For the most part, unplugging was actually very productive. In the first eight days, I added 19,000 words to my WIP. (4200 of those words were all in one day!) Overall, not as much as I was hoping for, but I generally have pretty unrealistic expectations of myself. So the first week went well. The next five days? I whined about those yesterday, so I won't get into again. Just know that they were less productive than the first eight days. Though I will say that my total word count for the whole stretch was 20,541. This number makes me smile. :)
My conclusion? Unplugging for a week is good, but anything beyond that turns me into a crazy lady. I need my blogging outlet and to feel like I'm not all alone in this. I missed you guys!
What do you think? Unplugging—good or bad? Any progress to report? Any fabulous news to share?
Contest/blogfest linky post tomorrow. If you're having a contest or blogfest you'd like me to include, let me know. :)
I unplug a little bit everyday and that's enough for me! Congrats on your word count and welcome back!
ReplyDeletei quit a month ago (give or take) and it was the best thing i could do for my sanity and my WIP.
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe how much you've written in such a short space of time (can you hear the envy in my voice?)! If I unplug, I simply focus on something else to stretch out the procrastination - gahhhhh..
ReplyDeleteHuge cudos to you for keeping with it, you've definitely earned the space to come up for some air.
I've yet to unplug, but I'm considering it for next week. 20k is an awesome amount for a week!
ReplyDeleteI love the "rainbow girl". I unplug a lot lately. There are things on this earth that will distract a writer from her goal. A good writer has the ability to ignore.
ReplyDeleteMary
Week-long unplugs are good, but I also get itchy for longer breaks than that.
ReplyDeleteI was up against a similar block to yours in rewrite, and I realized the scene I thought I "had to write" wasn't coming because I needed to go another direction--instead of a heart-to-heart, the MC and her aunt have communication breakdown. It ramped up the tension and fit story themes a lot better.
After you let your baby sit a few days, try asking: what if this event/action/interaction went in a completely different direction?
i think unplugging can be both good and bad.
ReplyDeleteAll things in moderation i say.
Yay for your word count!
ReplyDeleteI think it depends for me. I need that blogging outlet which is why I won't unplug. It helps keep me sane. ;-)
Not having access to my writer friends would drive me nuts and put me back in the dark ages, pre-internet, when I thought I was the only loon on the planet and I would quit on a project the moment the going got tough.
ReplyDeleteNow I can find solace in like-minded people who WILL KICK MY BUTT if I threaten to quit.
Do I need to hand out some of that tough love to you?? :-)
Aubrie: Thanks! It's good to be back. :)
ReplyDeleteLaurel: I think you're right. Just having it sitting for a day without the pressure to fix it, I'm feeling like it's moving in another direction. Guess I was trying too hard. Thanks! :)
Cynthia: No! No tough love, please! ;) I'm not really quitting, just trying to trick my brain into thinking that I am, so maybe it will start working again. :) And I agree. Writer friends are the best! It's nice to know we can all be crazy together. :)
That's amazing output! Good for you. I haven't really tried unplugging. Maybe I should.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap! 19 K in 8 days??? Color me jealous. You are awesome. And yes, you can get burnt out on writing. Glad you're back. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like your unplugged time was VERY productive! I unplugged for a week and found it very, very helpful. However, I have to agree that more than a week becomes overkill.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I awarded you with a "Creative Writer" Blogger Award over on my blog. If you'd like to play along, here's the link:
http://www.abbystevens.com/2010/04/miscellaneous.html
I think its good but hard. I try now and again. Congrats on your progress and I love the picture.
ReplyDeleteActually, my once a week blogging shed-yule has really helped me get a lot more writing done, so I'm glad for that. But I feel like I'm out of the loop with what's going on in the blogosphere. I keep missing contests and submissions and everything fun.
ReplyDeleteBoo-urns.
I don't think I could ever totally unplug. I'd be too worried everybody was talking about me behind my back. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I do unplug its usually because of life-issues, not my writing.
I'm thinking about it. Welcome and congrats on your word count. :)
ReplyDeleteYou have to unplug every now and then. There are so many distractions online and offline but you can only cut out one.
ReplyDeleteI've never unplugged, being a very green blogger. But I'm tempted. Blogging is sooo distracting!
ReplyDeleteI've only unplugged for vacation or very short spells. I think I need to, though, in order to get more work done. But every time I think of doing it, I'm afraid of missing out on good stuff going on. I love the community of writing bloggers.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on all the progress! (I'm unplugged. Shh...you didn't see me.)
ReplyDeleteI've been unplugged for a couple weeks, and it's been very helpful in making progress on my WIP. Almost halfway done with the first draft. But I miss my blog buddies. :(
ReplyDelete