Monday, July 11, 2011

The Power Is In The Diet Coke

I hung out with one of “beasties” (inside joke) the other day. I call her my sunshine and roses friend because she is just one of those people who like to look on the bright side of life. She’s so happy and upbeat that sometimes it catches people off guard. It isn’t that she’s just beaming on the inside, but she buys into that whole give a smile get a smile business. She searches for the positive even when things are as crappy as they can be.
Anyway, my friend and I were sipping on some Diet Coke and chatting about what unmotivated writers we are and started talking about our stalled projects. I’ve been a doom and gloom girl, but talking about my w.i.p. spurred interest in my overburdened mind. I actually went home and started reading it. Pretty soon, I got a text from my friend: “I started writing a new book. Excited.”
Wow, I always knew how powerful Diet Coke was but the kind with cherry added must be something special to get both our creative juices rolling. I continued to read and edit my stuff a bit. Soon, I started feeling excitement of my own, when another text buzzed my hip. “Over one thousand words. I’m inspired.”
Inspired, huh? Tweaking a few sentences and adding a few hundred words wasn’t so inspiring on my end. It was a start, but the pinge of writing juice surging through me fizzled out and I had to stop before my frustration got to me. At least my friend was on a high.
Or maybe not.
About an hour later, she texted me and said: “Waste of time. I just killed my MC at the end of chapter one.”
Back to the wall we go.
So what gets your creative energy going? Have found something that will keep you going long past chapter one?

3 comments:

mooderino said...

Perhaps you needed another can of diet coke? I find the best thing to keep me going after chapter one is an outline. If I know where I'm headed it gives me someting to aim at.

mood
Moody Writing
@mooderino

Crazy Life of a Writing Mom said...

It sounds like one heck of a chapter LOL!

Blogging has pulled me past chapter one :0)

Rosemary Gemmell said...

It's not the coke, Diana, it's the company! Seriously, I always feel much more motivated after having coffee with one or two of my writing friends. Could be the coffee, I guess, but I'm pretty sure it's the stimulating chat!