I can resist this lovely piece of chocolate, in fact it will be enjoyed as an entire bar by my ponies tomorrow, but today, as I was reading the Writing Magazine, I discovered my Achilles heel.
I flipped the page onto a writing competition. It was terrible! All the plans for my week off went out of the window because I wanted to enter it!
I had intended to do so much this week. Editing my novel,sending of an article and an idea for another children's story to a possible publisher, yet I took a look at this competition and immediately had to start writing ideas down.
I wandered around Tescos creating my story while I did my shopping and then sat for a while in a very snowy garden while the hens scratched in the snow as I scribbled down my plot. I had been gripped by a possible story idea that I couldn't refuse to write.
It felt wonderful to have such a burst of creativity, yet frustrating that I wanted to write about so many things at the same time.
How do you prioritise your work? Deadlines for competitions are obvious. I suppose that is why I halted my plans for today, maybe even my whole week off. I just wondered what is the right thing to do? Go with your instinct or carry on with your original plan?
I always carry on with the original plan.I used to hop about like a grasshopper and did a little bit of everything and completed nothing. Try finishing what you have in hand, work through it methodically, and when you have completed the list, THEN look for something else..it words for me...hugs x
ReplyDeleteI'm the opposite, Carole and Di!
ReplyDeleteIf an idea pings into my head and I think it has legs I have to get it down on paper - if not just in note form at least the first draft. Once I have it out of my system I can put it to one side for a while while I carry on with the project I was originally working on before I was so rudely interrupted!
I find that this works well for me as I then have a steady stream of writing projects on the go and there are always subs out there.
I used to drive myself and my family crazy flitting between ideas. I'd almost be overwhelmed with ideas which would lead to inertia - a complete inability to write anything because I couldn't choose between my projects!
But now I'd say that deadlines are the great decider! But if something grabs your attention then go for it! Instinct is a great thing and so often turns out to be right. As long as it doesn't interfere too much with your other project and you can carry on with it afterwards I can see no harm.
Enjoy your week off, Di - can't wait to hear about what writing achievements you manage.
Julie xx
I try to do both ... If I have a big project I'm working on, I will try to add something to that. And by that I mean something substantial. So, if I'm writing a book or a correspondence course (as I am at the moment) I would like to add 1,000 to 1,500 words to that project. If I can get that done by lunchtime, then I'll say to myself that I can treat myself to spend some time on the other idea.
ReplyDeleteIt's the goal/reward system effectively. Set yourself the goal of getting some work done on your main idea, then reward yourself by playing about with the new idea. Either that, or reward yourself by eating some of that chocolate!
I also enjoy working on several projects at the same time anyway.
Enjoy your ideas!
Carole, Julie and Simon
ReplyDeleteThanks for your advice, all great comments and I am planning out in a proper diary, my writing tasks for the rest of the week. To put a spanner in the works, I got an email I had sent to Shropshire Women last August! They are interested in my feature idea about me and Mom, yipeee! Something else to fit in