I haven’t written much this month.
Partly because I finished a novel and I’m editing. Partly because I started working full-time and it feels like I have less hours in the day. Partly because I’ve written over 150,000 words this year and I’m a little burnt out. Partly because life seems jam packed and I’m struggling to find time to see my boyfriend, let alone write. But mainly… and this is the truth, because I can make all the excuses I want. But when it comes right down to it… writing isn’t something that I’ve prioritised this month.
And that’s the truth, right? We can spill out a dozen reasons why we haven’t written but in all reality… we just haven’t made time for it.
So! On that note! I’m venturing back into the murky waters of writing! My goal is to start out writing 500 words a day. Seems doable, right?
Who’s going to join me? Anyone else lost writing momentum as the mid year approaches?
Words Read & Written 
Same here!!! I’m working, school and trying to write a book…living with my sister and her family…no real quiet space to write…Its been hard to not only write a book, but the blogging for me has been real hard…
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150,000 words? Good for you.
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I really love today’s quote.
500 a day is the number I shoot for. It’s my minimum. Times 365 = nearly 200,000 words in a year.
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Thanks for sharing! I am working on not being so hard on myself when I “fall out” of something and found this super helpful.
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My school year finished in early May and I’ve been worthless as can be for writing. I’ve been reading a lot though. I’ve been getting back into “journaling” because that seems to spark my creativity.
I think 500 words a day is a good target, that’s what I try to do when I’m on a good roll.
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I’m taking great comfort in reading this post and everyone’s comments- I needed to remember that this happens to most writers- I just recently finished a stint at college and so I’m in such a transition that I’m trying to find the rhythm for my whole life, never mind my writing 😛
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I’ve had computer issues recently, so I haven’t been in the blogosphere much, but this has given me the time to work on my fiction with my favourite pencil and notebook.
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You’ve got all these replies and where I live June 27 hasn’t even happened yet. Two completed novels I’m trying to promote and two more nearly written. But I must get back into writing. It keeps depression at bay. And 500 words a week (or was it a day?) sounds quite workable.
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I’m also in the editing stage. So it’s a bit of a waiting game at the moment. Have written a couple of short stories but that’s it. Spending all my time on Twitter, Tumblr, WordPress!
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Yes, you’re a writer and you need to write. But you’re also a person and you need to live your life, don’t you? Setting targets for the other things in your life (ie “time spent with boyfriend”) can sometimes make it easier for the writing to reclaim its space.
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There just isn’t enough time. ‘Life’ has gotten in the way the last couple of months, but as Marcus so aptly put it – we still need to live, right?
I’m almost at the end of my wip, one more chapter to write and it’s done – but the last hurdle is a challenge. I just can’t seem to get it done!
Sometimes I find writing something new helps, it rejuvenates my motivation.
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So happy I found this. Sometimes all you need is to hear other people be honest about the writing process. I was working on a YA novel for a few years and lost interest so much that I wasn’t writing anything and felt so much guilt over it. I finally decided to commit to blogging and I’ve been loving it. I may go back to the novel but for right now I’m just so happy I’m writing regularly.
If you don’t need to hit a word count, I like the goal of writing daily. Some days that means writing a postcard, other days it’s a 500 word blog post. Right now I’m just focusing on keeping a rhythm and silencing the inner critic.
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I’ve just climbed back on the writing wagon after being extremely under motivated. It’s a good feeling.
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I too find that after a stretch of intense amounts of writing that I run out of words, my creative well is dry. Or with editing, too, my brain sometimes just refuses to do it. With a bit of a break to recharge, when I force myself to get started again, I tend to get back into the rhythm. Anyway, best of luck to you!
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I totally feel you! (Though I don’t even have the excuse of editing, which imo totally counts!). I’m actually at the point where I need a new project and I have a couple of things I could be working on but I’m too lazy to sit down and nut out what needs to happen before I can start writing them. I should probably set some July goals, too.
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Good luck on your 500 word goal! I have no doubt it will be fun and empowering.
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Jodie- you are right on the money! We can make all the excuses or try justifying our lack of writing all day, but when it comes down to it, we simply aren’t making writing a priority. My gosh, your blog is just what I needed to get my butt back in gear, and a starting point of 500 words a day sounds great and totally doable. You can count me in! (The only stipulation I have, and it’s a personal one, is that for religious reasons, I don’t write on Sundays. Is that cool?)
BTW, you rock, my friend!!
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I very much sympathise with your situation. I’ve found momentum hard to come by recently too. I think in your case, though, you’re being a bit hard on yourself. You’ve recently written a first draft pretty quickly and have then been editing – which, as you know, is just as vital a part of the process as getting the words down in the first place. Then you say you’ve started planning your next one – again, an unavoidable part of the process. I think that often we risk thinking that we’re not ‘properly’ writing unless we’re banging out hundreds of words every single day – whereas the truth is that’s only part of it, even if’s our favourite part.
As for the thought that if we’re not finding the time to write then we’re simply not prioritising it … well again I agree up to a point. In our busy lives do need to find time to write and to think carefully about what else we can sacrifice to do so without also sacrificing health, happiness and relationships. At some times however that is more difficult than others. It sounds to me like you’ve got your priorities about right. Best of luck with your new novel and everything else.
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Very nicely said, Christopher!
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Normally I’d say “bring your goal down to 400 and I’ll be there 😉 ,” because I try to write 400 every day, but I’m going on vacation soon! There’s no way I’ll be able to keep up! Cheers to you for writing 500 a day. That’s a great goal.
Your real life is the soil from which your stories grow. It’s necessary to focus on it, to spend time there rather than writing, otherwise your writing will dry up. At least that’s why happens to me. So get out there, have fun with your boyfriend and have some adventures, too.
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