*NOTE: Oh look what I forgot to post on Monday. Blame my peach tree.
Have I been spending far too much of my writing time staring at the TV? I sure have. I've blown through seasons and series of shows I'm not even all that impressed with over the past few months. The word count is suffering. I'll admit it. I'm in the hole to the tune of over 10K words according to my revised schedule - over 20K if you look under the red scribbles to the original number. To reference last week's post, I haven't been showing up. This is a problem. Now, I'm not the kind of woman who shows up with a problem without also bringing an idea (or 20) for a solution - even when I'm only showing up to myself. I'm also not the type that looks at a problem from the surface level and claims to know exactly what its nature is. I'm more of a digger. The foundation is more important than that weird looking weeds growing out of it. So, as I've been letting my brain turn to mush watching pretty colors and varying degrees of acting ability on the screen, I've also been stewing on the foundation of my lack of motivation. I've come up with a few real-to-me issues and potentially viable plans to fix the structural integrity of my goals. Since most of these are not writing specific, I thought I'd share so you can see if any of the same problems exist in your world and then work off of my ideas to fix them. 1. Problem: Too many unrelated activities/responsibilities/goals in play at the same time. Solution: Get back to a schedule. Allot "x" amount of time to each thing that requires attention. When that time is up, move on unless there is a larger problem that will arise by not completing the activity right now (i.e. I can't just set the peaches aside of it takes longer than I anticipated to peal, slice, and get them in the freezer when they hit a certain point of ripeness. Rotting peaches mean less peaches for later. Finish the whole job before cleaning the house or writing a new chapter.) 2. Problem: Too many related activities/responsibilities/goals in play at the same time. Solution: Again, get back to a schedule. Allot a specific time to ponder publishers or agents. When that time is up, move on to writing for "x" amount of time. Schedule a "submissions day" and don't turn it into a week. Block out a chunk of time for layout if necessary. Stick to word count expectations. Try to limit the number of projects that I'm working on at any given time so that they create a balance instead of just bogging down the entire process. *Note: see #3 3. Problem: The current story is heavy. It weighs me down emotionally. This, in turn, makes me want to take a break from it. Solution: Find the balance project. Write something light and fun to shake off the dreariness this book is bringing to the table. Adjust word count expectations accordingly but stick to them. 4. Problem: Interruptions. (i.e. phone, people, cats, barking neighbor dogs, driveway/garden alarm, social media, e-mail, stray thoughts, etc.) Solution: this is the toughest one... Ignore everything that doesn't qualify as an emergency. Shut the office door. Let Scott handle the majority of other things when he's not busy. Music or ear plugs. Find my focus and take what I'm doing seriously enough to stick to it (Note: see #5). 5. Problem: Self-doubt (i.e. Thoughts that limit progress such as "this creative thing is never going to get me anywhere", "I'm wasting my time writing", "my art/writing is never going to be more than just a hobby, I should be doing other things instead" (Wait, remember how I said #4 was the toughest one? I was wrong. This is where the giant crack in the foundation is. This right here.) Solution: Get over myself. Show up. Stick to the schedule. Put in the work. Reach for the next level of success, then reach again...and again...and again...until I'm where I want to be. So, now that I have all of my foundational gremlins named, I guess I should stop making faces at them, gird my loins, and head into battle. Send chocolate. I'm going to need it.
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AuthorJosie Dorans Archives
June 2022
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