Roxanne Bland's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
Guilty As Charged?
I read an interesting thread on Goodreads the other day. The OP asked if anyone felt guilty on days they didn't write. She said she did.
If I don't write, I certainly don't feel guilty about it. I used to, but then I realized that there are instances when I just won't have the time--or the inclination--to write. I think one of the greatest frauds perpetrated on new writers is that they have to write every day to become better. While I believe everyone who writes needs to practice to become better writers--just like musicians have to practice to become better on their instruments--I don't think skipping a day or two or even a week is going to damn you to mediocrity forever. Because of various events in my life, I've gone months without writing. While I market my books, I rarely write. To me, marketing itself is a full-time job. So is writing. And I have a full-time job, one that sometimes requires me to work on weekends and holidays. Something has to go, and it isn't my day job. That means I have to make a choice. While I'm marketing, I don't write. While I'm writing, I don't market. I would love to pay someone to do all my marketing for me--I hate marketing, anyway--but I haven't won the lottery in a while.
Is it frustrating? Yes. Sometimes I get itchy fingers, but the current situation--whatever that may be--just won't allow for it. Take now, for instance. It's 3:15 AM Eastern, and I'm writing this entry. This is usually the time I write, but after I finish this, I have to work at my day job. It's just the way it is. So for me, guilt over not writing is a useless emotion. My reality is that I have to fit my writing into my schedule whenever I can.
So hang my butt from a flagpole, because I'm guilty as charged.
If I don't write, I certainly don't feel guilty about it. I used to, but then I realized that there are instances when I just won't have the time--or the inclination--to write. I think one of the greatest frauds perpetrated on new writers is that they have to write every day to become better. While I believe everyone who writes needs to practice to become better writers--just like musicians have to practice to become better on their instruments--I don't think skipping a day or two or even a week is going to damn you to mediocrity forever. Because of various events in my life, I've gone months without writing. While I market my books, I rarely write. To me, marketing itself is a full-time job. So is writing. And I have a full-time job, one that sometimes requires me to work on weekends and holidays. Something has to go, and it isn't my day job. That means I have to make a choice. While I'm marketing, I don't write. While I'm writing, I don't market. I would love to pay someone to do all my marketing for me--I hate marketing, anyway--but I haven't won the lottery in a while.
Is it frustrating? Yes. Sometimes I get itchy fingers, but the current situation--whatever that may be--just won't allow for it. Take now, for instance. It's 3:15 AM Eastern, and I'm writing this entry. This is usually the time I write, but after I finish this, I have to work at my day job. It's just the way it is. So for me, guilt over not writing is a useless emotion. My reality is that I have to fit my writing into my schedule whenever I can.
So hang my butt from a flagpole, because I'm guilty as charged.
