Take a Stand

We've all been writing for a while, and honestly, I don't think any of us could imagine stopping.  It's a habit, a hobby, a job - however we like to put it.  We love crafting stories, creating characters, making worlds.  The other writers are always so encouraging.  We love everything about writing.

But.

Life.

Happens.

Maybe you start college or get a full-time job.

Maybe you begin a new after-school activity.

Maybe you acquire a new musical instrument or take up running.

Maybe you get another pet.

Or siblings start demanding more of your time.

Or maybe you acquire a pile of new books to read. 

Basically, you get very busy, and writing is now pushed away in lieu of doing other things.

And you wonder...should I stop writing?

This happened to me over a year ago.  My life didn't take a dramatic, horrible turn.  I just somehow became very busy, with lots of things on my plate that I needed to do.  And at one point I wondered, is it time to put down the pen and stop writing?

The thought hurt, but I was trying to be honest with myself.  Should I just put away the laptop and do something a little more productive with that bit of time?  After all, it’s not like I’ll ever be published, and my story isn’t that great, anyway.  It was just a thing I did when I was little, right? and now I’m finally growing up and getting into the real world.

I really, actually, seriously, thought about quitting.  Believe it or not.  And at first, I thought I was making a grown-up decision to “put away my childish things” and “move on” to the Adult Life.  And for a moment, I was pretty proud of myself.  I was making a choice that was painful, but needed to be done.

Or was it needful?

When I really and deeply studied my thoughts, I realized there was more then just not having time to write.  There was quite a bit of extreme procrastination, defeat, and even a tiny dash of fed-up-ness.  I was not putting away childish things, I was just throwing in the towel and giving up on something I really enjoyed doing.

So what made me continue writing?

The simple fact that I knew, as soon as I had a spare moment, I would keep writing anyway.  It’s become a habit, for crying out loud!  Yes, life is busy now, so I’m giving up writing in exchange for sleep or other activities, but once things settle down, I’m going to be right back, typing away.

A quick battle plan for any who are struggling with this:

Admit possible defeat.  Seriously - address issues for what they really are, for then you can really defeat them.  Yes, you are wanting to stop.  But do you really want to give up on something that you’ve been doing for so long?

Call a retreat.  Go ahead and take a break.  But notice I said break.  Not quit.  Don't just surrender.  Life can get busy, and sometimes we simply don’t have time for writing, so give yourself a break.  Relax, ride through the storm, and then turn back to the book.

Sharpen your weapons.  Maybe you have more time than you think.  How many minutes or hours a day do you spend scrolling through social media?  Are you on your fifth Studio C video in a row and bedtime has finally arrived?  Take a look at where you're doing piddly things and see if there's a better use to your time.

 Set your standard.  Tell yourself, “Someday, I’m going to publish this.”  Or maybe “Someday, I will self-publish this.”  Or even just “Someday I will finish this and let my family and friends read it.”  Tell yourself that you will run on and keep at it to reach that goal.  You got this!!

Advance.  Yes, you may be rejected by publishers, but you will never know until you finish that book and give it a try.  You may mess up the self-publishing process and get horrible reviews, but you'll never know until you do it.  Don’t give in to fear or discouragement.  Be confident.  You’ve got a story worth telling, and you’re going to tell it!!

Take a stand.  You want to write, yes?  As my father once told me, "If you want to do something, you'll make the time for it."  So go and take a stand for what you love doing and go and write, people!!

So there you have it.  Has anyone else been tempted to stop writing?  How did you defeat it?  What makes you keep on writing?  How are you distracted from writing?

(Also, bonus points to anyone who can paste a link to the track where I got the post title from...it's not what you might think...or maybe it is...)(Hint: it's slightly patriotic...)(might depend on how you look at it)