Writer Constipation?

It has been four days since I blogged last so I thought it was time for an update.

I have been working, fighting off the cold that hit me mid week, and trying to write my MS which for some reason has been a real struggle over the last week. I knew where I wanted to go but I've had writer's-constipation (if there is such a thing) and it has been a real battle to get the words on the page. Even a small section seemed to take all night to write. Totally frustrating!

I don't know about you, but I do a lot of my brain storming and get a lot of my inspiration in my semi-conscious state before I sleep or when I first wake. It's then that my characters often "visit" me. (Sounds totally loopy doesn't it?) However this hasn't been happening much recently, what with me having to get up at 6am for work and falling into bed totally exhausted at the end of the day and instantly falling asleep, I haven't been having my usual "dream time."

This morning was the first Saturday I have been able to lie in and be lazy for a while and I made the most of it. When I finally got up I was bursting with excitement and desperate to write. In spite of constant interruptions and noise from my children, I have managed to write a couple of chapters and the end scene of the book thus far today. Needless to say, I'm reasonably pleased.

In other news, a wonderful author friend of mine got back to me with some feedback on my children's novel. She was very encouraging and honest. (I love when people are honest.) And pointed out that while she thought my book was good she didn't think it was 100% ready to be submitted as I sometimes had "overwriting" and "author intrusion." (Whoops!)

Well, the over writing is no surprise. I am a little too fond of the odd adverb or two and I love to describe things (sometimes with a little too much enthusiasm). So it's back to the editing board to attack it with my editorial scalpel. (Maa haa haa haa!)

Still if this is the worst thing she had to say about the MS then I'm over the moon ... it could have been so much worse. She could have said, "Sorry love it ain't never gonna happen for you. You just can't write to save yer self!" But she didn't, she had much, much nicer things to say.

If you are worried you might have issues with over writing and want to know what to look out for so you can nip it in the bud in your own MS, Nicola Morgan has an awesomely helpful post here on the subject. (Yes, I'm now inventing "ly" words. Perhaps there is no help for me.)