Saturday, June 1, 2013

If I Love to Write, Then Why Don't I?

I don't have writer's block so much as writer's apathy. I have three writing  projects started, one chapter of a sequel to The Crystal's Curse, three chapters to a new YA novel and ten chapters to my third mystery featuring Valerie Peterson and the hunky Delgado. What I seem to lack is motivation. Since I'm the farthest along on the mystery, that's the one I pull up first. I read the last chapter I've written and then stare at the page. Suddenly, I need a drink or something to eat. The last time when I told myself I would walk around and think about it, I wandered outside and began pulling weeds. Of course, by the time, I came back in, I was sweaty and dirty and needed a shower and then a nap. No writing got done that day. Believe me when I tell you that in my wildest dreams I never saw myself preferring to pull weeds over writing.

So I have to ask myself why? Make no mistake, writing is work. storylines and words don't just swirl around in my head begging to be written. Even when I write an outline, I rarely follow it, so I don't always know what happens next. Even when I do, I often find it difficult to get from where I am in the story to where it needs to go next. The transitions from one plot point to another can be difficult. Still, it's work that I normally enjoy and gives me great satisfaction, usually much more than yard work.

Maybe that's the problem.When I started writing, it was a lark, something to do in my spare time. I didn't really expect to be able to write a book. Then when I did, I wanted to do better the next time, so I read books, joined a writers group, and went to conferences. Somewhere along the line instead of being fun, it began to feel like work. Now that's how I think of it, something I should do rather than something I get to do. So from now on I'll find time to write, right after I watch the French Open Tennis finals and then read that new book by Nora Roberts

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I can relate to everything you said.

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