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Morning neighbors! Gather around, I'm going to tell you a little #BreakfastThread story about the Art of Not Writing.
#WritingCommunity
#WritingCommunity
Once upon a time I bought into the idea that one had to Write Every Day™ in order to be a writer.
Like most pieces of advice this turned into some weird metric for determining if people were "real" writers or not.
Like most pieces of advice this turned into some weird metric for determining if people were "real" writers or not.
And while it's a good idea to build a habit of writing into your day if you want to make it a career, one has to be aware of all the other things for living that need doing.
Everyone's situation is different and this kind of "advice" doesn't work for everyone across the board.
Everyone's situation is different and this kind of "advice" doesn't work for everyone across the board.
But moreover...writing ALL the TIME isn't good for you either. That's how you burn out.
Now 2020 presents its own set of horrific challenges and obviously anyone who's managed a writing practice, hit deadlines, gotten out of bed, taken a breath, etc deserves a medal for it.
But really? It's not all that unique in the grand scheme of things. Life happens. Shit happens. Sometimes you have to write through it to hit deadlines (since this is a job), sometimes you have to call your agent, your editors and ask for more time.
I wrote at the beginning of the year. Finished one book. Edited another. And then wrapped edits on the second book just a month or so ago.
But I haven't written anything new since February. And I'm okay with it.
But I haven't written anything new since February. And I'm okay with it.
We talk about refilling the well, but the truth of the matter is that after 7 books in 4 years my well isn't just empty - it's tapped out.
So the refill is going to take a while and that's what I've been doing for most of the year.
So the refill is going to take a while and that's what I've been doing for most of the year.
