Freewheeling Brain

It had to happen at some point.

I’ve been lucky for the majority of my time as a writer – I’ve rarely suffered from writer’s block. But occasionally, my mind starts what I call freewheeling.

This is where my brain is over working itself, but accomplishing nothing.

I think my muse has decided that while I’m like this, she’ll seek pastures new – until I can give her my undivided attention.

Each time I try and work on my current work in progress, hundreds of plot ideas throw themselves up – and I have no idea which one to go with, or indeed where they will lead. This is why I differentiate it from writer’s block – as with that, you can’t think of what to write, but with the freewheeling there are too many options.

I think that there are three fundamental reasons for this happening now. First, I have just enjoyed my holiday and have had to return to the day job. This has taken me from aspirational thinking, beautiful daydreams and uninterrupted plot development (apart from the family) to the mundane realities of working life. Second, I am dangerously close to finishing my current Work in Progress. Now, you may think that this should urge me to complete it… Unfortunately, with my mind set, it doesn’t work that way. While I love the thrill I get from typing CURTAIN at the end of the manuscript, the first thing that goes through my head is “What do I write next… Am I ready to write another scenario…Should I return to an old project…”. This is in truth, a lie… I don’t think about it when I write the word CURTAIN, I start thinking about it when I can see the end of my current play coming. And third, the dreaded day of the Shortlist for The Play’s The Thing is a mere 30 days away.

But why should that be any big deal? I’ve submitted to agents before. I’ve never got this worked up.

But I guess the reason is twofold. There are so many rumours that those on the shortlist would have been contacted by now; and that this is the only competition I have found this year that I am entitled to enter!

I think what I need is a large chill pill, a decent bottle of red wine and the opportunity to sit undisturbed behind the PC.

When I manage to break my brain out of it’s freewheel, I’ll let you know.