... and Darth represents the stranglehold that writing has had on my life this past month. Normally, I would be jumping for joy. I've done so much this past month that I've had no time for blogging. The truth is quite a bit farther afileld.
It's not that I have had a lack of writing work to do. I've had critiques, assignments for a small splitter group within my writing group, and a writing contest to prepare for. So, why haven't I accomplished anything? Why has my writing life been holding an anvil over my head?
And it's not as if I have not done anything. I have done the crits. I have started a story for the splitter group. The problem is, the story is not done. It was also going to be my writing contest entry. Well, with the deadline this weekend, I doubt anything will be done for that. The only consolation I have is I have not seen anything from the splitter group either.
Last week, with deadlines looming, I found myself complaining aloud about how little time I had to actually write. I looked at the promises I made to myself and then I added up the amount of time I spent writing. I felt depressed and disappointed with myself. Then I wondered if I was actually cut out for the writing life or whether I would end up just being another wanna-be writer.
Then I picked up Page After Page by Heather Sellers and my writing life began to transform. This was the book I needed. It doesn't discuss writing theory. It doesn't tell you the intricacies of plot, character and theme. It's about the writing life and how to get to it.
Ever since, writing has stopped having a strangehold on me. It is not torturing me or calling me nasty names. Now, it is co-operating. I am writing a little bit each day and even keeping a journal. It's baby steps, I know, but as life has shown me recently, babies quickly learn to run very fast.
It's not that I have had a lack of writing work to do. I've had critiques, assignments for a small splitter group within my writing group, and a writing contest to prepare for. So, why haven't I accomplished anything? Why has my writing life been holding an anvil over my head?
And it's not as if I have not done anything. I have done the crits. I have started a story for the splitter group. The problem is, the story is not done. It was also going to be my writing contest entry. Well, with the deadline this weekend, I doubt anything will be done for that. The only consolation I have is I have not seen anything from the splitter group either.
Last week, with deadlines looming, I found myself complaining aloud about how little time I had to actually write. I looked at the promises I made to myself and then I added up the amount of time I spent writing. I felt depressed and disappointed with myself. Then I wondered if I was actually cut out for the writing life or whether I would end up just being another wanna-be writer.
Then I picked up Page After Page by Heather Sellers and my writing life began to transform. This was the book I needed. It doesn't discuss writing theory. It doesn't tell you the intricacies of plot, character and theme. It's about the writing life and how to get to it.
Ever since, writing has stopped having a strangehold on me. It is not torturing me or calling me nasty names. Now, it is co-operating. I am writing a little bit each day and even keeping a journal. It's baby steps, I know, but as life has shown me recently, babies quickly learn to run very fast.
