Writing is not going well for me at the moment. Despite being determined to finish this draft, I'm not writing nearly enough to actually do it. Where I used to sail through 1500 words an hour with the greatest of ease, I'm struggling now to write 500 without getting distracted.
Partly, I think, it's because I'm out of practice. It's been over month since I put any new words down on this project. Partly, I think I'm just distracted with the demands of my new job and all the stuff I have to learn. Not to mention how tired I've been.
So I'm not sure if I should stop working on this book until I can become more focused, or if I should just accept that right now I may not be able to write my usual 9-11K a week and that it might take more than a fortnight to put this draft to bed.
Have you ever felt too scattered to write? What did you do?
The last year has been eventful for me, and I'm dealing with a lot of new things, too. I've often been too distracted to write, but I think a lot, and sometimes come up with good ideas. I hope that when I finally find time to write, I'll have a better handle on the story. I know you've kept up a lickety-split pace for the last 4 years or so. You shouldn't feel bad about taking a break, especially with everything that's going on.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, "too distracted to write" is my usual state. But 10 words added is better than no words. As long as you're making forward progress, you're doing great!
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself up -- that just makes you feel bad about "not doing enough", makes it even harder to get motivated, and turns something you love into an unpleasant chore.
It's tricky to keep up when life pushes you down. Keep your head up Kate.
ReplyDeleteYeah I think it's ok for you to minimize your word count goal in this case. Life can be demanding, so only do what you can do or else it'll be frustrating. Maybe don't set a goal at all--simply write for relaxation instead of trying to force it. You may find you write over your goal, once you start enjoying it more.
ReplyDeleteThat happens to me all the time. The only thing to do is accept the 500 words as what you can do, and try again the next day. Eventually, your writing muscle will be strong again.
ReplyDeleteImmerse yourself for however long you have to give, whenever you have time. You may find a way to adjust your routine and get comfortable again. Its ok to be slow, or even take a break.
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend Kate.
.......dhole
Lord, yes, I've felt too scattered to write. Gosh, a LOT! My day job's pretty intense and there are times I don't write for weeks. I just have to be patient with myself, accept my limits, but not allow them to become excuses, know what I mean? We can't push ourselves if we're running on empty; we need "down time" to recover from the demands life makes of us. We just have to trust that our wells of creativity are everflowing, they'll never run dry, and they're available to us, in abundance, whenever we're ready to dip into them.
ReplyDeleteCheck Out Mina's Resurrection Blogfest II!