New Story, New Motivation

I hit a wall, and I was avoiding writing. I hate to admit it, but I was not writing an hour a day (gasp, scream, oh the horror!). I’ve had another idea poking around in my brain for a couple of months. And like everything shiny and new it was much more appealing than my old crusty story.

I am officially and publicly cutting myself some slack. My goal right now is consistency and to develop good writing habits. Eventually I’m bound to get better, or at least lose my mind enough that I don’t care anymore. Like a good magpie I am choosing the shiny, new story – at least for now.

Poof! Like magic I’m back in the game. Switching focus was all it took to bring the spring back into my fingers on the keyboard. This leads me to wonder if ideas need vacations? By putting my original story on the back burner will my subconscious work on it like secret elves making shoes in the night? Was that what was happening to my shiny, new story these last couple months? I’m inclined to think it was because the new story is moving much faster, and I feel a clearer goal than before.

Or could I just be learning? If the secret to writing better is to, well, write, wouldn’t it make sense that things would get easier over time? Each story should be better, more fully formed, than the last. Then again, we’ve all read sequels that were inferior to the original. I’ve heard musicians say you have a lifetime to create your first album and a year to create the second. I assume that means once you’ve created something, and filled it with everything you have, what is left to fill the next creation? Maybe all we need is the luxury of time.

Or, maybe my first idea was junk and this one is more worthy of exploration. Only time will tell. Either way I’m setting my first hard deadling of the year: A complete draft (of either story) by Easter.