Oh the procrastination!

[Devaya]

I'm getting really frustrated with myself. Every time I decide 'tonight I'm going to work on my short stories for x amount of time', that'll be a bad night where DS wakes up constantly or something else comes up, and eventually I give up trying to focus. But then, when I do have my one 'day off' when DP takes care of DS while I supposedly go and do some writing...what do I do...sit on the internet/sit on the beach/'research' etc...any actual writing...NO!

It's really not making me feel good about myself as a writer. I just can't understand why, when I really do want to work on something, I DON'T. there's always something else to do. Like an essay for a course I'm doing...great, but it's still not actual writing! (as in, my fiction stuff).

Anyone have any tips or commiserations?

[milosmomma]

So, tell the truth, did you just write this to avoid your ACTUAL writing?

Yeah, I'm right there with you. I wish I had some advice.....but I'm busy playing Tetris online

[Devaya]

Yes, good one! today I actually managed to write two big pages of a short story, but to tell the truth I'm just not feeling it at the moment. I've been more into writing poetry and long-hand stuff. Also, b/c I associate the PC with networking and time-wasting internet stuff, it's maybe not good for me to write on there first and foremost.

I'm thinking there's some deeper block at work here, though, b/c even when I had TONS more time than I do now, with a small child, like when I worked only part-time, I hardly did any writing and always procrastinated. It's like I just can't quite take my projects seriously enough to get on with them. A friend of mine who's younger than me has already had a novel published and is nearly done with a second one (and won an award for the first one!), and she's just so dedicated, it 's like her life. I wish I could be like that....

[midnightwriter]

I can totally relate! My situation exactly! Last night I spent 2 hours redesigning my blog header. (it is actually very pretty now )

Don't laugh, but I talk to myself sternly and make myself write. Like I tell myself, Ania, you are going to close MDS NOW, like on the count of 3, like NOW NOW NOW. And I already have my Word document open. And then I just close it, and write I'm always happy afterwards. I feel so accomplished.

I try to remind myself how accomplished I'll feel after writing, and how low I'll feel after doing nothing (thought that blogger header was neat )

[milosmomma]

I know how you feel. I think I have the same block. :

I started blogging because I thought that it would get my juices flowing. Every so often it does, but most of teh time I just think about how I SHOULD be blogging..... I follow these other bloggers and it puts me to shame. Bah.....

[doubledutch]

maybe the way you think you should write isn't working for you. maybe it would work better for you to record yourself telling the story to ds as you go about your day. maybe a little notebook where you can jot things down for five minutes here and ten there. or if there is something else you find easy to fit in to your life, like blogging, you could work that way. don't feel locked in to sitting down (at the computer?) and w.r.i.t.i.n.g. for two hours. maybe that's not your process.