I was sitting here today thinking about what to post and what to start working on for an upcoming submission date for my critique group and found myself, as usual, feeling overwhelmed with everything around me that needed to be addressed...piles of laundry, dishes in the sink, dust bunnies flitting about and work to do for my "real job." I happened to glance down at my calendar to see what is on my TTD list in the next couple days and read the weekly dose of inspiration. It was a duh moment...
"Life can be fascinating, frustrating, intriguing, even frightening at times. However, the one thing it shouldn't be is overwhelming. As human beings, we have been endowed with all the tools required to deal with life, and whatever it throws at us."
It wasn't a quote attributable to any particular person, just a P.O.V. (point of view) saying on organization. While I am a highly organized person, per se, I find I can spend a great deal of time organizing my life away rather than focusing on a given task. These words above gave me renewed hope to take things as they come, do what I can in dealing with life (and it's interruptions in my writing world) and focus on the task at hand. I'm still not exactly sure what I am going to sit down and write, but I've a few ideas perculating at the moment I will try to shape into a functional WIP.
Happy weekend and writing to all!
Karin,
ReplyDeleteI often feel the same way. In fact, it's 29 January, only one day before I submit to the very same critique group and I am feeling the exact same way, overwhelmed! So much so, that I have considered-more than once-withdrawing from the group to alleviate the pressure. But, then I realized that would accomplish only one thing, I would stop writing all together because I am accountable to no one because being accountable to myself clearly isn't working. I am disappointed in my lack of writing discipline and cannot honestly point to one aspect of my life that I am happy with because I feel on top of it, not one! So, I've resorted to keeping a list of all the things I do manage to accomplish in a day so I can look back at the end of the day and say, "Ah-hah, that's how I spent my time. I actually got a lot done," even if it isn't writing.
Happy writing to you as well!
Don't you dare thinking of withdrawing, my friend! You just write when you can, submit when you can and take the month off when you need to. Pays to have a nice little flexible critique group such as we are:-)
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of keeping track of what is accompolished in a day. Seems more effective than having a never ending list of TTDs to scratch off if and when accomplished.
Take care, dear friend, and enjoy the return to the outside working world.
Karin