I haven’t written a new story for ages.
Even last month’s prompt from our writing group was answered with a rejigged story I penned years ago.
My excuses to myself have been multiple. . . dogs to train, fish ponds to de-sludge, nettles to nuke, anthologies to edit, roses to dead-head, meals to prepare, emails to answer, blog posts to read. . .
But when offered an opportunity or alerted to a competition, my first, unaknowledged, thought has been, ‘Can I be bothered?’
It was guilt at my inactivity on a Facebook group where I once was active, that pushed me last week to contribute to two of their ongoing monthly challenges. The blessing with these is that they are brief and there is no pressure for them to shine. It’s all for fun.
The group, if you’re interested, is the Authors of the Flash Fiction Writing Challenges (AOFFWC) and it is made up of anyone who has contributed to one of Chris Fielden’s flash fiction writing challenges. (These are published as anthologies when they reach the required number of contributions, and the proceeds go to selected charities.)
Members of the AOFFWC Facebook group are fingered to pose each other challenges each month – no prizes. Just for the practice. Responses can be as brief as you like – the shorter, the better. (Mine rarely end up as short as I intend.)
I decided it had been too long since I contributed, so I sat down to meet a couple of this month’s challenges. Now it’s done, I feel galvanised to write more.
Advice often trotted out by writing gurus is that the best strategy to beat writer’s block is to start writing. I never doubted it (so many advisors can’t all be wrong) but when falling on ears that don’t want to hear, the seeds of commonsense rarely take root.
But I already knew that the best way to tackle inactivity is to do something.
When I was living alone, it was tempting to go home every evening and settle on the sofa to watch TV or ‘chat’ online. Weekends were for chilling out after the working week. It wasn’t long before I realised I was vegetating.
Even though vegetating remained an attractive option, I dragged myself from the house, joining a choir, a social club, and Scottish Coutry Dancing (not for the exercise – although I needed that too – but for the mental challenge. I had to concentrate in a new way on what was coming next if I wasn’t to bring the whole set careering into each other).
Unexpectedly, my recent rekindling of the imagination has galvanised me in other ways than writing. I feel more positive about the fish pond and the weeding (although the housework still has a way to go to arouse my enthusiasm. Maybe when winter comes.)
It is a nettle to be grasped, that the only way to get something started is to get started.
Writing Wrinkles, and Random Ramblings 
I too am struggling Cathy, I finished my book and in doing so all my creativity seemed to have been sucked out of me.
I started two new books and became quickly stuck on both.
Getting out for research seems to be gradually pulling me in the right direction and stimulating my imagination but I am far from being where I want to be.
Excercise, usually cycling in my case helps.
A to-do list is also useful and I like to be able to cross the items off as the day progresses.
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I think the weather contributes. I’d rather be outside than indoors with my laptop
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I think we all have had ups and downs – probably turn out that Astra Zeneca destroys the creative urge – hey good story idea – what if musicians, film directors, artists all stopped creating? On top of everything else it’s probably the heat wave stopping us, we’re either lethargic or too busy watering the garden!
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The heat is certainly slowing down my thought processes. And there’s too much weeding in the garden … and the fish are moving around so the filters need hosing down. Maybe storytelling works best in winter. (by the fireside).
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This makes me think of my inability to paint or draw for long periods (years) where I ‘can’t’ do my Art. I also know, if I got out a pad, scribbled, dabbled, at anything, I’d get going once again. I carry my Art stuff on holidays, house sitting , and then pack it back in the car untouched when I leave. Going to a group, out in the countryside revitalised me for a while, but that was seven years ago!
Writing, well I find waffling on my Blog much like my constant internal dialogue and bug everyone else with it.
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Anything serves as an excuse to put off writing (or – at the moment – editing). the excuse is I want a clean slate so that nothing disturbs me, but the reality at the moment is I’m too hot to think!
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So glad I’m not the only one. My logic at the moment is telling me not to start writing because if it goes wrong I’ll have to cope with the disappointment and frustration but worse, if it goes right I know I can sit for days on the laptop, not wanting to lose the thread. Then what would happen to the weeding, mowing, painting etc.. Better to just not risk it.
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That’s one line of thought… I’ll go for that.
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Well done! Good post!
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Glad you liked it. I just heard I won one of those weekly challenges! (A relief to find out I can still cut it!)
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glad you are feeling rejuvenated. setting goals and deadlines helps me muddle through those days when I don’t feel like doing anything…
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mostly they make my to-do list longer. 😦
But I seem to get things done… Maybe I’m being too hopeful about what I should be achieving?
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I think it’s good to have a long to-do list – gets me out of bed in the morning…
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