The struggle is real and I can relate. I think what's hard for me is finally writing something I like and then thinking, "well, I'll never do that again. Remember the good ol' days when I wrote something decent? Everything is downhill from here on out." Bit dramatic, isn't it, lol. But you're doing the thing that I think gets us out of the rut: telling the truth. Thanks so much for sharing your gift with us. It's inspiring.
Thanks Sara! This is encouraging. And yes! That feeling of finality—it’ll never happen again. That lovely euphoria is gone, gone, gone… But I’ll press on if you do!
At the risk of repeating revision comments, your struggle sounds soooooooo familiar. Could it be something to do with ADHD? But please keep trying. God has given you a unique perspective and an amazing gift with words and I live reading what you write.
Love you, Jodi! I can’t help but think there’s a lot that has to do with ADHD, or just personal makeup. I’ve struggled with this for years, and I know for some people it’s not a struggle at all—and it’s more than just good routines and practices, ‘cause I know how to set those up. It’s the maintaining that’s a challenge.
I'm definitely an "all or nothing" person. I love big blocks of time to write—enough time to get into that flow state—but it rarely happens. I have a hard time working in the cracks and corners because I dread that next interruption. You put words to my struggle. Thank you, Loren.
I can only speak for myself, but I would rather hear from someone else's heart–where they really are, how they are feeling, where their thoughts are taking them–than simply read something clever or even well-researched, any day of the week. Thank you for sharing.
I like the use of light in your daughter’s artwork! So beautiful. And thank you for sharing this! I can definitely sympathize. I was doing quite well in November with writing most days and I think I need to set myself a goal of twenty minutes most days again.
We can do this! I just got back from the Habit Winter Retreat and I am pumped!! I will likely collide with the cliff face of reality soon, but I am excited to get writing.
I picked up a copy of The Lost Tales of Sir Galahad and had several of the contributors sign it. We need to find an opportunity to be in the same place at the same time so I can get your signature too!
I can relate to so much of this! Thank you for naming the fear of being interrupted—that is definitely a helpful insight for me. Keep up the good fight! Right now I’m trying to shift my focus to one of persistence instead of consistency (in many areas of life), and see if that takes some the of the (mostly self-imposed) pressure off, which ends up being another hindrance too.
Keep on, Lindsay! I like the idea of persistence over consistency. That’s something I can relate to. Giving up is not an option, even if something takes years.
This candid piece blessed my socks off. Especially since I’ve had a bad case of avoiding-writing-symptoms since Christmas. Thanks, Loren, for opening up and sharing with us!
Loren, this sounds so much like me! I also tend to get really involved in whatever I'm working on and don't pay attention to what's going on elsewhere. Especially when it comes to songwriting. Sometimes I go into my room to " work out one short section" and come out an hour later. It's like a strange time-warp or something.
The struggle is real and I can relate. I think what's hard for me is finally writing something I like and then thinking, "well, I'll never do that again. Remember the good ol' days when I wrote something decent? Everything is downhill from here on out." Bit dramatic, isn't it, lol. But you're doing the thing that I think gets us out of the rut: telling the truth. Thanks so much for sharing your gift with us. It's inspiring.
Thanks Sara! This is encouraging. And yes! That feeling of finality—it’ll never happen again. That lovely euphoria is gone, gone, gone… But I’ll press on if you do!
I Relate To This. So. Much. LOL
Struggling writers unite!
At the risk of repeating revision comments, your struggle sounds soooooooo familiar. Could it be something to do with ADHD? But please keep trying. God has given you a unique perspective and an amazing gift with words and I live reading what you write.
And Evie's artwork is a delight to my eyes.
Live you both
Love you, Jodi! I can’t help but think there’s a lot that has to do with ADHD, or just personal makeup. I’ve struggled with this for years, and I know for some people it’s not a struggle at all—and it’s more than just good routines and practices, ‘cause I know how to set those up. It’s the maintaining that’s a challenge.
I'm definitely an "all or nothing" person. I love big blocks of time to write—enough time to get into that flow state—but it rarely happens. I have a hard time working in the cracks and corners because I dread that next interruption. You put words to my struggle. Thank you, Loren.
Oh yes—exactly! And so it’s hard to do anything. Sigh!
Loren, I resonated with so much of this. Thanks for sharing. You're not alone!
Hang in there, Frank! I always appreciate your insights on this writing journey.
I totally relate to this!
I can only speak for myself, but I would rather hear from someone else's heart–where they really are, how they are feeling, where their thoughts are taking them–than simply read something clever or even well-researched, any day of the week. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Jason!
I like the use of light in your daughter’s artwork! So beautiful. And thank you for sharing this! I can definitely sympathize. I was doing quite well in November with writing most days and I think I need to set myself a goal of twenty minutes most days again.
I did well for a couple weeks in November, too—and then the routine shifted and it all went out the window! Here’s to getting back to it, Jennifer!
We can do this! I just got back from the Habit Winter Retreat and I am pumped!! I will likely collide with the cliff face of reality soon, but I am excited to get writing.
Ooh, lovely! Isn’t it invigorating? I’m so glad you got to go!
I picked up a copy of The Lost Tales of Sir Galahad and had several of the contributors sign it. We need to find an opportunity to be in the same place at the same time so I can get your signature too!
One of these days, right? We’ll figure it out ☺️
I can relate to so much of this! Thank you for naming the fear of being interrupted—that is definitely a helpful insight for me. Keep up the good fight! Right now I’m trying to shift my focus to one of persistence instead of consistency (in many areas of life), and see if that takes some the of the (mostly self-imposed) pressure off, which ends up being another hindrance too.
Keep on, Lindsay! I like the idea of persistence over consistency. That’s something I can relate to. Giving up is not an option, even if something takes years.
This candid piece blessed my socks off. Especially since I’ve had a bad case of avoiding-writing-symptoms since Christmas. Thanks, Loren, for opening up and sharing with us!
Welcome to the party, Christina! 😆
Loren, this sounds so much like me! I also tend to get really involved in whatever I'm working on and don't pay attention to what's going on elsewhere. Especially when it comes to songwriting. Sometimes I go into my room to " work out one short section" and come out an hour later. It's like a strange time-warp or something.
Thank you for sharing!
The time warp is so real, isn’t it! It can be beautiful, but then there’s the aftermath 🤪
Love this, Loren! I relate to this on many levels and appreciate you persevering to put it into words🤓
Thanks Dianne! It’s nice to know I’m not alone.