This month, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) asked, “What’s the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?” I regret how busyness coerced me into abandoning my writing dream. Compound that regret with thinking I could write a book readers will love without a plan. I finally learned how to overcome busyness and become a better writer.
Don’t Let Busyness Steal Your Dream
Busyness comes in many forms. Even if you have the time to write, procrastination can wipe out that advantage. Steven Pressfield, in his book, The War of Art, summed it up.
There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard.
What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.
Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.
Let My Past Resistance Help You Overcome Busyness and Become a Better Writer!
Over the years, I’ve gathered 3,000-plus notes about writing. Too frequently, I organized notes instead of actually writing.
My note taking was the curse of Resistance!
Fortunately, those notes will now benefit you. Over the next few months, I’ll publish seven workbooks so you don’t have to buy and study so many writing books.
Busy people like you can use 7-Step Storytelling to write a book readers will love. In upcoming posts, I’ll share all the details.
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What’s the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?
Visit the Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Take a moment and checkout Alex Cavanaugh’s popular Insecure Writer’s Support Group. I encourage you to sign up and take part in the monthly blog challenge. You will also find a list of bloggers signed up for the monthly challenge that are worth checking out. The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or words of encouragement for fellow writers.
Above all, the IWSG site is fun and informative!
“write a book readers will love without a plan”–just can’t do it! I am a planner and am amazed by all those pantsers who can write from a stream of consciousness. Good post, Grant.
Thanks, Jacqui! As an avid reader, I was convinced that writing would come naturally. The sound of crickets convinced me otherwise. Once a pantser and now a planner, I’m striving to make it easier by providing a map with 5-Step Storytelling.
I think it’s a great idea, Grant. What really kick-started my writing decades ago was the Marshall Plan. That’s an organized approach to writing that makes sure everything required is included. Loved it (though I’ve since moved on).
100% sitting down is the hardest part! We only have as much time to write as we are willing to spend in the chair.
Thanks for visiting and commenting, Abby! May your writing dreams come true in 2022.
It is impressive all the busyness we can create for ourselves from research taking us down a dark rabbit hole, to writing that is for anything other than our book, to “building our following” by commenting and engaging everywhere all the time. While all of those things are very important in their own right, we have to set clear intentions around them to ensure that they are productive not just distracting from the main focus of all that effort.
It’s a dilemma: two or more important things begging for our attention. Setting priorities helps, but there’s always that lure of just one more “fun thing” before I get to the hard stuff. Thanks for commenting, Heidi!
I have to admit, I am a pantser. That’s not to say I haven’t tried plotting and planning, but pantsing seems to work best for me. Even when I do plot, it gets derailed and the outcome is so much better. However, I don’t see how some plotting and some pantsing can’t go hand in hand.
You’ve hit on the key, Diane! Finding what works for each of us trumps all the advice from others.
For example, writers can apply structure before (i.e., plotting) or after (i.e., editing). Regardless of the process sequence, readers ultimately decide if we were successful in meeting their expectations.
Great analogy with the two lives.
Welcome to the IWSG!
Thanks, Alex. This is my fourth month to take part, and I enjoy the questions plus touring the listed blogs.
I spent a lot of time studying how to write a book–almost too much. I was putting off writing the actual book. I finally forced myself to start writing.
Happy 2022!
Distraction—the writer’s nemesis. Here’s to 2022, the year your writing dream comes true!
The life I’m living doesn’t give me a lot of time to write, but when I do, I’m easily distracted. I start fine then develop writers block soon after. I like to write it’s just like pulling teeth to get the words out.
Distractions are the nemesis of writers. Three traits best selling-authors share are the passion to write, the discipline to progress, and the courage to share.
It sounds like you have writing passion. Consider setting aside a daily writing time. Each day you write, even if it’s only a sentence or two, that’s a victory. Celebrate!
As part of my discipline, I turned writing notes into a process: 5-Step Storytelling. Having a process allows for life’s detours, helping writers pick up where they left off and contributing to continuous progress!