Getting Unstuck

I’m stuck. I’m stuck. I’m stuck.

I ventured into Barnes and Noble today for a little motivation. I wandered around the store, my iPod buds tucked into my ears, and finally found myself in the ‘Writing’ section.

If you haven’t been a part of my little world for the last couple of months, I started a novel in the month of November. I wrote over 50,000 words over the course of that month. I was in the groove… I was cruising… I was loving my story… I was on track to finish in record time. I even have a cool, ‘double meaning' title for my novel: Leaving Messages.

And then enter December. The month of presents, parties, Santa Claus, over-eating, & Christmas movies on ABC’s Family channel. I’m sorry, but who can resist ‘Home Alone’ and ‘Elf’ and ‘A Christmas Story’ and ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’? Hello?! I’m just one woman… and I’m not made of stronger stuff, I guess. December… the month of just about 2000 words. I have lost my momentum. I am so close to the end… but right now I am stuck. Stuck. Stuck.

In the writing section, I perused volumes of writing books, (which for a store as large as this, I was surprised at how tiny the writing section was.) But within those two shelves, I saw quite a few different tomes on how to be a better writer of short stories, novels, poems & screenplays, and guides on how to get published. (Soooo not there, yet.).

There was even an Idiot’s Guide to Writing. Not quite feeling like an idiot yet, I put that one back. There was The Tao of Writing… a little too deep. Writing Boot Camp… been there, done that. It was called NaNoWriMo, remember?! Writing to Change the World… waaaay too much pressure, there. I’m not writing to change the world. Usually I’m just writing for me, and occasionally YOU (but mostly just me ;) And there was more than one book that was a different play on the word, “WRITE”… you know, The Write Stuff… Write On… Publishing a Novel the Write Way. I could never take a book like that seriously.

So, I left without anything, except the hint of a headache. And here I am, back at square #52,530. I just need to take that next leap. I’ve lost momentum, but I haven’t quite lost faith in myself. I will finish it. It may not be a spectacular work of fiction, but it will be a pretty spectacular accomplishment. Now, if I can just get unstuck.


p.s. My middle name is Michelle. ;)