You wouldn't know fiction is my passion by the way I post to this site, would you? I love writing and fiction dominates my dreams but I appear to struggle to get a rhythm going.
I post sporadically, I dream too much and I follow through far less often than is needed to be successful so far. I must write "so far" or I'll simply give up. Many factors spring into a writer's life that derails even the best of plans.
I wonder at times at my decision to pursue The Dream. Yes, I want (and need) to make money writing, but that's not The Dream. The Dream is to be successful. Success can involve many facets and take on many faces. Money is simply one of those faces.
I envy those who make writing their 'hobby' and don't quit their day jobs - only for a moment each day. Then I look at what I'm doing, the amount of time I have left in this life (nanoseconds to maybe thirty years) and I come to the conclusion that writing is a noble way to exit.
I could slave away for a corporation like millions or billions of contemporaries, but that life is not my desire. So what if I fail? So what if people scoff at my writing and laugh at my foibles? What will it matter to me a hundred years from now?
Yes, I'm ranting a bit. I'm upset that I've allowed too many obstacles to my writing hold sway over my determination to press forward. I'm ranting because I remain my own worst enemy. I'm ranting as a means to jolt myself back on track.
Yes, these are baby steps. Yes, there are many trials ahead. Yes, I love what I do. For this reason, I continue to write, struggles and all. Fiction will come yet from these fingers...
Someone could say you can take comfort knowing you're not the only one. Someone could tell you not to beat yourself up about it. Someone could point out that the problem isn't limited to writers, that almost everyone suffers from the same problem. And though their intentions would be pure - hoping to soothe a friend's bad feelings - in truth, saying such things only rewards the very behavior you're wanting to get rid of.
ReplyDeleteWho is a big enough friend to say, "Your laziness offends me?" and spur that friend to adjust his priorities and accomplish his goals?
We all have a limited time on this Earth, and we can't do everything, so we must prioritize what's most important and see to it these things are done. Most of us give priority to putting off things that we say we'd like to do rather than to just doing them. Sometimes we waste our time feeling bad about it; doing so only digs the hole deeper.
So what to do?
We have two options: encourage the good behavior or discourage the bad behavior.
"I want to read the stories you have in your head. Write them down. It's fun and easy. I'll help you bounce ideas around if you want."
"Gawd you're such a slacker. Write the darn book already. Your laziness is really starting to tick me off. If you can't give me something to read, how am I supposed to pay you for writing?"
These can be done internally via self-voice or externally via friends and fans. The important thing is that you generate strong emotions and associate them to getting your task accomplished, whether it's writing or taking a vacation or breaking your smoking habit.
After all, if we don't feel strongly about something, we rarely do anything about it. We WANT to write, but it's not urgent. We WANT to unwind from a year of working, but it's not urgent. We WANT to quit smoking, but it's not urgent. Only when the bills are due, the bank account's empty, the brain is frazzled, or the heart attack comes do we find the urgency. But we're intelligent creatures, and we can imagine the urgency so as to motivate ourselves without having to suffer the actual misfortunes.