Sunday, January 03, 2010

Don't Surrender to the Blahs

It's a gray, dry day with little wind, with sweatshirt-is-fine temperatures. The days are a tiny bit longer than last week. I've wanted to go outside more than usual, so I'm glad the rain quit. I'll be able to walk around in my garden, which almost always perks me up.

I really need some perk-ation today.

I've been sick this last little stretch. I haven't had much energy for much of anything. Today I'm feeling much better, darned near normal, but I'm exhausted. I've probably been fighting this cold without realizing how long I've been fighting or how much energy it took. Now that I can relax a bit the body is ready for a long nap only three hours after a full night's sleep.

But I'm trying to get things done anyway. Writing is at the top of my list.

It's tough to write when I'm tired. It's especially hard to get started and stay focused for that first little bit. I know from experience that if I can get over that wall, the way is pretty easy after that. So my goal for today is to get writing on something for at least ten minutes. If I can write that far, I may be able to write for an hour or more, maybe take a nap, and then write for ten minutes (an hour or more) in the evening.

I think it's critical to make myself do this. If I don't, then every time I feel a little blah, I won't start writing. If I don't start writing even when I'm feeling blah, I won't learn how to write while blah. Not a big deal if writing is a hobby, but that's a serious problem for a full-time writer. I can't afford to have a long list of excuses not to write, or a even short list if that list has common occurrences. I'll cut myself some slack if I'm really ill-feverish, weak, barely able to get out of bed kind of illness. I'd be crazy to write in that state anyway. But this sort of slouching, weary, generic malaise? I can write in bed if I really need to, and sip tea. I was washing dishes earlier. If I have the strength to wash dishes, I have the strength to write. Maybe the writing will be iffy, but it might also be quiet, considered writing that comes from writing at a slower pace. If I wasn't coming off of a cold I'd probably exercise to pump my metabolism up. As it stands I think my body actually needs the rest to finish recovering, so I'll respect that. But I won't toss my writing goals out the window.

I suspect I won't be writing any action scenes today, though.

No comments: