Perfect conditions, procrastination and all that
There's nothing like a clear couple of hours for writing to invite you into an involuntary Youtube wormhole. You’ve got an empty house and a clear diary, and suddenly nothing is more important than the a cappella version of God Only Knows or that door that sounds like Miles Davis. You are not alone.
As often happens, an issue comes up that seems to be affecting many at the same time. A good few people have contacted me this week, mostly by email, but also here.
The common themes troubling those people:
searching for perfect conditions
getting started
organising yourself
procrastination
what time of day is best for writing
I address them all in this 20 minutes of chat. What I do may not suit you; but it is a perspective at least, and do you know what; I think it will suit most of you. I also talk about permission, structure, commitment and being good to yourself.
I hope you find it useful.
What works for me: somebody - was it you, Mark? - told me that 'not writing feels worse than writing'.
She says, currently with three clear hours and therefore thinking about doing a bit of yoga/cleaning/breakfast/pottering/ thinking about another book idea/ looking out of the window/
A really helpful post, Mark. Quite a lot of that resonated: giving yourself permission, recognising that you are a writer. And giving your writing time the same respect as the most important client meeting. Love what you are doing here. I wondered also how much benefit or distraction you find in reading the work of others? And do you find yourself reading less as your writing finds a rich vein?