I'm leaving on vacation for a week in a few hours, and I'm trying to finish up a newsletter so I can schedule it to publish while I'm gone. I'm so close to finishing, but I've got so many things on my mind, it's not happened very quickly. I really don't want to be sitting here struggling, but I need to so I can keep my motivation up and not lose interest. Not necessarily writer's block, but definitely not wanting to write today.
What would happen if you didn't get it done? Seriously. The world won't end. Put a note on your newsletter that you're going on vacation and then...go on vacation!
Yes, that is definitely an option, and I understand your point. I did get it finished, no worse for the wear, and I'm leaving for the airport knowing that I have a couple of posts scheduled, which was my goal. I'm trying to build the newsletter and I made the decision to continue to post while I was gone. :)
Good for you for getting it done! Now you can relax. It's good to keep a schedule if that's what's comfortable for you, but when writing becomes a chore we do ourselves no favors by being so rigid we can't allow for changes.
It's good practice to stick with a schedule. The world revolves around schedules, after all, But sometimes it's healthy to just say 'screw it' and go off to smell the flowers. It's not as if your boss is going to fire you!
Sometimes it is a chore, especially when I know what I want to say and it just won't come, but everything about our writing comes from inside us. We sometimes have to remember to be kind to ourselves.
I think there's a difference between writing for ourselves, and writing something you want to share with others. My readers have been kind to my 5 month old substack baby. Each Monday they read, like, comment faithfully. We have become friends, of a sort. And, even though I could take a 'vacation', I feel I owe it to them to share a weekly 'something' on kindness. Yes, there are times when I'm not feeling inspired, not thinking I can give them something worthwhile. But I keep publishing, once a week, as promised. Sometimes I learn that the things I think are the least worthwhile, are the ones they love the most. If I give myself permission to 'not write' this week, what's to keep that little habit from growing?
I agree, Heather, if you've committed to a schedule your readers come to expect, you're off the hook for this one. I also agree that, often, when you push it even when you don't feel like it, you surprise yourself and are happy with the results. That's not what I'm gently trying to say here. You'll note I start it off by talking about writing 'without deadlines'.
I own and edit a Medium publication called 'Invisible Ink'. It focuses on creative non-fiction, and I wrote this first for those writers who have come to believe if they don't publish something--anything--every day, or every few days, they'll need to pack up their desk and turn in their writer's badge. I re-posted it here because it could apply to anyone who buys into the notion that it doesn't have to be good as long as it's often. I'm giving them permission to breathe.
Invisible Ink: (Check out the Submission Guidelines to get a better picture of what I look for in creative nonfiction) https://medium.com/indelible-ink
I'm leaving on vacation for a week in a few hours, and I'm trying to finish up a newsletter so I can schedule it to publish while I'm gone. I'm so close to finishing, but I've got so many things on my mind, it's not happened very quickly. I really don't want to be sitting here struggling, but I need to so I can keep my motivation up and not lose interest. Not necessarily writer's block, but definitely not wanting to write today.
What would happen if you didn't get it done? Seriously. The world won't end. Put a note on your newsletter that you're going on vacation and then...go on vacation!
You're welcome. LOL.
Yes, that is definitely an option, and I understand your point. I did get it finished, no worse for the wear, and I'm leaving for the airport knowing that I have a couple of posts scheduled, which was my goal. I'm trying to build the newsletter and I made the decision to continue to post while I was gone. :)
Good for you for getting it done! Now you can relax. It's good to keep a schedule if that's what's comfortable for you, but when writing becomes a chore we do ourselves no favors by being so rigid we can't allow for changes.
It's good practice to stick with a schedule. The world revolves around schedules, after all, But sometimes it's healthy to just say 'screw it' and go off to smell the flowers. It's not as if your boss is going to fire you!
So. . . if you're taking the day off, who wrote this essay? This is a very "meta" post!!
LOL. I thought about adding the 'joke' at the end, but, see? You figured it out on your own!
I guess writing about how or why you don't feel like writing is still doable
I admire you for not making writing a chore, that no matter what or how you are feeling you have to still write.
Sometimes it is a chore, especially when I know what I want to say and it just won't come, but everything about our writing comes from inside us. We sometimes have to remember to be kind to ourselves.
I think there's a difference between writing for ourselves, and writing something you want to share with others. My readers have been kind to my 5 month old substack baby. Each Monday they read, like, comment faithfully. We have become friends, of a sort. And, even though I could take a 'vacation', I feel I owe it to them to share a weekly 'something' on kindness. Yes, there are times when I'm not feeling inspired, not thinking I can give them something worthwhile. But I keep publishing, once a week, as promised. Sometimes I learn that the things I think are the least worthwhile, are the ones they love the most. If I give myself permission to 'not write' this week, what's to keep that little habit from growing?
I agree, Heather, if you've committed to a schedule your readers come to expect, you're off the hook for this one. I also agree that, often, when you push it even when you don't feel like it, you surprise yourself and are happy with the results. That's not what I'm gently trying to say here. You'll note I start it off by talking about writing 'without deadlines'.
I own and edit a Medium publication called 'Invisible Ink'. It focuses on creative non-fiction, and I wrote this first for those writers who have come to believe if they don't publish something--anything--every day, or every few days, they'll need to pack up their desk and turn in their writer's badge. I re-posted it here because it could apply to anyone who buys into the notion that it doesn't have to be good as long as it's often. I'm giving them permission to breathe.
Invisible Ink: (Check out the Submission Guidelines to get a better picture of what I look for in creative nonfiction) https://medium.com/indelible-ink