“Dang it! I didn’t get it done again today!” Have you ever expressed this type of frustration when you wanted to get something done but was not successful in doing so? You thought it all out, wrote it down, and came up with a plan of execution, but for whatever reason, you did not get it done. Like me, I’m sure you have felt frustrated from time-to-time when your plans do not go exactly according to plan. It happens…life happens. Sometimes we know exactly what we want to do and then something comes along and derails it.
It is like this in the business of writing too. Some write for pleasure, some write for profession, some write for hobby. Whatever the reason, in order to get that writing project done, we have to write, right? There is no getting around that. Writers write. We find time to do so. But, in finding this time, sometimes it does not go according to plan, and sometimes the plan crumbles altogether. This is where I want to encourage you to not beat yourself up when plans don’t turn out the way you planned them. If you are not making time to write, that is an entirely different matter (see last month’s Blog for suggestions on this), but if you are making the time to do what you love, then don’t be so hard on yourself when a hiccup happens. Give yourself some grace and thank God for what you were able to get done. Maybe you aimed for getting three chapters done today – or this week – and when time came for you to get at it, something important came up that you had to take care of. Is it frustrating? Of course it is. Is it worth beating yourself up and giving up? No! Maybe instead of three chapters you were able to get at least one done. Instead of being down and angry, get back at it and learn to celebrate what you were able to do. I think we all may spend a lot of time being hard on ourselves. Let’s find some time to celebrate our accomplishments and give ourselves some grace when we can’t or do not meet our goals. Tomorrow’s another day. Take care of yourselves and happy writing! -MJ
0 Comments
With being a writer, there are days that are good and days that are not-so-good. One of the major enemies of the writer is writer’s block. Writer’s block is often defined as a psychological issue that prevents a writer from…surprise…writing. There are some other factors that contribute to writer’s block, but for me, defeating this problem, comes to determination and execution.
I do not know where you are on your writing journey, but for me, I am not happy with my progress over the years. Lots of ideas on this and that, and the determination is there, but the execution is not. Yes, a day job is a reality in my life, but the desire to be a full-time writer pulls on the strings of my heart ever so often. Of course there are a few stories of how a now-famous writer left everything behind, endured a lot of suffering (from being barely able to take care of themselves), and wrote something magnificent and became rich and famous. I am less adventurous, and it is certainly not because I don’t believe in myself. I just do not calculate leaving a secure place to take a chance on something that is unsecure right now, especially when this much-desired change can be done in transition. The main thing in this thought is that while being secure in the current, I have to make time for the desired goal. Maybe you are like me, at a point in your life where you really want to indulge more in your writing, whether it is for fun, relaxation, hobby, or career. Whatever the desire, if the determination is there, I want to encourage you as I encourage myself, to take the next step and find a way to execute more time to writing. Maybe it is an article, a poem, a book of poems, a novel, some social media material…whatever it is, for me, it’s time to, as Rocky Balboa said, “Go for it!” For me, “Going for it!” means I and still riding the desire to write more, but I am also moving into the next gear of execution. This means finding a consistent time to write, even if it is a small amount of time to start with. If your desire to write is still alive, what will you do to begin executing to feed this hunger? Please share some of your plans (execution) here. I am sure someone will be helped with what you have to share. Thank you and happy writing! -MJ |
AuthorMJ Reynolds ArchivesCategories |