Kick-start: to make something start to happen, happen more quickly, or improve.
I’m at the tail end of a long dry spell. Very long.
Disjointed ideas. Lack of continuity. Writer’s block. Procrastination. Excuses. Shall I go on?
Aside from the last nine months providing more life change and upheaval than I care to repeat anytime soon, I have no logical explanation as to why I have not produced the great Canadian novel which, had I actually written and published said novel, would be flying off bookstore shelves as we speak.
So, I am turning over a new leaf. Again.
The whole New Year’s Resolution thing doesn’t do it for me, but there is the allure of a brand new number like 2014 to spark some interest in making an effort. I’ve spent the past couple of days reading through old notes, refreshing my memory on a W-I-P that I haven’t touched since last April. I’ve also taken Austin Kleon‘s book, Steal Like An Artist, off my bookshelf in an attempt to kick-start my brain.
It’s working.
And now I have to prove it.
I could give you all kinds of suggestions as to how to stay motivated through the entire writing process. I could tell you, in sixteen easy steps, what it takes to finish that novel. I could even point you in the direction of many extremely helpful websites. I am not, however, going to do that.
Because the key is this: WRITING. IS. WORK.
There is no magic formula. (I would have found it by now.) No write-it-for-you software. (Don’t waste your money. Trust me.) No celestial inspiration. (Seriously?)
It’s all about exercising a little bit of self-discipline, keeping your rear in the chair, and resisting the temptation to spend the next four hours reading your friends’ Facebook status updates instead of writing 2,000 words.
Whatever it takes for you to kick-start the brain, do it!
I’m going to do the same.
Inside the Writer 
And, Wendy, if you, or any of your readers, think writing the first draft is work, wait until you get to the second draft (and the third, and the fifth, and the eleventh). Wait until the logic issues surface, and scenes don’t work (but you have no idea why), and language eludes you. Now, THAT’S work. But it’s the best kind of work–seeing what you’ve created shaping up with effort and love.
You are absolutely right, my friend. Here’s to the task ahead!
Thanks for the inspiring post, Wendy… I did very little work on my novel this past year, but so desperately want to get my first draft done (only about 4 chapters or so to go!). But then I know of course (thanks for the reminder, Rick), that the successive drafts will take even more work and time… *sigh*. Let’s do this!
I agree. In the words of a fellow writer: “This day we write”!