When I sit down to write, I try to let my brain go and trust that my instincts will guide me. Sometimes that works. Other times, the brain needs to be reset. Reading can help reposition a brain and ready it at the starting block. Some might suggest taking a walk or a hike, but I have the kind of brain that needs blunt force and speed. Unfortunately, those options aren't realistic with a pandemic raging and a bad back. So, where do you go when an overdriven brain needs a reset?
One options is right here. Spill some words out, open a vein, attach a leech, don't worry about the outcome, focus on the process and the act. Allow yourself to create without judgment and a rhythm will hopefully soon develop. Writing a novel is absolutely a marathon. It's not even a marathon; it's more of a grueling march through a jungle or desert. Sometimes, it's wise just to put one foot in front of the other.
I wish I was a disciplined writer who relies on routine and fundamentals to get me where I need to go, but my brain juice just doesn't flow like that. What I lack in regimen, I make up for in persistence. That's my own little personal pep-talk for the day. Off to re-write Chapter 6 (again).