My arm hurts. That's not the point of this post (assuming that I ever have a point), but it was rather the impetus. Anyway, I think I slept on my arm wrong and, since my husband was home, I took advantage of the opportunity to rest in bed with a heating pad.
As you might imagine, heating pad + bed + right after lunch = very, very sleepy.
I kept drifting off, but two of the kids were running around like banshees. Which did not equal happy sleep for me. So I got up to ask them to play more quietly. I'm not sure I got that far before I just had to know why there was marker all over their faces and necks.
And people say that it's when kids are quiet that you should worry! But at least they were washable markers and came right off.
The worst part about it? I didn't get to take pictures. I wanted to--I really wanted to--but if I did, I would have started laughing and they would have decided that they were being funny instead of being naughty and then there would have been no end to the markers. Grr.
After washing them off, I tried to go back to bed. And, of course, the phone rang. Sigh. So now I'm finally coming to the conclusion that napping is completely hopeless.
Sometimes in writing, I think there's a point where you have to know when to quit. Not when to quit writing, but when to quit revising and to give it a break. There's a point--at least for me--when I've worked at it so long that I can't see the problems and trying to revise it is as frustrating as trying to sleep with marker-covered banshees howling at the door.
I think I'm at that point right now. So I'm going to give it a month or so before coming back to it with fresh (and hopefully not so sleepy) eyes.
What about you? What do you do when you get really frustrated with a manuscript? How do you cope?
I've found this is true even on a day-to-day basis. Usually by ten-thirty or eleven at night, I've convinced myself I'm the worst writer ever, and what was I thinking with this stupid, STUPID idea? That's when I go to bed:)
ReplyDeleteKrista--it's nice to know I'm not the only one who's on a daily emotional roller coaster. :)
ReplyDeleteI always tell my students that one of the keys of a good revision is to give themselves enough time to get some perspective on their writing.
ReplyDeleteBtw, I think the marker thing is funny too. Evelyn did a number on herself while I was making dinner (face, hands, legs, the whole nine yards). Unlike you, I didn't think of the repercussions and insisted on taking pictures. Do you think our kids were somehow subconsciously in sync with the whole draw on yourself today thing?
I wrote a lovely comment and then deleted it.
ReplyDeleteAnyway...yes, I agree. I always try to let it rest at least a month after the first draft.
You always have a point, but you always make me laugh which is sometimes more important than the point!
Rosalyn--Our kids are probably more in sync than I want them to be. And you'll enjoy the pictures and she won't remember it.
ReplyDeleteLiesl--I delete comments all the time!
I let this manuscript rest for quite some time, but I have no idea what to revise next and it's making me crazy. So, yeah, time to rest again.
Who knew we could relate napping to writing? But great post. We do need to have fresh eyes on our MSs. Good luck with that whole napping thing. (And my arm hurts too. I injured it using the Bowflex. Don't laugh.)
ReplyDeleteElana--I think napping can relate to just about anything. At least when I'm tired enough. I'm sorry your arm was hurting too. And no laughing from me--I once ended up in the emergency room after bobbing for apples. I think that's robbed me of the right to laugh at anyone ever again. :)
ReplyDelete