When I first started writing my newest WIP, it was like magic. The WIP and I were completely on the same page, and it was some of the easiest writing I’ve ever done. The words flowed out of me, and all I had to do was will my fingers to keep up. I figured at that rate, I’d likely be done with a draft within three weeks.
*insert buzzer sound*
Wrong. The muse, she went away. I went from writing thousands of words a day to writing a hundred … to just reading what I’d written so far … to sitting back and thinking about where the story should go … to closing the document and watching TV instead. I made a few feeble attempts to get back into it but let myself get easily distracted by anything and everything else, and as it stands now I’m still not at the halfway point.
It’s so easy to get distracted. We all lead busy, busy lives. Children, spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, parents, day jobs, night jobs, duties, obligations, on and on and on. It’s tempting to play the “I’m too busy to write” card, but (for me at least) that leads to dangerous territory. Kinda like working out. Skipping one day leads to skipping a second day, then a third, then a month has gone by and I haven’t stepped foot inside a gym. The only (and I do mean only) way I can keep myself honest is to set a schedule and stick to it. Or in other words:
Just write the damned thing already.
So here’s my plan. I will go back to writing 1,000 words a day. I am not allowed to pick up a book or veg in front of the TV or do anything fun until those 1,000 words are written. At that pace, I should be close to having a draft done by July 1, exactly one month from today. This is my vow, blog friends. V-O-W.
Now a Q4U: How do you handle distraction? Any tips for getting back into the flow?
Follow
12 Responses