Persistence and Procrastination

I might be addicted to finding new ways to write but I’ve learned that persistence is my most important writing tool. It’s easy to get lost in a single project. When that project ends I drift away, knowing I should do something but not yet having the motivation to really do much about it. It’s when I stick to something new that I know that I just might have a career at this crazy thing that I love.

As you might have guessed I’m in one of those moments right now. I finished the 1^st draft of Stone Prince for Nanowrimo and a lot of my motivation went with it. Now it’s time to do the first round of edits on my dystopian project Chaos Rules and I’m dragging my feet. A month and half later and I haven’t made a whole lot of progress.

Part of that is just life getting in the way. I’ve got other things on my plate. Doesn’t everyone? It’s especially hard when I’m at the stage where I am, bringing the uninterested eyes of an observer to something that I once spent months hammering out. The love that fires me through the muck of the first draft is noticeably lagging a year after I set that first effort aside.

I’ve noticed that the times when I make writing a priority are the times when I really progress as a writer. That may seem obvious to you but it isn’t for me. I struggle with the reality of putting my writing first. Of not letting all the little things I do every day suck away at my time until there’s nothing left for my novel.

I wish this could be the post where I told you all about how awesome I am and how I’ve kicked the procrastination habit for good. It’s not. I’m still late, although now I am pushing myself to be a better writer then I used to be. I do try to write almost every day. Now I’ll hopefully be able to turn this from a hobby into a career.