The weirdness has set in. Maybe it’s fever. Who knows. But I got bored with being crook with the ‘flu, so the laptop came out of hiding to sit on my lap.
It wasn’t conducive to undertaking any form of work, though, so I had to think of a strategy to get it all warmed up and pumping out words.
You know all those tips and tricks to get past the various forms of what’s called writer’s block? Everyone does, I think, at one stage or another think that’s what their affliction is, and they look for some action or strategy to push past it.
Well, I was sick, but that doesn’t stop the mind from ticking over and wanting to forge ahead. And I tried. Three days in a row. Nothing happened. Except for falling asleep on the keyboard and creating something that spammers would love. Or accidentally pressing a combination of keys that messed up with the display.
Not going to work. Maybe I should look elsewhere, but where?
In my library, I have books on a variety of subjects. Several boxes of games and cards and how to cheat ummm play them. And two sets of tarot cards. Not interested in the playing of games, I pulled out a box of tarot cards and laid out a simple three-card spread.
What did I get?
Two queens and an Ace.
Two queens? But there’s only me here.
Oh, I get it. In order to be productive, channel the writer through the physical person. Pretend I’m doing the work for someone else, a spirit form of the writer.
Okay. If that’s the deal, I’m going to make the spirit writer smarter, faster, more interesting … all that stuff.
Laptop set up, pillows at the back, and cat tucked safely under his favourite blanket (which used to be my favourite blanket). And off I went.
I won’t tell you what the name is, but I’ll tell you my new job.
Channeling for the Real Writer.
Now all I have to do is negotiate a pay rise.
All in all, the output wasn’t bad. Not good by any means. That’s the way it always is with first drafts, but it’s not bad. Or that’s the fever talking.
Unless this is what really came through to play with my mind:
Cage Dunn - Fibber, Fabricator, Teller-of-Tall-Tales 
Before I can write anything, I have to channel, not the writer but the pov character.
Since I don’t allow author intrusions into the current fiction, and I have three pov characters in a rough rotation depending on what scene it is, I have to perform elaborate rituals to fulfill the step, ‘Become the character.’
Then I can write AS the character.
Maybe next time I’ll use your method. I’m always looking for things that work for me.
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That’s what I usually do. This is a step beyond, into the role of another writer’s ‘typist’. They can do the hard work of ‘getting into character’.
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It makes a lot of sense, especially under the circumstances.
It reminds me of the ‘Magic IF’ in How to get control of your time and you life, Alan Lakein, an anti-procrastination book that has saved my life many a time: you keep procrastinating because something is overwhelming, so could you explain to someone else how to do it? And, until they get it done, are there any little steps you could take on the problem that would make it easier for them to finish it later?
This separation into two people works for procrastination, and now for writer’s block. I’ve used Lakein’s book since my PhD thesis (1978).
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Good to know it’s not a fever-induced response.
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It is hard to get anything done when you’re not feeling good. Hope you’re better soon.
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Thank you.
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lol – I’m glad it’s working for you, but please don’t forget that to heal you must REST!
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Don’t tell anyone, but this was a scheduled post written a few days before it was posted. The rest of the time, I slept and slept and slept.
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-hugs- I’m really, really glad. Are you feeling any more human?
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Except for the blank head and dizziness and tiredness, I’m fit as a broken fiddle – which is better than yesterday, the day before, and the few (now forgotten) days before that. On the mend.
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You sound as if you’ve had one hell of a bout of ‘flu. Take good care of yourself. 😦
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