Should have some conference pics tomorrow.
I didn’t end up getting the writing day yesterday. My employer needed a last minute rush job. While I missed my writing day, I did end up witha great sense of accomplishment last night. Shoving two days of work into one is difficult and made my right hand ache like crazy, it was worth it to free up today. 😉
BTW, repeat that phrase to yourself every single time you want to procrastinate that writing process.
The Sense of Accomplishment is Worth It.
I love that pic above! To me, it screamed writer brain. Look at it, carried along… helpless against those strands of wild, racing thoughts.
I used to wonder why so many writers fight the writing process until I spent some time in that habit myself. It can be caused by so many things–lack of free time, job responsibilities, etc. Thing is, if something is that important to you, you make time.
Harsh but true.
When that struggle is broken down, it usually settles around one issue. Lack of confidence. Self doubt can root in anything, but we pretty much help it grow ourselves. Writers set constant goals and fail them, expect perfection in first drafts, compare themselves to other writers…
These are some difficult habits to break.
But oh, you can.
All it takes is a little self discipline. Sit down in that chair and write. Write crap–and you probably will if you’re out of practice-but just write. Set aside a time every day and make it happen. My father gets up at five a.m. every single day and writes for three or four hours. Every successful writer I know has this down. (Okay, maybe not the five a.m. part. 😉 ) But it’s that basic day to day habit. Not to steal from Nike or anything but JUST DO IT.
I finished Dweller pretty fast once I truly grasped the importance of BICHOK (Butt in chair, hands on keyboard.) It’s easy to say you understand, but putting it into consistent practice develops that creative mind and each day, it gets easier.
You basically train your brain to function at will. It works. I swear! In fact, you start to crave the process like a junkie because that sense of accomplishment is like nothing else. 😉 But first, you have to work to break the bad habits.
Yeah, unfortunately we will probably always compare ourselves to other writers.
Hmm.. bet they do it too. 😉
Change the comparison. Use the words different or unique instead of better.
Set goals you can accomplish. Be HONEST. You may want to spill 3000 words a day, but don’t expect to do that in the beginning. Takes practice and good habits to get there. (And it doesn’t take that long. Seriously.)
Write a bad first draft. Why do you think NaNoWriMo is so popular? Once you set aside your internal editors, you’ll be surprised at the gems you find in that mess.
And something else I learned from the years of hanging around with so many writers?
Even the most successful ones occasionally have to go up against the self-doubt and procrastination monsters.
Now, to lighten the mood, I stole this quiz from Jocelyn Drake. (She has a cool widget for her book that won’t work on my site, damn it! But go check her out!)
The shallow people part cracked me up. Rinda. The Elitist. <g>
What Your Taste in Chocolate Says About You |
 You are sweet, mellow, and easily satisfied.You don’t like anything too intense and dramatic.Deep down, you’re a kid at heart… and you’re nostalgic for the past.You are energetic and quick to act.You are open minded, and you easily adopt new social causes.While your heart is in the right place, you often can’t follow through with your dreams.You love the feeling of accomplishment. You enjoy doing what’s important.You feel lost when you have to do frivolous tasks or hang out with shallow people.
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