In a recent post, J. Leigh talked about reasons why we distract ourselves from our work — why do we waste time when we know we should be productive? The root of self-distraction tends to be fear: fear of failure, fear of criticism, fear period. Sometimes, self-distraction happens because we’re overwhelmed and we just don’t …
Category: Planning
Jul 16
Why We Waste Time
This is a topic that’s been on my mind a lot lately while I’ve, well, been wasting time. I feel like I haven’t done any significant writing for almost a year. (Heck, I haven’t even been blogging!) Some of that was unavoidable — personal issues to deal with, classes and a full time job that …
Jan 10
Inspiration Isn’t Action
I love the New Year. It’s invigorating and inspiring to be starting over, getting a fresh take on things, and recommitting to goals and dreams that maybe didn’t quite see their fruition last year. I’m big on office supplies, so one of my favorite ways to kick off the new year is with a new …
Jun 27
When the Going Gets Tough….
Bother. It’s hard to write about not following your own advice, isn’t it? In the last post, I made very true remarks about the importance and necessity of daily writing. Slogging ahead. No matter what. Right? Well…I got off my routine. I realized that my July 4 deadline for Lords of Askalon was incompatible with …
Oct 27
Invention
Okay, as we’re getting ready for NaNoWriMo (it’s just days away, folks!), it seems timely to talk about invention for a minute. What is invention, after all? Let’s blow the dust off an old Latin text by Horace (from the Ars Poetica): Either follow tradition or invent what is self-consistent. … If it is an …
Oct 20
Preparing for NaNoWriMo
Ahhh, it’s that time of year again. The leaves are beginning to turn, the night air is crisp, stews and hot cocoa are back on the menu, and writers everywhere are gearing up for the plunge we affectionately call NaNoWriMo. Here at SisterMuses, J. Leigh and I are both preparing for what promises to be …