The sky is falling!

This week's quote is by Silvia Plath.  Just in case you don't feel like making the often tedious eye ball trek to the left margin of this page, I will repeat it here because I feel like that last part is the theme of my week. 

 "And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
― Sylvia Plath

I'm in a "listen to Tracy Chapmen [or insert your tragic, overreflective musical choice here] and feel like a tortured artist" kind of mood.  It may or may not have to do with extreme sleep deprivation and my children-are-crazy-itis.  Or it may have to do with losing confidence that may or may not have been based on my belief that everything I write... is magic.

I submitted a piece of writing to my writer's group for critique on Saturday.  It truly is an awesomely diverse group of people from various backgrounds and genres.  Anyway, the piece was something I drafted a few weeks ago in the second half of my novel.  It was a rough draft and still kind of raw.  Overall, the piece was well received but some feedback focused on the inadequacies of the piece.  For instance, some pacing seemed off and another part lacked believability.  As I was driving home, all I could think about was criticism of the piece (because, you know, everything positive scurried out of my brain and onto the highway behind me and was run over again and again like a lost possum).  Then, about half way through my drive, nothing but the hum of my car engine and brush of the rushing wind against my windows, I had that moment... you know the one...

 

"What if no one wants to read this novel but me? (and those obligated by marriage, consanguinity and friendship)"

I started thinking about the story and the characters and the time and the words and my day job and my kids and... next thing you know, it was Thursday and I hadn't written anything all week.  What's up with that?  So I know the rule... don't wallow, force yourself to write... right?

So I googled.  Even when my creative self is bound and gagged in the figurative chains of worry and self doubt.  I'm still an awesome googler.

And I found this.  I'll let you know if I'm out of my funk next week.  If you just happened to find yourself here feeling the same way, feel free to commiserate in the comment section and THEN use a prompt.  If forced creativity doesn't work, next week, I will be leading a skype group where we will stare in our mirrors and chant, "I am friendly... I am a good writer and gosh darnit, people will enjoy reading my work."

Love & Light, 
Faye