Some of you will know writing doesn’t come easy to me. Or it hasn’t with the health issues and domestic chaos I’ve encountered these last three or four years. But as I mentioned in my last Life Cycle post, “If I keep doing the same thing, I’m going to keep getting the same results.” So, what have I done about it? Well, you will be pleased and maybe a little surprised to hear; quite a bit actually…
When I’m in the writing doldrums I find a night or two with the Romaniac girls or our RNA friends can provide a much needed tonic and inspiration and so, when I spotted Tamsyn Murray was running a, ‘Live, Breathe, LOVE Writing,’ workshop in Cheshunt with Julie Cohen and Miranda Dickinson as guest speakers, and it coincided with a weekend my youngest was with his dad, I decided to go for it.
It was a lovely surprise to find Helen Walters and Bernadette O’Dwyer at the workshop. I’ve been cyber acquainted with both for several years but never met in person and it was refreshing to meet a whole new bunch of creative writers whom I didn’t know previously. It didn’t take long for our wonderful tutors, Tamsyn, Julie and Miranda to uncover that several of us were in the same situation. 
I’m not the only one who procrastinates and doubts myself!
Re-reading the notes I made on the day, here are the points I took away to put into action:-
– Create a discipline. Write every day or designate slots for writing time. Take your writing seriously and you can call yourself a writer.
– Finish it! Keep writing until you type, ‘THE END.’
– Leave the fannying, tweaking and twiddling to the edits!
– Stop being frightened. Stop making excuses. Don’t give the crows time to start pecking. Keep going. Once it’s finished it will give you such a boost, they’ll soon fly off!
– Set an achievable goal and STICK WITH IT! Helen and I took up Bernadette’s challenge for us all to finish our WIP’s by the end of June.
– Buddy up. Use social media to best effect and keep each other going. Bernadette, Helen and I message each other regularly for progress updates and to spur each other on.
There’s nothing remarkable there I hear you say? No, there isn’t. It isn’t rocket science. Writer’s write. And if you want it enough and you can find your inner strength to stick to these points, you WILL succeed.
How do I know? Because, for once, I’ve stuck with it and it’s working. As many days as I can, I sit down to write by 10am and write until the muse leaves. Sometimes it can be half an hour. Sometimes several hours. This is huge progress. I’m up to 91,250 words, Chapter 25. Progress. I think of myself as a writer. Progress. I can see the end in sight. Progress. I WILL achieve our self-imposed deadline of the end of June to complete the WIP’s. I WILL do it. And I’ve written it here to prove it so you can all nag and chivvy me along too. Crikey, that is progress.
Until next time, wish me luck and Happy Writing!
Debbie x
The Romaniacs 
Well done, Debs. Great to see the writing coming along so well. xx
Very encouraging post we need this from time to time!
Debs, you’re an inspiration! Thrilled to bits for you that your writing is progressing. Gotta be worth an extra slice of Romaniac choccie cake! 🙂 Xx
So pleased for you, Debbie. I know how much this was getting you down. Proud of you, my friend 🙂 xx
Go, Debbie. We do all know that we need to make time for what we’re supposed to be doing: writing, but a reminder never hurts. Just off to slap myself about a bit and get focussed. 🙂 xx
Congratulations Debbie! Such a public proclamation too 😀 Good luck x
[…] Murray’s, ‘Live, Breathe, LOVE WRITING!’ earlier this year. I talked about it in my last Life Cycle post. It gave me that final push and with the help of two of the other delegates, Helen Walters and […]