Sunday, August 12, 2012

Oh, Commitment

© 2012 Microsoft Corporation
If you know me, it's no secret that I have troubles with commitment. I'll promise to write a blog post on Sunday and wait till Tuesday, promise to spend an hour with the WiP and spend 15 minutes writing a paragraph...

So. Commitment issues.

As every serious writer knows, it's not easy to complete every task we set ourselves up for. Writing can be a stressful process. It takes time, which those with full- or part-time jobs may find lacking. Personally, I find myself with an average of at least 2-3 hours of homework each night, plus 1 hour walks in the morning and at least 1 hour of community service activities every week day (from tutoring to Honor Society to a school community service club.) That's a lot to juggle, and I often don't get nearly as much sleep as I'd like. (I usually get about 6 hours of sleep during the school year.) My habits aren't healthy - I gain weight, feel stressed... and my writing is also affected. It's difficult to write every day - some days, I simply don't have the time, or am so tired that forcing words out is no more than an unpleasant chore.

So how to keep up productivity? In my view, morale comes first. So put in place a reward system. Write a poem and grab a bowl of ice cream. Finish a chapter and spend some time catching up on your favorite TV shows. And that brings me to an important point - don't neglect friends and family. Remember: writing is important, but you have a life to live! (Besides, experiences equal inspiration. I don't know about you, but most of my writing is somehow inspired by my experiences. Important events leads to new plots. My characters may be shaped by fictional characters, but for the most part they're based on myself and my interactions with friends and family.)

How do you stay committed to your writing? Do you use a reward system? What's your trick for balancing writing and life?

No comments:

Post a Comment