Signs of Commitment

This week has been challenging for me in terms of writing. Words don't seem to flow, ideas are feeling weak, and a busy schedule makes writing challenging. Things just haven't been in my favor. And as a result, I've felt a bit bad. Bad about not moving the story forward; bad about why my ideas just aren't as good as usual; and bad because I'm not meeting my predetermined goals. But when weeks like this come and tiredness, busyness, good days or bad days get in the way, interrupting your projected writing schedule and just throwing you off, how can you respond?

There's no easy answer. Life often gets in the way of writing. That is a simple fact. If only we could all not work and spend our days writing when the muse strikes us or sleeping when we're tired or doing whatever else we enjoy. If only writing was just so easy each and every day. But given the reality that writing/life isn't so easy, there are some practical things we can do to try to produce and create a good writing environment. But despite these practical writing tips (which I'll be blogging about soon), there are days (or several) where thins just don't work out. So what then?

Each week is not going to be as productive as you might like, and while being as proactive as you can be in order to protect your writing schedule and produce more is important, so, too, is the acceptance that each week just might not be the same. I've definitely felt some guilt surrounding my lack of progress this week. But I don't know that feeling guilty is the way to go. Guilt, like a lack of confidence or setting extremely unrealistic goals, mostly works as a form of self defeat (which definitely doesn't lead to greater writing). Of course, I admittedly feel a twinge of guilt about how much I didn't get done this week, but instead of seeing this as such a downer, I think this feeling can be looked at as a positive. Guilt is indicative of a greater feeling, a more positive feeling, which in this case is commitment and the desire to write.

When your desire and commitment to writing results in feelings of guilt, that means you are definitely dedicated to your craft. You are serious about writing. And just like other things you are serious about, sometimes you wish you had done more. Writing has its ups and downs, and so, too, will your feelings about writing. That's only natural. My feelings, like my writing, were not so great this week, but that doesn't mean this new week might not be great. And it doesn't mean I should become so upset with myself that I can't move forward and get back on track.

Try to accept the days when writing is a struggle, and the guilt that can come with that. But be sure to continue looking ahead, with a positive attitude, knowing that the guilt is only pushing you forward to greater writing ahead. The guilt is simply a sign of your commitment. So just try to accept the feelings, push them aside, and keep on writing, because one bad week is certainly not going to stop you from reaching your goals.