wine on the keyboard

Fear of Opening the File

by Kay~Kacey on 10/26/2005

So do you ever have “fear of opening the file”? Amy posted a comment on my last post about sometimes getting up way early (sorry about the insomnia, Amy :wallbash: sucks, sometimes, doesn’t it?) And said she could get a lot done then :typing: …if she actually opened the file :mrgreen:

What’s up with that? I SO have that problem. Quite often. I have this momentary panic about actually opening the file and sitting down and writing. I can think of a million things that HAVE to be done. You know, like laundry, pay bills, email, blog hop. Things that definately HAVE to be done RIGHT NOW. 🙄

I’m not sure what I’m afraid of. That I’ll read what I’ve written and it will suck? That I won’t be able to think of the next scene? That people the world over are sitting and talking behind my back about how terrible my writing is and won’t that poor woman ever just give it up?

I often use rewards okay, okay, out right BRIBES to get myself to open the damn file. “If you open the file and write 250 words, you can have a cookie.” “If you just write two paragraphs you can blog hop to two blogs.” “If you open the damn file, you don’t even have to write until you finish your cup of coffee.” :coffee:

I’m worse than a two year old…:mad2:

So do you have fear of opening the file…and what tricks SMART IDEAS do you use to over come the hesitation. Or are you just one of those organized, determined people who can just sit down and say, ready, set go.

Teresa October 26, 2005 at 6:55 am

You know, I started getting up really early so I could have an extra hour in the morning alone for writing, etc. And wouldn’t you know it my husband decided he needed to get at the same time.:cursing: So I actually only had about 10 minutes.:angry: And of course if sees me on the computer in the morning he makes a comment about being addicted.:blah:

So my solution . . . I’ll go into work early and get my extra hour in. But then I get here and I never open the file.:wallbash:

Kelly October 26, 2005 at 7:45 am

I think I can honestly say that’s one problem that hasn’t plagued me. Maybe because I’m still half asleep when I stumble down to the computer room in the morning to think about it. I’m on auto pilot till I get a few slugs of coffee in me. :coffee:

Sharon October 26, 2005 at 8:10 am

OTF (what Amy and I regularly taunt each other with) Our IMs go something like

OTF
OTF bitch
Are you gonna OTF TODAY or next week?
It’s only your career, blow it off if you want to.
Sigh…ok I’m gonna OTF.

5 minutes later.

I haven’t OTF yet.

10 minutes later.

I’ve OTF!!!

*major celebration amongst the two of us* complete with obnoxious smilies.

So uhm you tell me, thing we have a fear of OTF??

*AGK* October 26, 2005 at 8:34 am

I don’t fear it. It’s just like exercise, really. You know if you just START, it’ll be good and the results will be awesome. But you just have to start. So opening the file doesn’t come easy because it means it’s Starting Time. And who wants to start when there’s blog reading to do? Whoops – I’m outta here!

Teresa October 26, 2005 at 8:35 am

Hmmm – yep, I know what you mean. I think for me it’s cause I KNOW once I open that file I’ll be sucked into it. And then I get scared about whether or not anything I do with it will be any good 🙁

It drives me nuts. I’ll do anything but open WriteWayPro until my conscience starts hammering at me :mad2:. That, and knowing the GH deadline is coming up really fast. Why’d they have to move it up a week? :angry:

Mary October 26, 2005 at 9:19 am

I don’t fear it. I just do it. Like exercise and everything else that we don’t want to do!:mad2:

Melissa Marsh October 26, 2005 at 11:30 am

Fear of writing is such a common thing. I did a presentation on this once for my local chapter. And I found that just confronting that fear helped a lot. What is that fear, you ask? Hmm…a fear of writing crap. A fear of getting completely sucked into the story that I lose track of time and will get NO SLEEP for work in the morning. Sigh…that’s why I like to write on the weekends. :mrgreen:

Kelly C. October 26, 2005 at 11:36 am

I wish I was organized and ready just to type! 😀 I’m always feeling guilty I have a ton of house chores to do while I’m writing. *sigh* I like your idea of getting a certain number of words down maybe a day or something. That’s something great to aspire to.

Tori October 26, 2005 at 1:18 pm

Writing in longhand at least eliminates that nasty Open the File Syndrome, but sometimes it’s even hard to grab the legal pad and pen.

Suzanne October 26, 2005 at 2:33 pm

I make myself open the file then tell myself I don’t have to work on it right away. I just have to open it. :crazy2:

Amy K October 27, 2005 at 10:44 am

I SO have this problem!!! I was going to say I IM Sharon and whine about it till she kicks my butt, but I see she already covered that. 😯

Michelle October 27, 2005 at 8:05 pm

OH yeah. Just make me feel guilty, why don’t you??? Because I was about to OTF and then I thought…hey, I haven’t seen what Kacey was up to today? And then there are a few other blogs I haven’t meandered to yet…and, and…:blah:

Okay. I’m really going to OTF now. :typing:

Margery October 29, 2005 at 5:39 am

I don’t know that it’s so much “fear” as just plain old laziness. Opening the file means I actually have to work. And there are computer games to play and blogs to check and .. and …

Olga October 29, 2005 at 10:39 pm

I promise myself breakfast if I write a certain number of pages. By the time I’m finished, it transforms into dinner.

Steph T. October 30, 2005 at 10:16 pm

I always have this problem. Larissa and I do the IM writing thing together, and that totally helps, because we force ourselves to start writing. It’s amazing that once we do, how the time flys by. But yeah, it helps to have someone there to not-so-gently kick your ass into gear.

The days we don’t IM write, I usually just put on my ms soundtrack and try to let that get me into the mood of the story.

And I’ve taped Sharons, it’s only your career, blow it off if you want to, to the computer.:rofl:

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