On one of my go-to podcasts about writing, they always end with “You’re out of excuses, now go write.”
And I get it. I am full of excuses, but some days the excuses seem to weigh so much, I can’t move past them. A lot of time it is related to guilt centered around not having written already. I am hoping that if I can give name to the excuses my brain throws at me I can form a better defense against them, then get to a point where I can move past them and write.
Today’s Excuses
- My desk is too messy
- I already started that post on ChristyShorey.com for Unmarriageable
- I don’t know where the story is going
- I should clean up around the house
- I want to first write a blog post about the start of the new year, and was going to focus it around the Chinese lunar new year, and that started yesterday, but I wanted to do my begining-of-the-year contemplation before I did that, and it is hard to do with other people in the house, and my desk is too messy, besides, and I’m in the middle of another audiobook, and it is hard to disconnect
Okay brain, let’s take a look at these more closely…
My desk is too messy- You can write somewhere that is not your desk
- You can separate out the necessary things and shove everything else into a bag to clear the desktop
I already started that post on ChristyShorey.com for Unmarriageable- Yes, you did.
- Finishing it would be writing
- It will keep, you can finish it later
I don’t know where the story is going- How do you usually figure out the story? You write. Do that.
- Outlining and background work is writing
I should clean up around the house- Yes, you should
- Nothing will go bad / breakdown if you don’t do that *right now*
- Pick up 5 things and put them in their correct place every time you get up
I want to first write a blog post about the start of the new year, and was going to focus it around the Chinese lunar new year, and that started yesterday, but I wanted to do my beginning-of-the-year contemplation before I did that, and it is hard to do with other people in the house, and my desk is too messy, besides, and I’m in the middle of another audiobook, and it is hard to disconnect- Wow, your brain is really trying to stop you from writing. Which of these things are actually barriers to writing?
- You can still base your post around the Chinese New Year. Heck, you can even backdate it if you want.
- Beginning of the year contemplation – You can close your doors to the sound, and keep the cats out.
- See above for messy desktop
- You are listening to a short audiobook. Plus, surprise, these things have a pause button
- Put on some music to listen to instead, and write for at least 10 minutes before you go back to your audiobook
- Oh, another thing about the beginning of the year contemplation – look more closely at that. It seems like a very convenient out. How do you normally work through hard thoughts? You write. Do that.
So here is the hope I can knock down those barriers, and rid myself of today’s excuses, and actually sit down and write, dang it!
