Busy Bees

This week has been busy.  I’ve found it hard to find the time and the right frame of mind to sit down and write.  All too often the two don’t come together and I am either sitting down to write without anything to say or my mind is buzzing with thoughts but I don’t have the means or time to commit them to paper.  Of course I should be constantly prepared with notepad and pen or scribbling on random bits of paper.

The problem is I often get lost in thought and I’m scared that if I stop for a moment, even just long enough to grab a pen and paper that the spell will be broken.  Sometimes it will happen even when I am poised and ready with my pen.  During the process of transferring my thoughts onto paper, they seem to lose their flow.  The thread is broken and I find that the words are lost on the journey from my mind to the paper.  I have always been easily distracted and this seems to be something that will never change.

Something that can change is my reaction to this fact.  Quite often I would use it as an excuse to give up.  I condemn myself and think that because of this I’m not cut out to be a writer.  How many writers feel this way? Many I’m sure.  Quite often I read about writers who will try and avoid writing at any cost.  They simply can’t sit down and focus until the dishes are cleared, the washing done and the outstanding emails responded too; anything to avoid actually sitting and writing.  So I am going to set myself a small challenge.  Over the next week I will allow myself fifteen minutes a day to just sit and write.  I won’t feel guilty about what I should be doing instead and I won't plan what I’m going to write.  I will just do it and see what happens.

Sometimes I think our expectations are too high.  We expect every sentence to arrive beautifully written without effort onto our paper.  We sit and read wonderful literature and marvel at the beauty of it, the way the words just flow and take us to another place; wishing that we could create something as exquisite.  The reality I’m sure is that those words have been written and re-written many times before we see the finished product.  If we really believe in something then surely the hard work and effort is worth it and with practise it will surely get easier in time. 

Now, today's fifteen minutes are up.