Enjoying the freewrite

Well, I didn't mean to ignore my blog for a week, but I knew things would be hectic. We were in Wyoming last week, at a family reunion on the Tippetts' side, and that was really, really great. I managed to get sick, though, and missed out on the family camping trip, and then I passed the virus along to my husband and son. Trevor was home from work today, sleeping, and my son had to go to the emergency room last night. He's fine, but because he'd thrown up a few times they wanted to make sure he wasn't dehydrated.

So, anyway, I was rambling on about freewriting last post. As I've gotten back into freewriting with this latest project, I'm remembering that one of the biggest challenges is enjoying the process. That isn't to say that freewriting is especially hard or arduous. Really, it's rather a lot like running off at the mouth, only writing it down, and hey, who doesn't excel at that? Enjoyment is necessary, though, or else all you end up with are pointless ramblings on a page. I can derive enjoyment from venting anger, working out a sticky problem, or just being whimsical. All that is essential is that I'm doing something that keeps me interested and engaged, because if it doesn't interest and captivate me, it surely won't interest anyone else.

When writing, I always assume there's a multiplier effect (yes, I was an econ major in college :-). If my interest is 1 (say that equals: "hmmm, yeah, okay, I'll keep going with this") the audience interest is .1 (which equals: "okay, bored now. Wonder what other books are on this bookstore shelf?") .1 may even be a little generous. It's necessary to be passionate about what you're writing because people will pick up the essence of that passion when they read. It doesn't matter what sparks the passion, only that it's there, and I use freewriting to empty myself out and find what gets my emotions rolling. I've had some success over the past few months with projects I plotted and planned out, and that's great. They sold, and they feel very complete and polished to me, but I'm remembering how important it is to not let myself sink too deeply into that groove. What I've written is a complete mess, but it occupies my mind even when I'm not writing it, which means I'm on to something and ready to see where it takes me.

We'll see if it results in something publishable!