Tuesday, 3 March 2015

What I'm Writing

In an effort to get my mind focused back on writing I've decided to link up with The Muddled Manuscript and write about why/what I'm currently not writing.  Seems like the time was right for me to discover this linky - I'm fantastic at not doing things, after all!

I've always scribbled rather than written. A few times I've made an effort to be more disciplined and write regularly and with some idea of writing a formed thing (won't grace it with the name novel, even if it is saved on the hard-drive as such) But somehow I've always felt like a dabbler and therefore a fraud. This whole writing thing is supposed to be something that burns so hot within the writer that they have no choice but to do it. Somehow I'm so good at putting things off that I can put off writing for weeks, therefore I'm not a writer, right?

See how confused I am?

This week is the same, I've yet to sit down and write (apart from this, obvs!) So that means I can't be  a writer, yes? Still with me? Yet my head is bursting with stories and ideas. As a child I spent hours skipping up and down the garden telling stories - weird or what? So how do I get the discipline to pop them down on paper or screen?

I guess one of the reasons is my working class heritage. Writing isn't like real work. Therefore it's not something to spend time on, especially when there are more important things to do like ironing and running the hoover over the cat hair carpet.  I'm also prone to the odd distraction - not the ironing or hovering of course! - there are cakes to bake, cats to pet and terrible daytime TV programmes to watch (be rude not to now they've gone to all the trouble of making them!)

So what am I to do?

Well this week I've done one thing about it; I've joined up with this linky and sat with the TV off for 10 minutes to write this post.  Maybe that's OK for now, maybe that'll do Donkey (see what I did there?)

So now all I need to do is turn off the TV more often and convince myself that writing is real work. Maybe then I can do it more often and get some of these stories out of my head and onto the hard-drive.
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14 comments:

  1. Mummy Tries3 March 2015 at 12:14

    Welcome to What I'm Writing, it's a lovely little community of writers. Best of luck with keeping that TV off and joining in... I think writing is all about the practice, the more often you do it the more confident you get at it :-)

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    1. Jo's Writing Space3 March 2015 at 12:51

      The TV is going to be my nemesis, I just know it. I'm determined to schedule some writing time into each day - even if it's just 5 minutes!

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  2. Maddy@writingbubble3 March 2015 at 12:37

    Thanks for joining in with our linky - it should be a great first step to getting you back in the writing groove! I don't think procrastinating makes you any less a writer but what I've found (and this is probably a universal rule) is that writing breeds writing. When you're not writing you can almost psyche yourself out of even beginning but once you get going (and it sometimes feels like jumping off a cliff) you'll find that you want to write more and more. Go,Go, Go! (and keep us posted!) xx

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    1. Jo's Writing Space3 March 2015 at 12:53

      Thanks for the encouragement. I will try to be better and get some writing done each day. I promise to keep you up to date. So does that make me a writer or still aspiring? Problems, problems ...

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    2. Maddy@writingbubble3 March 2015 at 21:48

      If you write, you are a writer. Aspiring writers want to write but don't. You blog so you already write!

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    3. Jo's Writing Space4 March 2015 at 07:57

      Thanks Maddy! Just what I needed to hear, I think.

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  3. Unknown3 March 2015 at 18:38

    This is a great linky to join for inspiration. I've been doing a few writing exercises recently that have helped fuel my creative side. Have a look at my last few posts to see if they do anything for you too. We link up fiction post on my blog on Friday's and also Sara at mumturnedmom.com publishes a prompt every Sunday, which I tend to use to write a ficiton piece for the following week.

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    1. Jo's Writing Space4 March 2015 at 07:58

      I've been linking to The Prompt recently too - really concentrates the mind when it's full of fuzz!

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  4. Redpeffer3 March 2015 at 19:09

    I know what you mean about the 'real work' thing. It's one of those aspects that is bothering me right now too. Paid work has to come first. But, I kind of ache if I don't write the stuff I want to write if that doesn't sound too weird?! I do find though that simply keeping on writing is the best way to keep motivated, even if it's just for 10 minutes a day (which is sometimes all I can manage.) Hope you find this linky useful :)

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    1. Jo's Writing Space4 March 2015 at 08:00

      I'm lucky enough to do a little free lance writing as my paid work but there is that moment when I want to put that aside, forget the deadline and just write what's in my heart...

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  5. Anonymous4 March 2015 at 14:17

    I think starting with a goal to just write (creatively) for five minutes a day is a good thing - if you're anything like me that five minutes will get longer as the ideas inside you start to get the oxygen they need. I've always felt deep down I was a writer, like you was always making up stories as a kid, but it was only two years ago that I really started to write rather than dabble. It feels so good to finally be getting it all down on paper! Good luck :)

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    1. Jo's Writing Space5 March 2015 at 07:57

      It's both the discipline of doing it on a regular basis and the guilt at sitting and writing when I should be descaling the kettle or worming the cat!

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  6. Chrissie M19 March 2015 at 22:13

    This is the perpetual battle I think every writer faces. The fact that you're thinking about writing and you have ideas about how that should go covers the "burning need"; it's just the actual DOING that needs some work. Haha.
    We all have times when procrastination is far less scary and for the most part more "productive" than writing something about some fictitious people that may or may not ever see the light of day. Then again, how productive is watching TV, or reading a book? (I'm lecturing myself here, too!)
    This post made me giggle and nod. Thank you for joining in with #whatimNOTwriting and sorry it's taken so long for me to get round to commenting. x
    (Muddled Manuscript)

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    1. Jo's Writing Space20 March 2015 at 07:56

      Thanks for stopping by Chrissie. I agree, my problem is actually doing it in the physical sense. I think part of the problem is that I don't see it as 'real' work so I always think I should be doing something more productive ie housework! I'm trying to break myself of this negative thinking and allowing myself the luxury of time to write.

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