Procrastinate: to put off, to delay until a later time
I am sending a heartfelt plea to all you writers out there for help, for advice, for strategies. How do I begin writing again in earnest? I write my journal every morning, no problem; I have returned to this blog and managed a few posts recently, some difficulty in becoming motivated if I’m honest. Those old questions keep recurring: who is going to be interested in what I have to say? Is it worth the effort?….. and so on, so on.
I am half way through a novel, perhaps I should rephrase that- I was half way through a novel and then life happened. The loss of my elderly father and an estate to deal with, a daughter with real and pressing health issues, a son going through a painful divorce and then to top it all off we moved. A new home, a new city, a new county all take time to get used to.
After three months I know where to find the best tea and cake, take regular trips to a wonderful Library, have the shops sorted, am signed up to doctor and dentist, have found lovely walking routes through the local park and the old cemetery. We are beginning to make new friends as well as see old ones, have joined the U3a, life is beginning to feel right and settled. All this is good, I don’t feel stressed and worried any more, the family issues are slowly resolving and we are coming out of the last two years of dark and fear for the future, so why can’t I write my book?
I can think of a hundred things each day to fill my time rather than get out my notes, reread my manuscript and pick up my pencils again. I don’t enjoy housework but suddenly vacuuming and window cleaning can seem like appealing options when the little voice inside my head suggests that I should be writing. I know that I am not alone in experiencing these feelings, so my plea today is for anyone out there who has found a way through this to please help! All suggestions welcome, no matter how unusual and I promise to consider them all and give them a try.
pentopaper647 