It's All About The Work

Actually that's a bit of a deliberate misnomer. It's the war-cry of my writing coach (and good friend) Colleen Patrick and it's also, despite the title of my blog, one of the most significant things I haven't written about on here so far! "The work" in question is the writing. The thing that, for writers, should be the most important part of the day. And the thing that, for me, always gets pushed so far to the end of the day that it falls over into tomorrow, only for the same thing to happen over and over again.

It's not that I don't write anything. I do. I write here. I write for TV Scoop (on a daily basis). I write technical documents during the working day at the only job I have that can pay the mortgage. But none of that is the writing I really want to be doing. And if I "really want to be doing it," why is it so hard to sit down and really do it?

I finished my novel in August last year. I like to write that, and have it stand in its own sentence, before going on to tell you that it's only the first draft. OK, fair enough most people don't ever get to even finish one draft, so maybe I should sit back and take some pride in that. But I think sitting back for almost six months is maybe overdoing it a little. I did start the first redraft, and I'm exactly six twentieths of the way through that, but I've been stalled for those six months.

Things have been hectic, of that there's no doubt. Moving house, decorating, entertaining (much of which is on here somewhere if you care to look), Christmas and all, but I know those reasons - or excuses, as you might call them if you were feeling harsh - wouldn't cut any ice with CP. She has a simple philosophy, which is that you should write every day. Even if it's only five minutes a day. Every day. So while I'm not one for New Year's resolutions a thought has been crystallising in my mind this last couple of weeks. That if my writing gets pushed to the end of the day, maybe that's the most sensible time to do it. I know some writers prefer first thing in the morning, but I already get up at stupid o'clock to get ready for work, and my brain is no longer sharp enough at that time of day to invent fiction. No, it's the end of the day for me. I'm always still awake long past when I should have been in bed anyway (unless I've fallen asleep in front of the telly) so what difference will an extra 30 minutes make?