. Some medical personnel could burn out and leave the profession. Countless small businesses will fail. Unemployment will remain high and people will struggle and declare bankruptcy.

A financial depression is possible, but I hope we come out with a new appreciation for life and those around us. I wanna be able to hug people again.

[northie]

I'm not short of ideas - it's more the settling down to actually get them onto paper. I entered a story competition back before coronavirus (BC) with some anticipation. The email containing the prompts arrived 10 days ago - they were weird but I came up with a great idea. Could I sit down and concentrate? Nope. It's a mixture of things: the time needed to get anything from the shops, looking after 2 neighbours, responding to a greatly increased number of emails and phone calls, and of course, the all-pervading sense of... what? The world coming to a standstill; our societal and economic tectonic plates seem to be shifting, and the general sense of How does this end?

[Carlos Hazday]

@northie

I can relate. Ideas are there and I have some stories written in my head. Getting them down's the problem. If it wasn't for Mann zipping through chapters of a finished story, I'd be useless. At least he forces me to concentrate while clearing edit notes.

[northie]

Whisper it softly but I seem to be getting a little of my mojo back. More concentrated writing sessions, though they're still quite short. Fingers crossed it continues. I've an antho story to finish apart from anything else.

[Headstall]

4 minutes ago, northie said:

Whisper it softly but I seem to be getting a little of my mojo back. More concentrated writing sessions, though they're still quite short. Fingers crossed it continues. I've an antho story to finish apart from anything else.

I wrote six hundred words yesterday... finally. It's not much, but maybe it's a sign of things to come.  

[Carlos Hazday]

I prepared a schedule for the coming week and allocate an hour each to working out and writing. Also plan to empty cabinets giving each room a deep cleaning. I MUST get my fat ass off the couch. Will let you know how it goes.

[Headstall]

9 minutes ago, Carlos Hazday said:

I prepared a schedule for the coming week and allocate an hour each to working out and writing. Also plan to empty cabinets giving each room a deep cleaning. I MUST get my fat ass off the couch. Will let you know how it goes.

I have sat down to write almost every day, but my heart hasn't been in it... I either sit there and think about everything but my story, or I get distracted. A sick ball of fear in my stomach is never far away... I don't worry for me as much as I worry for my kids, but they are all doing their best to be safe.

My exercising... walking and eliptical has taken a hit too, but I'll keep trying.   Doing projects around the house helps... good luck and stay safe, Carlos. 

[northie]

1 hour ago, Headstall said:

I wrote six hundred words yesterday... finally.

Yes, that's good. Be kind to yourself, Gary. Try not to bash yourself on the head about the unproductive days. *Goes away with note to practise what's just been preached.*  

[Headstall]

1 hour ago, northie said:

Yes, that's good. Be kind to yourself, Gary. Try not to bash yourself on the head about the unproductive days. *Goes away with note to practise what's just been preached.*  

I just got back from a long walk... a little over 5K... the roads are deserted. It did me some good... we're all in this boat together, and if I don't write anything today, so be it. I still have a chapter to read through one more time and get ready for tomorrow. And practicing what we preach is hard.   Stay safe, northie.

[Talo Segura]

On 4/12/2020 at 9:35 PM, Headstall said:

I just got back from a long walk... a little over 5K... the roads are deserted.

Wow! Do that here (in France) and its 135 euro fine, do it again its 200 euros, a third time its 3750 euros and six months in prison. That motivates me to stay at home... inspiration for writing will have to come from my imagination, but it's not the most important thing right now although reading and writing offers some escape especially given I'm stuck at home until 11 May.

[Headstall]

8 hours ago, Talo Segura said:

Wow! Do that here (in France) and its 135 euro fine, do it again its 200 euros, a third time its 3750 euros and six months in prison. That motivates me to stay at home... inspiration for writing will have to come from my imagination, but it's not the most important thing right now although reading and writing offers some escape especially given I'm stuck at home until 11 May.

I live in Ontario, Canada, in a very rural area (there were fourteen wild turkeys in my backyard last evening--they did not practice social distancing ). My nearest neighbor is .75 kilometers away. Ontarians are allowed to go for walks as long as they practice social distancing. Masks are now recommended. I haven't seen a single person on my walks, and can count the cars on one hand each time I venture out. In that regard, I am fortunate. 

I've written 1100 words over the last couple of days, but yeah, writing is the least of our worries when family members are in vulnerable positions in the workforce. Cheers! And stay safe.

[Dodger]

It's odd because it seems to be the more free time I have the less I get done. This time last year I was working almost every day and sometimes really long hours with a lot of driving. Despite lots of ideas, by the time I finished work, I was generally too tired to write. I would have given anything for a month indoors. Now that has happened, I've done even less writing than when I didn't have any time.

I've become suspended in time, stuck in my own Groundhog Day where I'm doing the same thing each day, which is basically a little more than nothing.

An interesting side note. The cable company sent out an engineer today to install a new set-top digital box to the TV. It's not that difficult to do, but they are no longer allowed inside your house so he had to leave the box on the doorstep and then talk me through the installation process on the phone from the safety of his van. He was no more than 10 yards away from me,  so we didn't need to speak by phone, but he wouldn't get out of his van. I am not sick, by the way, and he probably wasn't either. This is the new norm, but who would have believed it just a few months ago.

That's the most interesting thing that's happened to me in weeks.