But close. I've been doing it again. Too much time wasted stressing about one thing or another, not enough time just enjoying what I do. Granted, it's been a pretty crappy two weeks. We've had kitchen remodelling, damp issues and resulting drywall damage, game nights cancelled, migraines, worrying about what my beta readers think of my new book. It's all been a bit, well, crap.
On the plus side, the new kitchen is great and so easy for Jen to use with just a regular office chair on wheels. We've also settled on trading in our car for a 2nd-hand Daihatsu Terios, since we figure having 4-wheel drive in the winters we've been getting lately is big and clever.
I need to start doing a few more things for fun. Reading more, for a start. Taking the time to enjoy working on my new WIPs instead of thinking I have to get them written as soon as possible, that's a biggie. I've spread out the last of my annual leave so that I have at least a 4-day weekend in every month for the rest of the year. I think there will definitely be some all-day writing going on, but also maybe the odd all-day cinema trip or something.
Something Jody Hedlund actually pointed out to me today was that, given everything that's happened, I've likely spent many days just sitting down and telling myself to write, no matter how I was feeling. It's easy to lose that sense of joy in doing something when you're telling your brain that it doesn't matter how you feel, you're going to do this anyway.
I love my writing, I really do. But I've got two novels written, one of which is out in 2012 and the other which I don't have to think about querying until some time after the New Year. I think it's time I made sure writing was fun again.
Sep 16, 2011
Not Burned Out
Paul Anthony Shortt believes in magic and monsters. In ghosts and fairies. The creatures that lurk under the bed and inside the closet. The things that live in the dark, and the heroes who stand against them. Above all, he believes that stories have the power to change the world, and the most important stories are the ones which show that monsters can be beaten.
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I've been feeling like that a lot this summer too, Paul. Push push push. It's been one of the strangest years of my life actually. With the season change I am deciding to chill a little bit!
ReplyDeleteI hear you, Paul. I'm trying to read more, because I enjoy it. And I'm finally writing again, a new book. I've also become more relaxed about blogging. I've realized I have to set a time limit on this. But I'm very glad I stopped by your place today to hear you say what I've been thinking, too: that writing should be fun. So let's do it!
ReplyDeleteAnn Best, Author of In the Mirror, A Memoir of Shattered Secrets
It's true - we get in that space where the writing becomes a "have to" and a MUST. Anything that you HAVE to do is by definition not fun! Breaks matter. Breaks are important. Breaks help! They make us better writers. Why are we writers the only humans who seem to think, and say, rather proudly, that you MUST do something - writer - every day? No No No. Writers are human. Humans need fun and breaks and to get away from it so they can be called back to it. I am always prolific after some time away. And after reading other people's books. I can't wait to read yours. No pressure though :-)
ReplyDeleteKaren: Sounds like a good idea.
ReplyDeleteAnn: I'm glad you stopped by, too! Yeah, it's hard to remember that, as important as keeping up with blogs is, we need to pull back a bit and focus our energies on other things as well.
Melissa: I think writers are harder on themselves because people often expect so much from them. It's often pointed out how writing is the one creative endevour where people often assume you'll be rich as soon as your first book comes out. It's very easy for us to take on that expectation and push ourselves more than we need to. I'm looking forward to enjoying my writing more. I've only written a small amount on Nightfall today, but I'm falling back into those characters' heads and coming up with some fun ideas for them.