The short answer is no.
Some stories take AGES to come out of you.
They are normally written in dribs and drabs which can be very frustrating for an impatient blonde writer, like myself. They can also be a form of creative torture as your naughty muse gives you a little titbit of the story (equating to a few pages) and that’s it for a few days, weeks or even months.
The trouble is that the titbit of the story is so delicious, so juicy and so inviting, you are left gagging and desperate for more.
“Please give me more!” you cry, clasping your hands together in a begging type pose.
Your muse shakes her head. “No chance!”
“I will do anything for another bit of this jaw dropping story…please…you can’t leave me like this.” You crumple onto the floor, feeling weak and pathetic.
Your muse rolls her mascara clad eyes, gives her long poker straight hair a flick and looks away.
So, here’s how to handle this situation?
Some of us need our patience testing more than others.
Sadly I was born without any patience (or upper body strength) whatsoever. I want everything now and if I don’t get it I stamp my little stiletto clad foot and shout. So, you can imagine how much fun my creative muse and I are having at the moment. She hasn’t even given me a TITLE for this latest slow burn story.
Stories that take their time to unwind and come out of us are a sign we need to slow down and pay attention whilst writing a story, as opposed to rattling one-off in a couple of sleepless, caffeine fuelled, panic-stricken months. Writing is like going on a journey, sometimes you need to look out of the window and take in the scenery.
More importantly, we must remember that some stories take time to crackle and burn away inside of us.
They need the extra time and cannot be rushed.
Sometimes you need to live a little whilst writing a story. The life experiences you collect along the way can get packed into your unfolding story.
Love this quote:
“What we are waiting for is not as important as what happens to us while we are waiting. Trust the process.”
― Mandy Hale,
Stay calm, writers.
Reblogged this on Didi Oviatt.
Shared!! I love this. It’s so true! I just finished writing a slow burn, thought I’d die in the process somewere about 3/4 through. Luckily I made it without having to be pulled from a gutter lol. .. Great post!
Thank you 🙋🏼 Glad someone else experiences these 🤗
Lol yes!
Oh you know I can totally relate to this one!!! My muse has left mine on the back burner again! Simmering, and not giving me anything to help me finish it!
I thought about you when I wrote this. Oh no – hope your muse returns soon 🌸
To be honest, I thinks he is aware that I am tired, and settling back to work. Maybe she’ll pop back when I am settled into my new termly routines!
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
Great post – unfortunately all mine are slow burn…
Oh Kate you have my sympathies 🌸 You must have bags of patience
This is familiar territory. Like you, I missed out on the patience gene, and I’ve been jdribbing and drabbing with a slow burner for most of the year. Thank God I’ve finished it now – I’ve left it to rest and I’m hoping that when I look at it again it won’t be a load of rubbish!
Ohhh yayyy its not only me suffering this syndrome. My muse gave me a few first paragraphs and the ending and !@#$ excuse the language, but she just up and left!!!
So I sit with a speck of the beginning of Book 3 and the ending but no !@#$ middle 😣😣😣
I love this, because I’ve been through it. I’ve learned to start a slow storyboard instead of a manuscript. It can keep the Muse satisfied, but I don’t have to start writing until I have a complete board. Then the writing progresses at a pace I’m more familiar with.
Slow burns is the normal way I write fiction. I wish I could churn out the words like a best selling author, but my muse is more parsimonious and exacting. I just started a slow burn short story about a couple who go for a hike in a redwood forest and are still out in the woods when the sun goes down. And it was based on a real life incident that happened to me over 12 and a half years ago. Now that’s a slow burn.
are, not is
Thank you 🙋🏼
What you say makes total sense. I have no patience either and so, yes – this helps me greatly.
Thanks – Robert.