… and how to get motivated to do it

This is being penned in May, one of the hardest months to write, in my honest opinion. I used to take my writing tools out into the sunshine and get the word count down. Now that only serves to make me sleepy and sunburned. And I am back at a job, so who has time?

So, why is writing so hard at times and what can we do to get over it? Think potato chips…

Huh? Well, I’m glad you asked. For one thing, it isn’t any harder to write on one day than it is on another like some mystical rain that falls in between us and the keyboard.

It really isn’t-it’s the same computer, the same word doc and the same story. (unless you are just starting out, and that’s a blog post for another day.)

The same story, the same desk, the same everything is waiting for us today just as it did three days ago. Or whenever you last approached it. There is nothing mysterious about the fact that you are not tackling the work. Unless you want to call burn-out, mysterious. But even that is a stretch.

No, the reality is, we are just not motivated to write. We would rather sit on the couch eating potato chips and watching Wheel of Time episodes until our minds are numb and our fingers are orange. We just do not have the energy to turn out another day of work. Our answer is: we just can’t.

BUT WHY?

And I am here to tell you, THAT IT IS OKAY! It’s fine. In fact, if you will give yourself those few days to indulge in another love of yours, sooner or later, that book will come calling. It may happen in the morning shower, it may happen as you are dropping of to sleep, but it’s going to come back to you and you will answer the call.

Until then, remember, we are not writers solely. We have other things to capture our attention and we should give in a little sometimes. Now about those chips…