"Motivation follows action, not the other way round"
I found this in one of those what's-the-point-of-New-Year-Resolutions articles.
It's so true. And particularly in relation to writing.
After a break, it can be hard to get back into a novel you last looked at in December, or to find those notes you scribbled just before the snow came down - the notes that you were going to turn into a new short story.
You've been thinking about it. You will get round to it soon ... A part of your brain is waiting for the ideal day, the ideal conditions - a clear day with nothing else to do but write. It isn't going to happen.
What small action could you take to motivate you to start that project? The more resistance you have, the smaller the step ... Read through the last draft of Chapter 11 and jot down some notes for chapter 12? Too daunting? Why not at least get out the folder and put it on your desk?
Whatever you decide, make sure it involves action.
If you'd like to read the full article by Oliver Burkeman, from which I plucked the quote, it's here.
I enjoyed this = and the article you linked to. Thank you, Pam.
Posted by: KMLockwood | 22 January 2011 at 02:23 PM