Procastination

LegacyUser

Im in my 40s. Married . No kids.In Employment. (teaching).

I find that I'm not getting round to doing to what I want to do. I want to write. Creative Writing. I just have a tendency to fart around and avoid doing it. I just end up watching TV or blogging on the internet. I have tried the self help book route and while it tends to work for awhile -I usually slip back into old habits in a week or two. I do write from time to time but an hour at most per week which is quite pathetic.

Im not totally undisciplined . I go to the Gym 2/3 times a week. I generally go to work and make a reasonable effort! Im involved in a creative writing group. Its on once a week and go to it most weeks though lately I have been ill and had grinds to do.

Re-reading this -it all sounds vague so any clarifications needed-please ask.

LegacyUser

Advice 1:

Real writers don't want to be writers, they want to write something that needs to be written, and then they do it. They make sure when they are doing it that nothing gets in the way of this work. While doing this they get in contact with other people in the media who publish content.

I personally doubt it is something you can do in your spare time while working a full-time job, so you may want to consider getting a part time job instead if you have enough savings.

And 2:
Cut out the internet. For a lot of creative people it saps motivation and is a distraction.

If you want to be serious, get the internet out of your house and get the TV out of your house. These are steps number 1. If you are not willing to get these things out of your house then rent an office without either somewhere and go there instead. Then get something like this:

http://www.neo-direct.com/

And write what needs to be written, not any old crap.

In conclusion: You will never get anything done with the distractions of TV and the Internet on call, any more than an alcoholic can stay sober in his own private brewery.

LegacyUser

Thanks for the above. Getting rid of the TV might be too radical a step! My wife might object. I also suffer from constant nagging doubts over practically everything I do in life. That Im no good that there are better teachers than me. That People dislike me .

I think I have to get into a pattern of doing half an hour a night or something.

18AD

Set yourself goals you can actually achieve.

If you go for half an hour a night and then you can't do that, don't abandon the project, set it for half an hour 4,3,2 or 1 night a week. Achievable goals!

Keep a diary about how you feel in relation to the writing and scheduling. If missing a lot of your own goals doesn't frustrate you enough into writing I could wager that something else is holding you back, ie. the thoughts of rejection you mentioned.

If you think your writing is crap, start a side project where you attempt to write the worst drivel you can come up with, and show this to a friend (and pretend to be serious about it).

All the best.
AD

albeit

If you wrote, what would that give you? What need in you would that fulfill?