So you've played that game of solitaire, or your favorite computer game for the past half hour. Each time you finish one, you tell yourself it's the last one and then you'll finish writing that short story you've been meaning to write. You tell yourself you don't feel inspired; you're taking a break from the strain of the day before you start writing and a million other individual reasons to not write. If this sounds like you then the first step to writing is admitting you are a procrastinator.
That was the first hard part. Let's face it no one likes being told they are a procrastinator. I've been a procrastinating writer for the past 10 years, and am finally doing something about it. The second step is looking at the reasons you are procrastinating. This goes back to the old 'GI Joe' cartoon saying, 'knowing is half the battle'. If you know the reasons for your procrastination then you will find you can find solutions to overcoming your writers blocks and procrastinating habits. You can actually start the writing process now.. This leads us to the third step, writing.
Writing should be a joy for you. Start off by setting a time that is best for you to write. A time when you know that nothing is going to bother you, and when you get in the 'zone', you won't be pulled out. Write anything, from personal essays, poems to non-fiction pieces. Whatever you know you can write comfortably and work that will get you going. Even if all you do is write down your ideas and create worlds you want to write about, it's a start.
This brings us to the fourth step of setting goals to write actual polished pieces that you would want someone to read. Yes if you made it to this step then you are doing well. It's a struggle still but keep at it and it will pay off. Set small goals because they are a) easy to accomplish; b) won't seem as scary to you the first time you attempt to write a full piece; and finally c) because if it's good piece of work, there a lot of places that might take a small filler piece (those little 100 - 500 word blurb sections in a lot of magazines) or short story.
If you've made it to the final step, step five, then pat yourself on the shoulder and do the second hard part of this whole exercise, which is actually allowing someone to read your work and learning from any criticism of your work. I have a couple of people who do this for me and trust me it is not easy on the ego but it makes a difference because it allows you to see the readers opinion and improve your writing. You may not understand this right away but stay tuned for my next 'blog log article' on the importance of the 'reading critic'.
Recapping the five steps:
1) Admit you are a procrastinator (it's like going to an AAA meeting for writers in denial)
2) Discover the root of your procrastinating habits / writers block.
3) Start writing (anything..even if it's a grocery list of things you wish you had in the fridge...hey don't knock it till you've tried it)
4) Write an actual article you would want to show someone to read - this means it has to be checked for spelling, grammar and punctuation.
5) Allow someone you trust to read it and critique it, no matter how hard it is on your ego.
I hope this helps and if you have any tips for aspiring writers like myself or others, please leave your comments for all to see. Even if your opinion varies from mine, please let me know...I like to think we all have different approaches to things that may work for all of us in varying ways.
That's it for tonight folks. Enjoy what life has to offer and thank whatever god you believe in for all that you have and most importantly for those special people in your life. Bzzzzzzzzzzz