One-night stands of fiction

“I need to get my motivation back.”

Dan looked up from his book, peering through his rounded specs at his friend. Brow furrowed, there was a moments silence as he calculated his responses.

“Do elaborate.”

Ed shifted his weight and leaned back in his swivel chair. His eyes remained on his laptop’s screen.

“My writing.” A hand gesture at the laptop.

“Right…”

“I want this to be the one. The published one, but I- I… I dunno – I started strong and now the spark -” a combination of confused hand gestured followed. “The spark has gone.”

“So, you want to write something different maybe?”

“No.”

“I get it. Like with my books; if I’m on a long one – ya know with small print too – then I can get a bit restless and read something else for a bit.”

“No… No, not like – I love this idea,” Ed bounced forward, hunching over closer to his friend. “I love this idea, but I just don’t want to sit down and write it – ya know?”

“No – you’re the writer, I’m the reader.”

“You ever feel like you don’t want to read?”

“No.”

“Oh, shoot me,” Ed’s head hit the desk.

“Let’s not get dramatic here, you’re having a slump; all good writers have a slump. Why do you not want to write?”

“Well… I don’t have the capacity for it.”

“Go on.”

“After work and socialising sometimes, its too much and there is so much to remember here – even with all my notes – it can get-”

“Heavy?”

Ed bounced up and nodded eagerly. “Yah, yah, heavy. My mind is loaded and just, doesn’t have space for this. I’ve been leaving larger and larger gaps between periods of writing and I’m losing it, its slipping, my mojo.”

Dan bobbed his head in understanding, gathering his friend’s words. Dan preferred to be in the world’s of his fictional idols much more than reality and wondered how they’d respond. Oh how he hoped to get back to reading.

“Why not, not write the novel?” he offered.

“Huh?”

“Like, write, but not the novel.”

“But I don’t want to get distracted. I have so many ideas I have to remain focused.”

“How can you be focused with no motivation?”

“Suppose that’s a valid point.”

Dan straightened his back and adjusted his glasses. “What I mean is, you need to gain the habit back of writing. Doing. So, do it, but with no strings attached.”

“Kinky.”

“Write snippets, prompts, short stories, poetry, dabble some fanfiction – I dunno just write, but not an overarching novel.”

“One-night stands of fiction.”

“Exactly.”

“Bringing back the habit of doing and crafting my skill until I don’t feel like returning to my novel is a chore.”

“And who said to had to put the novel on hold! Writing ideas and outline is a form of writing too. Maybe go back and edit some stuff you already have.”

“I like this idea.” Dan nodded and picked his book up again, content the conversation was over. “Give me a prompt.” Dan’s book slammed down.

“Sorry?” He tried to hide his annoyance of denial to return to reading.

“Give me a first prompt. C’mon, this was your idea.” Dan’s eyes almost rolled into the back of his head.

“Write about this.”

“This?”

“Your lack of motivation and gaining it back.”

“A Writer’s Struggle.”

“Exactly. Can I continue reading now?”

Ed, who was already lost in thought of his first prompt, simply hummed what could only be assumed was a ‘yes’. Dan shrugged a shoulder, content his friend was content again and both could go back to enjoying each other’s company in silence.