I look at my dashboard today and see that it has been a month since I last posted, and the previous post was a month before that. I don’t think I’ve taken that much time off since starting Words Deferred back in 2020.
Sorry for the lack of communication. I didn’t know I was going to disappear either. I’d like to claim I had an exciting reason, like being black-bagged by the CIA or abducted by aliens, but my life is much more mundane.
Spring has been a struggle, with a seemingly never-ending series of cold and flu germs rampaging through my family. When everyone is well, the kids are now getting to the age where their school activities are taking up a lot of our time. Plus, there’s that general late-winter Minnesota malaise, as we eagerly await the warmer weather.
At the beginning of February, I was sick and struggling to write much of anything. I started a few blog posts, and then left them unfinished. I let myself get distracted, and as days slipped by without writing anything, it felt like a bigger and bigger task just to put pen to paper.
Starting to Write Again
I’ve always struggled with consistency when it comes to my writing, and I know I’m not the only one. Over the years, I’ve noticed two genres of blog post and online discourse among writers (and especially amateur writers):
- How to write consistently
- Oh no, I can’t seem to write consistently, what do I do?
These conversations often take as given that you have to be consistent to be successful, and therefore inconsistency is tantamount to failure. Writers just love self-flagellation.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten more consistent. Through trial and error, I’ve found ways to motivate myself and fight back against some of my less helpful habits. I’ve learned how to write more and better. I’ve also come to understand that consistency is a moving target. I suspect I will never feel as productive as I would like, no matter how much I improve.
Each writer is on a different stage of that journey, and starting from a different place. Some people are lucky to have the built-in drive and consistency to simply set themselves goals and then work toward them, day after day. Some of us have to treat getting stuff done like a heist, with elaborate plans to trick ourselves into productivity.
I’m happy to be in the position now where I know how to get going again. I’ve done it many times before. Unfortunately it’s still a pain in the ass. I have to get my brain back into that mode.
Other Updates
A few stories came back to me in February, all rejections. One of these was Dr. Clipboard’s Miracle Wonder Drug, which had been on hold at an anthology for a while, so that was a bit of a let-down.
After making myself a word count mini-goal in January, I had planned to dedicate February to revisions. That never happened, and I’ll most likely try again in April. February was a lost month as far as writing was concerned, and I’m taking March to get back into the groove of writing regularly again. That means the blog will be coming back to life. Otherwise, I’ll be doing a mix of things—whatever gets my fingers on the keyboard.
That’s All
This post was a little more off-the-cuff than usual. I needed to write something without worrying too much about format. I don’t really have a conclusion, except to say that I’m back, and you should expect to see me around more.
Words Deferred 