My Imaginary Friends Have Stopped Talking to Me. Meanwhile, Back on Planet Earth...

I’ve been working on two sequel novels this week. I know where one story is going, how it’s going to end. The other story I’m writing by the seat of my pants. And yet, I’ve been doing the same thing with both of these projects: staring at the screen of my laptop and resting my fingers on the keyboard. Extracting words for these WIPs like I’m pulling out my own fingernails.

Writer’s block is a weird phenomenon. I’m of the opinion that it’s a different experience for every writer. For one of my projects this week, it’s like I’ve had creative constipation. I know that I have ideas--I can feel them in there!--but nothing is coming out.

Another form of writer’s block that I’ve been experiencing with my other WIP, different from creative constipation, is the on-and-off-again relationship. It’s like I fell out of love with that WIP for a while. The story lost its color, and the characters stopped speaking to me. I left that story alone for a few months, but now that I’m getting back into it, I’m finding there are a lot of details I’ve forgotten. I have no enthusiasm for re-reading the 27k-ish words that I’ve already written. So, this book and I are still on the outs, but we’re working on reconciliation. I feel like I need to go to couple’s therapy with these characters.

Another thing that’s distracted me from writing this week are DM’s from random dudes on the Internet. Yay! (*Sarcastic jazz hands*) Why do I talk to these people when I know that the conversation is going to wind up being weird and creepy eventually? I don’t really know. Maybe I enjoy the human interaction enough that I can delude myself into believing that perhaps it won’t get weird. At least this will be good inspiration for a story one day. So, if any of you guys who DM me are reading this--be careful what you text me! Because you might inspire a very creepy character.

Also, while I’m on this track, why does every man who intends to flirt with me call me “dear” in his very first DM’s? In what universe is that not condescending? The only times people call someone “dear” in real life are when they’ve been together for years or if they’re talking to someone significantly younger. Same goes for “sweetheart” and “baby.” If you were meeting someone--anyone--in real life for the very first time, you would not immediately call them by a term of endearment.

What I’m getting at is that, if you wouldn’t say something to a woman’s face, then don’t text it to her either. Which seems like common sense, but apparently, there are quite a few people who are lacking in that department. Side note: while I’ve never been sent a dick pic, I have been sent an unsolicited vag pic. So, it’s not just dudes on the Internet that be creepin’! There are ladies here to represent.

What this all boils down to is this:

I want my characters to talk to me. But I think this is one of those situations where, if I can’t figure out what I’ve done to upset them, then they’re not going to tell me.

And on the flip side of the coin, I have very little desire to chat with random peeps online, but they’re lurking around every corner.

Can I trade these lurkers for my characters, please? Like this is a hostage negotiation.

Sincerely, a frustrated author.