“You must be keen,” he said.
Except I’m not. I have forced myself
to the computer while the household are still asleep. I’m trying to instil a
habit of writing. To do this writing job well I need to write even when I can’t
be bothered. When I feel too lazy. When the ideas will not come.
Just like now.
In November I used the NaNoWriMo
framework to start a new short story every day. I didn’t insist that I finish
unless a particular story was flowing well. Then I deliberately put them out of
my mind. Two months later I looked again at those beginnings and was pleasantly
surprised by what I had written. Many were usable ideas and have become stories
I have since submitted and sold.
I decided to do the same exercise in
April, managed two days and ground to a halt – because it was Easter, because
the family were coming round, because I had a jigsaw to finish…
What techniques do you use to
motivate yourself to write even when you feel anything other than keen?
I've had a spell of being lazy myself recently. Or maybe the problem is that I let myself get distracted too easily. I think I've been abusing the fact that I can be flexible in my writing hours and might be better with a more strict routine.
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the pleasures, but also the problems, of being your own boss. Prefer the independence, even if it does mean I'm lazy at times.
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