“There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this. It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.” Stephen Pressfield- The War of Art
This ties in a bit to last week’s quote. Picking yourself up and getting to work. I’ve never read “The War of Art,” but I am adding it to my reading list as I’ve heard a lot of people reference it and all of the great information inside. I came across this quote and had to include it in my list for this series.
Before I quit retail, it was very hard for me to sit down and write after work. My exhaustion and frustration with my job along with my chronic pain condition were all contributions to this. But, it caused me to fall into the habit of slacking, even when I am not in pain that I have tried for 6 months now to break. I’ll have a day, or even a couple weeks where I’m on a roll but then I fall off the wagon again.
This is an ongoing struggle for writers and artists for whatever reason. Trying to find the balance between “writer life,” work, family, whatever commitments you may have in your life. It could be a health reason. I’ve mentioned my chronic pain and many creatives battle mental illness like depression and anxiety.
I know my family and friends have helped me get my butt in the seat. I was working on some editing on a Saturday after work one day and every time I glanced toward the TV, my husband would tell me to get back to work. (One of the difficulties of having an office in my living room is the TV is a big distraction) I’ll also get together with a friend and have a “productive hangout day.” And, we actually get quite a lot of work done. We act as accountability partners for each other.
I also have a morning routine that I try to stick to in order to get into “writing mode.” I’ve mentioned it before but if you want me to do an updated, detailed post, or even make a video about it, let me know in the comments.
What do you do to get the butt in the seat and write? Do you have accountability buddies? Is there a productivity method? Do you have a routine to get you in the mode of writing?