Addicts and writers (and I realize those categories have an unfortunate overlap) are probably the most skilled self-deceivers in the world—and the best at coming up with excuses. As a teacher and coach, I’ve heard scores of excuses for not getting writing done. As a writer, I’ve come up with quite a few of my own. That is why I came up with a simple thing we can all do whenever we’re considering skipping writing practice. It sounds a bit counterintuitive at first, but it has a real effect. Here it is:
Treat your writing like a job.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: A job! That’s the last thing I want my writing to be. This is supposed to be about writing as spiritual practice, not writing as wage labor. But bear with me here.
Responsible people take their jobs seriously. We make sure we get to our jobs unless we have a good reason not to. We need our jobs because they pay our bills, put food on our tables, allow us to buy that car we’ve had our eyes on. We need them to support our families. We need them for our self-esteem, or at least think we do. We know they are hard to come by, and we want to make sure we don’t lose them. Sure, there are people who don’t take their jobs seriously, but most of us do. We get to our jobs—and we get there on time—unless something real and important stands in the way.
Writing, not so much.
We come up with all sorts of excuses for not getting our writing done. Here’s just a sample of the ones I’ve heard (or used) over the years:
“I just couldn’t focus.”
“Evenings aren’t a good time for me.”
“I’m really tired today.”
“I’m too stressed out.”
“I was upset over an argument.”
“My sore foot is driving me crazy.”
“I had a bad day.”
“There were too many distractions.”
“I was worried about the strange noise in my car.”
“I’m not inspired right now.”
Now, let’s take these excuses and apply them to a job. Imagine saying to your boss, “I’ll be late today because I just can’t focus.” Or, “I’m going to leave at 1:00 because my energy really sinks in the afternoons.” Or, “I’m not inspired right now, so I’m taking the day off.”
People who are serious about their jobs do not take time off because they’re just not into it that day or they feel like a nap. If you’re serious about writing, why would you not treat it with the same respect?
When I’m considering taking time off from my writing, I ask myself a simple question: Would I miss work for this? Once in awhile, the answer is “yes”. If I’m actually sick (as opposed to just lethargic). If I have someone ill to care for. If there is something important I have to do that is so pressing it can’t wait. But most of the time, the answer is “no.” And as soon as I realize that, I get back to the keyboard.
Simply put, if you cannot imagine using the same excuse to get off work, then don’t use it to skip your writing practice.
I wrestle with not writing, because of all the aforementioned excuses, and I have to confess that writing isn’t always important to me, otherwise I would do it more often. My young grandchildren are more important than my writing, but I have long ago gotten used to leaving the housework in favor of more enriching activities.
This subject troubles me, and I don’t know why. I suppose I must WRITE about it! Wait– I already have written about it. Well, I must WRITE again.
An interesting dilemma, Marie. It would be fascinating to explore in depth why the subject troubles you!