Generally speaking, I am a decisive person. I make a goal, a plan to get there, and I see it through. This is not to say that my goals are always met or my plans always work, but I'm not a ditherer.
So, the past six weeks or so have been really out of character for me. I've had trouble deciding where to focus my energy. I've started things and dropped them, not feeling like I was able to connect with the idea. It's felt like a lot of balls were out of my court and I was left swinging my racket at the breeze. (See last month's post on Waiting). Some of the waiting is over now (my sequel has been accepted for publication and I'll be moving to editing on that one; one of the anthologies is complete with print copies coming in the mail next week), and I know that's going to help.
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My issue now is prioritizing. School has started. (I'm a middle school Spanish teacher by day). I have one or, if I'm lucky, two hours a day to focus on writing related tasks. My family is in an especially demanding phase, so really it's probably one. So, what do I spend it on? Drafting new material? Revising near-finished material? Completing edits? Participating in promotional activities? Networking? Reading?
They ALL are important. So far my strategy has been to prioritize by the following criteria:
1. Does it have a deadline you'll need to meet?
2. Is it close to done and could be crossed off the list if you just finished it?
3. Will it sell books?
4. Is it what your heart wants?
Sadly, these criteria often don't help. They circle back around to: ALL OF THIS IS IMPORTANT.
I miss my laser focus and decisiveness. Any advice on how to get that mojo back?
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This posting is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group blog hop. To check out other posts by writers in a variety of places in their careers, check out the participant list. This group is one of the most open and supportive groups of people I have ever been associated with. If you write, you should check them out!
If I could tell you how to get a lost mojo back, I would take my own advice. However, you are quite articulate in your search and I applaud the effort to organize end-of-summer chaos.
ReplyDeleteGetting a response back on one of those balls that were out of my court has helped a lot.
DeleteIt's the season, Samantha. Every time fall is near the same kind of strange malaise hits me dead center. I hope #4 "Is it what your heart wants?" goes to #1.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't considered seasonal malaise. It might well be.
DeleteI'm in the same boat, as you probably know. People keep telling me to prioritize, but I can't! EVERYTHING is top priority right now.
ReplyDeleteExcept cleaning. Meh, that can wait.
Good luck getting your mojo back! Then we can head out together and look for mine.
It's good to have sympathy at least. Here's hoping we both work out way out of this wilderness soon.
DeleteThe only thing I can think of is to just work back to any routines you had before and force it until you make it? But if there's an underlying reason, that isn't going to help until the real reason is taken care of.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shannon. It was getting a little better after I heard back on the sequel (accepted!), then I got a horrible flu bug that has had me on my butt for a week already. Still making only minimal progress.
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