I don't want to believe in writer's block but I suppose we all have experienced it. So when I feel a bit of a waver in the force, I get nervous. So I'm trying to push through a freewrite every day. This evening I watched a snippet of James Rhodes blasting his way through a Beethoven sonata, amazing, especially since I don't really enjoy Beethoven. Anyway, I watched his hands, which seemed almost sculpted by the practice he does and especially each movement of the sonata, which seemed to change the shape of his wrists as he played. So 400 words and I put it into poem form for the fun of it, and actually I love it. Someone (amyg) suggested Erica Jong and I'm so enjoying her poetry! Thank you for that...it's keeping me writing.
I think I'm a bit blocked by the whole solstice/Christmas thing, days and days of 'just' being mum, cooking, wrapping, organising etc. Today I refereed and lost a tournament of card games (I came last, pretty well), made a lunch for eight trying to remember who hates Stilton and who won't eat cucumber, watched the final Shrek film with most of the kids and then enjoyed my daughter's cooking. But it is the first meal I haven't cooked at all for a while, except for pizza night, which I am exempted from because I don't eat the stuff. It's hard work, being Mum. And in the back of my head is a constant stream of information about the amount of milk we have and whether we are going to be able to buy meat for Solstice as it only hits the shops on the 20th... So I'm going to try and ignore the mental distraction and at least write something each day.
The other thing is I normally break out of this 'Mum' thing and start a novel which I usually finish about March/April. I'm getting jittery, as I want to write something new but am still a bit haunted by my last year's two novels. I'm wondering, if I come bursting out with something completely new if it will enthuse me and then I'll have to write it up into the dissertation. I'll have to try and find some time to think about character and plot.
Oh, just enjoy being a mum... and flowing through writing when it's a pleasure not a job/task/necessity. Real human relations must be more important than fiction. Be glad you have them... but just enjoy & explore those, without feeling baking a cake is essential!
ReplyDeleteThank Tony. It's hard to switch off coursework though, I don't want to get behind with my four assignments! One good thing about me discussing this with my kids is they all volunteered to do more, because catering for 8 or 10 is hard work at the best of times,a nd people's expectations are high at this time of year! Not to mention the snow-hope you aren't snowed in where you are, we're not too bad on foot but the car's impossible.
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