To Read or To Write: The Ultimate Quandary

Skipping a Day to Read

Yesterday, there was no new post. Why? because between walking, work, and ballet, I filled my time reading a newly acquired book by Mercedes Lackey from her Elemental Masters series entitled “Jolene”. Without giving too much away, if you’re a Dolly Parton fan, you’ll get a kick out of this one! Since I went dancing on Sunday, which rarely happens these days, I had to finish the book on Monday, thus, no writing occurred.

I’ll make it up to you today though. The truth is, writers read…a lot. Though since I’ve been actively writing instead of only when the mood strikes, I find I read differently. Not only do I get immersed in a story, I also pay attention to how each author creates a character, or shows rather than telling. I may also key into things like plot development, and sentence structure, but mostly, I’m paying attention to the details they use. I didn’t used to read this way, but as I’ve had my own work critiqued (and not always favorably) I’ve become more conscious of the areas where I need work myself.

Easily Bored, Regularly Distracted

Unfortunately, my ADD brain doesn’t allow me to stick with the same task over time. I may get on a reading kick for awhile, eschewing both writing and TV watching for awhile. Then my mood shifts, and I’m watching TV, or playing computer games, or finding something else to occupy my free time; mostly in the evening. I often wonder if I’d actually complete something if I was able to stay on task, not for a set period of time, but just until it was done. I have a lot of respect for authors like Brenda Novak and Catherine Coulter who set themselves time to write, and deadlines to meet. If it means disappearing from the world for a little while, so be it.

I can do the disappearing from the world part, but the project completion part (unless it’s client work, believe it or not) gets mixed up in jumping from task to task, or activity to activity as my mind wanders incessantly. It makes me wonder how I was ever able to get through not one…not two…but three NaNoWriMo’s and complete at least 50,000 words each time! Two of those efforts even yielded a complete draft. Poor “Hannah’s Chair” is still mouldering on my hard drive, though it had become my favorite to write. I got bogged down in details of Gold Rush era San Francisco, and failed to do what I needed to do to move the project forward.

Let’s not even talk about my memoir. It’s gone through so much angst over the last decade and a half, I struggle to even open one of the files! I’ve learned not to force myself though. I know there’s a time and place in my not-so-distant future when I feel the proverbial book fall on my head and know it’s time to take whatever drastic measures I see fit to complete each of the WIPs on my drive currently languishing in a folder called “writing”. That time could be another year or so in coming, or it could be in the next few months. I won’t know until it smacks me between the eyes, and causes me to go into what, from the outside, will appear to be a deep hibernation. After all, I have been known to write for five hours straight and knock out 8,000 words on occasion. Editing is harder, but the ability to hyper-focus is there.

Know Yourself, and Make Magic

Each of us knows what we’re capable of, even if we haven’t yet produced that completed project. We also know, if we’ve traveled long enough and far enough with our authentic selves, that forcing ourselves to finish something without considering right timing makes as much sense as trying to swim upstream when we don’t even want to go back to what’s there, and we have a nice, cozy boat waiting to take us downstream to where the magic happens.

So while I appreciate the encouragement I’ve gotten from several quarters, no amount of pushing, prodding, or badgering is going to get me to right timing any faster. If it could, I’d have been there, done that already!

Grateful for Every, Single Moment

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for e-books so I can get my hands on something I want to read at the exact time I want to read it.
2. I’m grateful for learning my own limitations.
3. I’m grateful for being able to choose to read, to write, or to do whatever feels good to me in the moment.
4. I’m grateful for rebooting my blog, and making every effort to write, if not every day, almost every day.
5. I’m grateful for everyone who has been adapting to the change in location of my gratitude posts, though it’s also meant I no longer share uplifting pieces I see from other people. The time I’ve gained is mostly being put to good use.

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.