Slow Writer

I’m a slow writer. It takes a lot for me to sit down and crank out a page. As for a whole story, written in a day? Forget it. When all is said and done, the one thing I will not be known for is a prolific body of work. At least, not unless pages and pages of notes and ideas constitutes a prolific body of work, and I don’t count them myself. It’s finished product that I count, and it’s never as much as I want it to be.

One way I combat this is to always be ready to answer the question, “What are you working on now?” I decided a long time ago the answer has to be honest; telling someone I’m working on a whiz-bang of a story when I’m not doesn’t get a story written any faster, and it only makes for disappointment, all around. Use the question, but use it in terms of keeping you motivated to get work done. I don’t necessarily get asked that question every day, either, so it’s important that I ask myself the question and give myself a honest answer. Believe me, I know when I’m lying.

Because of this, I’m always working on something. In fact, I’m always working on more than one thing. That way, if one story is giving me trouble (or I’m giving it trouble), or I need a break from a story (or the story needs a break from me), I have something else on the backburner awaiting my attention. Not everyone agrees with this jack-of-all-trades manner of organization, but for me it’s what keeps me busy. If I only worked on one thing at a time, I would be an even slower writer. And, as I’ve said, I’m a slow writer as it is.

Keep writing!
-nm

[tags]slow writer, organization[/tags]

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