Stuff Gets in a Writer’s Way

Focus on the Flowers, RBG, Burlington, ON

Tuesdays and Fridays, those are my posting days, and I almost always stick to them.  Unless something gets in my way.  Here are some of my stoppers this past few days:

1. Good Friday.  I just can’t get down to business on a holiday; hence, there were not wonderful words (or any other kind) from me last Friday.  Thanks to those who indicated they liked my attitude.
2. Bad News.  Two people in my family found out about health issues and let the rest of us know.  Hard to think of my writing as being so important.  Sometimes your mind (and your body) just has to go elsewhere.
3. Good News.  A writer friend emailed to let a number of us know her manuscript has been accepted for publication and my Inbox has been flooded with wonderful Reply-To-All congratulatory messages for Sharon, a writer’s dream, for sure.  How does that get in my way?  A speck of envy dust was lodged in my revision-weary eye for just the merest moment before I got back into my positive place.  I looked in the mirror at my bloodshot eyes and repeated out loud, “My time is coming.” And it is. Meanwhile, I keep smiling for Sharon as she so deserves this break.
4. More Good News.  Barbara Kyle tweeted me about a historical fiction contest she thought I should enter.  Way cool that she reached out to me, but my brain immediately took me on a wild ride of possibilities until I settled down and let my logical side work out just how to use this excellent information.  Sometimes getting sidetracked is so easy.  I purposely wrote out a list of the things I want to accomplish this moment, this afternoon, this day.  If I keep to the little things the big things will get done.  That’s the theory, anyhow.
5. More Good News.  I had a doctor’s appointment this morning about my eye, which has been severely bloodshot for a week.  No, I’m not into the sauce.  Apparently these are quite common and even though I have to talk about the red of my eye instead of the whites, I’m okay.  Well, I was so euphoric after that visit, I just wanted to go out for lunch and the rest of the day. Heck, even the rest of the week.  (I’d put a picture of it in but don’t want to gross you all out.)
6. Losing My Groove.  Having four days of holiday over Easter weekend, my writing just had to wait while family and friends took precedence.  Today I’m paying the price as my body has found out there are other things a person can do all day rather than sit at a keyboard.  Love the holidays but understand why a lot of writers never take them.  This blog post is my gateway back to the magic of sitting at my keyboard, tapping my fingers on the keys, and brilliant words flowing onto the screen.
7. Life.  The phone rings (don’t answer it), my water-glass gets empty (forget it), my neighbor drives by (don’t make eye contact), and a million other things.  All distracting, but, wait.  They can be avoided.  When the words are working and the fingers can’t type fast enough, all else is underpainting while I brush the real scenes from my mind onto the pages.

Yes, stuff gets in a writer’s way but so what.  If we really want to write we just work through it and perhaps even use it in our writing.  What do you do with lemons?  Make lemonade.

How do you keep your mind focused on your writing?  Have you ever experienced good news that almost stopped you writing?  Consider leaving a comment to tell us about it.