To Be A Writer

Over the last few weeks I've been finding myself with more and more motivation for writing, editing and planning.  It's not something that I've really ever had before, when it's not nano I generally find my attention wandering.  I leave my writing projects open, as if that is going to get them worked on, and then my attention focuses on something else.  In the past that's been reading (and that was actually before the writing even began) watching TV shows, or even my blog.

That's right, last year when I decided that I was going to do something with this blog, that was me procrastinating from writing.  Instead of working on whatever project I had on the go, I wrote more and more blog posts, and I changed around the formatting of the blog enough to be distracted from what I really should have been doing.

Writing is great.  It's definitely what I want to do with my life, but I also find that I can get distracted.  It's not because I don't want to be writing or planning.  Hell, sometimes I even find myself actually wanting to edit.  It's crazy!

The reason, I think, that I get so distracted is I think about the whole project.  It's so much easier if I think of one step at a time.  If I focus on just the world building, and not that I have to plan the entire plot, then write the first draft.  Then work on every single other draft until it's absolutely perfect.  It's hard to keep myself focused when I start to feel overwhelmed.

Anyway, that overwhelmed feeling is usually what drives me toward other pursuits.  So this year, I've decided to make another resolution.  (Yep, I know, I make a lot of resolutions.)

This one is a little harder than some of the other ones I've always been the person who is more than willing to start things, and once I start stopping is so much harder than it really should be.  I always want to just pile on more projects, and more responsibilities until I get overwhelmed and just drop it all.

Before that happens, and before I find myself completely drained, I'm going to make this resolution, and stick to it.

I will put my writing before everything.

Okay, maybe not everything.  Obviously I'm not going to put my writing before my boyfriend.  Even if he is a writer, I just don't think it's a good plan if I want to keep dating him.  But there are other things in my life that I can certainly cut down on, much as I might not want to.

The last couple of weeks, missing out on all of my Wednesday posts, has told me something.  Something that I didn't really want to listen to, but that I'm going to have to do.

I can no longer post a blog post twice a week.  Don't get me wrong, I love my blog.  I've enjoyed working on it and getting it to where it is, but there is a hard truth that I have to face.  I'm not a blogger.  I'm a writer.  And if I let myself continue to be distracted by things, even things like my blog,

For the record, this does not mean that I'm going to just stop posting.  I don't want that either.  I enjoy it too much.  So, here's the deal.  From now on I'm going to make Sunday my blog post day.  Once a week, which has been pretty much happening for the last two months anyway.  And I will use the time that I get from that to keep working on my writing.

There are other things that comes with this resolution.  This may sounds a little stupid, but one of the biggest things I'm going to need to remember is giving myself breaks.  Set a goal, hit the goal, and give myself some time to do things that I normally put off because I'm too busy.  Maybe even get some books read.

Anyway, I do still have some goals to hit tonight.  Two solid hours of planning (I've already written 3k) and then I might -- I don't know -- read a book.  Or maybe watch a movie.  Something leisure that will give me a little break from all of this.  Next month is going to be fun, and awfully busy.

This year, I'm going to be a writer.