It’s Day 2 of Reverb10 and I’m already proud of myself for writing two days in a row – yay me! Here’s today’s prompt:
December 2 Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
You know, this question kinda made me cranky. I feel like it’s insinuating that I want to be writing every day, and that I don’t because there’s something holding me back. Well, partner, I just don’t feel that’s the case! I live a very full, rich, busy and exciting life. Some days, I just don’t want to write; I don’t have the desire. There’s something else that’s calling to me. And that might be meeting with a friend, or going to yoga, or chillin’ in a Starbucks, or hunkering down with a bowl of chocolate ice cream to watch another episode of Sex and the City. And those are all things I love. And even though I love writing, I only write when I feel compelled. So, if I ain’t compelled, I ain’t writin’!
But – to get back to the question (I’ll try to do this “seriously” now) – what do I do each day that doesn’t contribute to my writing? I guess “writing” in and of itself doesn’t have to literally mean the physical act of pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard. The question, for myself, should be more: What do I do each day that doesn’t contribute to my self-expression and creativity?
Now it gets easier.
I worry. I plan. I schedule. I stress. I get caught up in what I “should” be doing. I should be doing the dishes. I should be wrapping Christmas presents. I should be putting together those invoices. I should be doing laundry. I should be marketing myself. I should be brainstorming. I should, I should, I should.
I’m shoulding all over myself (thank you Sex and the City for the clever pun).
That’s what gets in the way of my self-expression and creativity. Can I eliminate it? I’m working on it. Honestly. That’s why I’m learning to take time to do the things I want to do like chill in Starbucks, go to yoga classes and eat chocolate ice cream. And write. 