This blog post is inspired by a good friend of mine, who has been flirting with the idea of being a writer for many years. She's just had a birthday and decided this is the year she is going to write her novel. She has a very busy life, works part-time, has four children, many pets, and a lot of reasons to stop her simply sitting down and starting writing.
I'm not trying to write (apart from this blog post this morning!) but there are things I do want to achieve, and I do seem to put up a lot of blocks in my way. Do any of the following sound familiar?
I don't have the time
I might not write well
It's not worth it/I'm not worth it
I'm still planning
My space isn't right/I don't have a desk/My computer's not good enough
The cat/children/husband/friends will stop me/laugh at me/need attention
If any of these strike a chord, I've a strategy that might work. Nod your head, yes, your excuse is true, then sit down and write. I can hear the 'buts' already - I don't care. Sit down today and write. Something. Anything. Even if it's just 'I don't know why I'm doing this'. After at least 20 mins, stop. Give yourself a pat on the back. Put your writing away - and do exactly the same thing tomorrow.
And if that isn't inspiration enough, have a look at Geoff Holt's website. I was lucky
enough to hear him speak at the Winchester Writers' Conference where he described how he -
as a paraplegic yachtsman - has written his memoir - typing using
just one finger, and he finished it in 4 months. There really aren't any
excuses for the rest of us - are there?
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