Mental Acuity
So. Here I am, under a tight deadline for a new anthology to which I have the privilege of contributing a Futuristic. The subject matter for me is a goldmine of ideas, and I’m suffering no shortage of them. My shortage, however, lies in words. This is supposed to be a novella, dammit. And an erotic one at that. Unfortunately for me, my mind has chosen to go hog-wild and ape-shit on building a world (or actually, several) populated with all sorts of creatures strange and wonderful. My characters whine plaintively for attention…
Now couple that with the almost constant feeling of brain-emptiness I seem to be experienceing these days and you get this mental El Nino that’s wreaking havoc with writing systems all over the landscape of my mind. However, when the wind comes…the smart sailor rides out the storm, and if that sailor is clever enough, she can maybe ride on it. But only if she’s got sails. My sails are writing exercises that allow me to focus my thoughts and hitch a ride on the story waiting to be told. I’m always on the lookout for new sailcloth, though…so…if anybody out there has favorite writing exercises to get the juices flowing, I’m all up for it.
About The Author
In a word, outlines. Or if you prefer, “a bulleted list of things that will happen in my story,” which is really more what my outlines look like.
I Can’t. Do. Novellas. Heck, I have trouble writing a novel of saleable length. Good luck!