So have you been taking a short break from writing over the festive period or has the short break suddenly become a bit too long? Have you slipped into ‘just another mince pie and glass of Prosecco please’ stupor, promising yourself you’ll get back to it tomorrow or maybe the next day or even next week.
I think Writers only write because they have to. The first draft is like pulling a tooth while scratching your skin with nettles. The second draft will be better, you promise yourself. At least the itchiness has gone but not the anxiety as you wait for your notes from your beta reader. And when they come, you wonder why you bother putting yourself through all this torment. Even Agatha Christie’s fictional character, Ariadne Oliver comments that she’d rather solve a murder than have to write one.
This comment from a writer who taught a creative writing class sums it all up. A couple of her students achieved considerable publishing success in a short time. At the end of the term, she asked what writing projects the class was planning, expecting the successful ones to be brimming over with enthusiasm. She was disappointed at their response – “It’s not guaranteed that we’re going to sell everything we write, so we’re going to give it up.” And the teacher’s reply? “I wish I could!”
You’re in it for the long haul, so stop complaining. Get on with it. Don’t procrastinate, don’t waffle, don’t stand on the side lines or the bathroom scales, lamenting the box of chocolates you’ve just ate. Even if it’s only a line in your diary – write something every day. I wish you all the best for 2019 – This is going to be a very interesting year and if you don’t know what the Chinese said about that adjective, check it out below. Be Happy and Write!
https://www.phrases.org.uk/…/may-you-live-in-interesting-times.html
Writing is rewriting 