The only way surefire way to stop yourself from going (too) crazy about one piece of work? Make sure other projects exist to remind you that you’re “a writer,” not “the person who wrote X.” As I’ve written before, I’ve never been much of a short story person - more someone who writes in really vivid, disconnected vignettes and never quite makes a skeleton from the bones. In true me fashion, I have several of those in Google Docs to keep my mind revving. They’re a fresh of breath air, especially since so many of them are a departure from the cerebral language of my novel.
The other work that seems to have the most potential, though, is something that could very well be novel two. It’s only about four thousand words right now, but I feel it bubbling, and I have an idea for direction, characters, and motivations that far outstrips any plan I had for You Destroyed Everything when I started it. The biggest problem? My character doesn’t have a name, and without one, he doesn’t want me to move him forward.
Why? Identity is such a huge part of my writing - I am a dialogue-less, character-building monologue first chapter writer across the board, it seems - that I feel he is not real enough for present-tense action right now, regardless of the fact that I have an idea of where he’s going. He has an apartment, a job, a hell of a history and no shortage of opinions, but without a name - the perfect name - he can’t play out that future. Curious that when you finally get in the headspace to align so forcefully with your character, it ends up stopping you in your tracks. Or maybe it’s just me. I’m getting the “or maybe it’s just me” feeling more often than I’d like to admit these days. Hm.
M
