Writing is a Curse…Sometimes

By Peter Welmerink, Mr. Procrastinator

I consider myself a write. Not necessary a good writer. Not a good writer mainly because I often don’t drill down and sit down and get the job as I should. I have projects and a million story ideas, but I am my own worst enemy when it comes to plopping myself down and putting words on page.

Now it is not a worry that when I do sit down I won’t be able to CREATE, to write, to vomit words upon the blank page. No, it is not that. I have been writing for many many many years, and being (thankfully) published for many compared to the many-many-many of actually writing.

So what holds me back from buckling down and getting the job done. Geesh! How many short stories and novels would I potentially have out in the public’s hands if I actually had sat down and banged out words consistently, constantly, in a timely manner?

I try not to think about it because I think it would be totally depressing and counterproductive to my writer’s work continuity.

Yeah, yeah. I am a regular job. I have a wife and kids, have a day job, have aging parents I continuously keep tabs on. I do like to get out there and breathe, stick my face out into the cool fresh air and take a breath.

And within all those important items and peoples and activities above, I know there is time to write, to create.

I get up during the week at roughly 530am. Pull the dishes from the dishwasher. Get the coffee going for my wife and I. Put a pan on with water to make my typical oatmeal breakfast. Pet the cats, crack a window open so they can be tormented by the rabbits outside in the front bushes.

But then why don’t I sit down, and hammer down, hooking up the box cars loaded with stories on the word train?

Do I fear getting going and where the story will take me? Afraid to get the characters within moving, get the plot line moving again, getting the whole thing rolling again? Do I fear I will write it, get the whole thing done and then be stymied by what to do next…even when I know there are ideas aplenty to splash across the blank open page?

Thing is, I get excited about the concept of sitting down and continuing the story, but then sit down and suddenly it is like I am stuck in cement.

How does one get over this? How does one plop into cement but then bust out and GET TO IT?

Simple. Really. Just like the Nike motto. JUST DO IT.

Like anything in life, like an item in the house your wife wants fixed and has been hounding you for a while to get done, you just need to JUST DO IT.

Just sit your ass down, open that file, put fingers to keyboard and start writing. Or if you a writing that first draft on ye olde wood pulp paper, just grab that pen or pencil, put the writing end to paper and JUST DO IT.

Like getting that task done the wife has been on you about, and when you do it (or at least try your best to get it done and then the damn faucet still leaks), you WILL feel accomplishment and contentness (not a word. Whatever.) that you JUST DID IT and DID SOMETHING.

I try to target at least 350 words a day. Not much. Not what Stephen King suggests, but you know what? It is something. And something is better than nothing and it still is progressing that story in your head and getting it that one step closer to completion.

Sit down and write. Just do it.