avoiding the critic...

[Francine]

I figured it out i think.. How do you avoid your critic? I've found that I can avoid the critic and the overwhelming, when I fold the paper in 4 and only use a 1/4 of a page. I set out to write, at any given point in time, randomly, just that "page".... its far less overwhelming for me than that huge white, lined page, and sometimes I end up with 1/2 of the quarter page filled, sometimes 2 or 3 of them with some continuity. I don't let it bother me. When I have a stack of 8X11 sheets filled in by the quarters, I read them again as i cut the quarters apart and put them into specifically labeled envelopes. Because I don't censor what I'm writing about, there are about 4-5 concurrent themes that are being written about, so that way they can be organized when the envelopes getting filled with at least 20 of these little squares of writing.
I know I can do the editing from there, and make a more cohesive story or series of stories eventually, and in the mean time, I'm not being blocked in the writing..

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

Interesting approach, Francine! Bite size ... heh heh

[Anne Westlund]

Great approach, Francine! Maybe you'll eventually share with us your creations.

[Dan Goodwin]

This is a very creative and inventive approach Francine, thanks for sharing it with us. I love how you're thinking beyond just this being a way of helping yourself write more, and the actually format could be a creative project in itself, a series of envelopes each grouped in themes...

Keep us updated with how it's going?

Dan

[Francine]

Hehe.. thanks everyone. With all I've been going through, I felt I needed "something" that would let me get past that huge piece of paper, and remembered what I used to do to write, essays in University of all things. I've always been a "flow of consciousness" writer, and have no problem filling page upon page of inner stuff...but as soon as I have a "topic" or "subject" to write about I get stymied. I don't mind doing this kind of thing on the computer, but even after I had access to one, I prefer to write things long hand and then literally cut and paste them as I go. I remembered writing essays with slips of paper spread all over the floor putting them together in some order and then re writing them after I had a basic structure. In this case, the snippets are longer, but they are essentially stream of consciousness story bites, that I'll cut at paste, and then re-write. Its working, and with all the chaos, its letting me have a tiny bit of creative time in a way that I can handle.. I will probably be willing to share some of it eventually, right now I'm working on cutting up the most recent group, .. about 12 reg size pages all in quarters.. its more writing of the creative side than I have done in months..

[Lin Neiswender]

That's great Francine! You have hit on the method that works for you! There is something so satisfying when that happens. I hope also that you will share some of your work when you are ready. Way to go!

[Ang Monsoon]

it makes sense to me what you've said, Francine, me want to try it!!!

[Francine]

Well, its working still.. wasnt doing any writing for a bit, journal or otherwise, because of moves, but yesterday ended up, during down times at work, managing to get 6 quarters written.. some continuing from each other, and some just independent.. when i cut them apart, I will keep the continuous ones together so i dont have to search later.. More probably over the next few days.. I might even be brave enough to share.. guess we'll see.. :D take care for now...