The Adventure Continues…
Finding The Words To Write
“Telling a writer to relax is like telling a man to relax while being examined for a hernia, and as for confidence, see how stiffly he sits, glaring at the screen that awaits his words. See how often he gets up to look for something to eat or drink. A writer will do anything to avoid the act of writing.”
– William Zinsser
I was shocked to find that June 26th was the last entry in the Adventure Begins/Continues series. I’d ask where the time has gone, but it’s pointless to rewind and figure it out. Besides, I’m in a let’s move forward kind of mood.
My home, hosienda, camper, bed-on-wheels or whatever name you find pleasing to call it is still parked in Michigan. With the amount of rain we received in May, June and early part of July, much of my time was spent inside staring at a computer monitor. I’m grateful for the virtual assistant clients that kept my time occupied. To pacify my hyperactive, creative mind (and another way to distract me from writing my books) I developed another website – PenToPaperWritersCircle.com.
The beta-members (aka the Patient Ones) have helped me work out a lot of kinks in the membership platform, find my rhythm as a leader/guide/coach and, most importantly, deal with my own writer’s procrastination.
Yesterday afternoon I drove the dirt road to Peterson Point dictating into a cellphone app the following words:
We are a society that has been trained to believe we need a boss or someone outside of ourselves to hold our self accountable. As an entrepreneur, this is one of the biggest obstacles for getting tasks done (especially the tasks we do not like to do). It’s easy to set those tasks off to the side thinking we will get to them another day. With the boss we have somebody outside of ourselves dictating when things will be done, how they will be done, and provide us the necessary deadline to get things done.
It’s not that I don’t want to hold myself accountable, or that I don’t know how to hold myself accountable, it’s just the consequences if I don’t hold myself accountable are not as severe as if I was to slack on the job for a boss.
I can promise myself until I am blue in the face that I will get something accomplished. If it’s not something I want to do, and there’s no deadline, it will sit on a heap on my desk and wait for me to move it to a more distant plot of real estate on the desk.
So how can we alleviate our delay tactics? How do we get around the need to stall, postpone and set it aside for another day? Would setting a goal to have it completed by a certain day make a difference? Has that worked yet? I wonder if our delay tactics are because we do not have consequences for not getting it done. That must be it! There is no one looking for the rough draft, there’s no one seeking the next chapter and no one expecting to read the next paragraph.
It is frustrating to know the words I want to write linger somewhere between my thoughts and fingertips.
I walked the sandy shores of Lake Michigan at Peterson Point hoping the answers would flutter daintily into my thoughts like a monarch butterfly. Instead I found flat stones that my oldest grandson would have, if he was with me, skipped into the lake. I giggled, picked up the smoothest skipping rock and slid it into my pocket as a reminder to play more often and stop thinking.
The answers will evolve as the Mastermind/Accountability Group discussions continue. It’s a process, right? Right! I’m focused on enjoying the journey and savoring every morsel of it versus insisting I know everything right now. If I knew everything all at once, how boring life would be afterward!
And that, my dear friends, is where we’re at on our journey with the Pen To Paper Writers Circle Mastermind/Accountability Group. We are uncovering and discovering the hang-ups and joys of writing. The best part is we know for certain we will spend at least 30 minutes a week writing — and it’s during our weekly conference call.
Until next time… put pen to paper and write!
Captured moments along the way…
Explore the adventures that got me here…
An Ultimatum Directed at Spirit is a Bad, Bad Idea
The Adventure Continues...“You do what you can for as long as you can, and when you finally can’t, you do the next best thing. You back up but you don’t give up.” ―Chuck YeagerWhat are a few of the lines they say about tempting fate? If you want to hear God laugh,...
19 to 75 in Less Than a Week
The Adventure Continues...“Life is an amazing adventure; it was never intended to be lived in gray-scale.” ― CK KochisMy breath hung frozen in the air for a moment before evaporating into the dawn of the day. The words thank you slipped through my lips as I observed...
Letting Go & Shrinking Spaces
The Adventure Continues...“How can you write from your heart if your head is busy yelling at you?” ― Barb ParcellsIt's not easy to let go of the critical monkey-mind voice somedays. When I edited the podcast interviews with Barb Parcells and Christin Bjergbakke, I...
A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do! I find that if I tell someone else I’ll have something done by a certain time, I will do my best to do it. It’s something my dad instilled in me about staying true to our word when we give it. Having said that, when I don’t make myself accountable to someone … anyone … I find all kinds of reasons to not do it! I guess I’m still old-school and need someone looking over my shoulder!
Yes! A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do! Thanks for sharing your insights and staying true to your word, Barb.
I schedule in minimal writing times into my schedule. This often gives me the freedom to do so much more. Spending time in nature, never hurts 😉 Love your beautiful pictures, Cindy.
Time in nature always inspires us, doesn’t it? I’m glad you enjoyed the photographs. It feels good to pause and appreciate the moment with a click of a camera.
Scheduling time to write has many benefits and undoubtedly assists in creating/maintaining a writing habit. I appreciate your insights! Thanks, Lisa.
Staying accountable to do what we need to do can be a challenge sometime and it helps to have a buddy who is willing to keep one accountable with reciprocity, Cindy. I remember a Jack Canfield Challenge I did at the beginning of the year where my buddy wanted to make it a daily check and then of her own volition decided to make it a weekly one.
The sad thing is, I did my bit but she poor lady fell behind after a foot injury and no amount of prodding helped. We need to be self-accountable too!
I agree whole heartedly, Vatsala! There’s an ebb and flow to accountability. We’re dedicated to it for a while, then it fades away until something inside says, “Hey! It time to hold yourself accountable.” Thank you for sharing your experience.
I try to keep a calendar but this summer has just flown by and I have fallen far behind in my 30 minutes a day. That said, I’m going to take a cue from you, Cindy, and start dictating into my phone when the ideas come, as they often do on my walks in the woods, this way they don’t disappear into the ether and I can get a head start by transcribing! 🙂
Dictating has saved me from great frustration! I highly recommend it. Some of the best content, ideas and solutions come to me when I’m in nature and driving down the road. When my job required me to drive, often times I would solve an issue or come up with marketing content for clients between locations. I’d either take spares notes or speak into a tape recorder (before cell phones) to keep the “download” before it evaporated into the ethers. I’m thrilled this post has helped you get back on track, Kathleen.
Know that feeling- today started something I have been talking about for 2+years
I now write every morning- the books still waiting, great to have you back xxoo
YAY!!! You started! Isn’t that an amazing feeling? In my mind, I’m holding up a glass of champagne to toast you and to acknowledge and honor this wonderful step towards something you’ve wanted for two years. Congratulations, Suzie! And, thank you. It feels good to be back. <3
I swear there was something going on throughout the writing universe last month — and I hope like heck it’s gone! Broken central air system… a long overdue plumbing project… and…. Sometimes I just have to accept the things I cannot change and hope for an easier schedule.
Hopefully this month is going better for you, Andrea!