My dishes are always done. I do a load or two of laundry almost every day. I’m not a neat freak. Indeed, I’m far from it; I share my space with a man, two dogs, and two cats. What I am is a writer. It is easier to wash dishes or sort clothes than it is to tackle a problem I’ve encountered in a story.
It’s hard for me to start writing. It is even harder to stop once I get going. The hardest thing, though, is sticking with one project.
As the author of six, seven, I’m not sure how many unpublished novels, I know that it is essential to visit the novel every day to maintain the thread. This is just as important when you’re revising.
I set aside time each day to revise. Then a poem happens. Or I have an insight that requires the rough draft of an essay. Then, when it is time to get back to the revision, I find that I’m out of time. Ha! It’s happening right now.
My teachers called me hyperactive. My mother said I had too many irons in the fire. I never did find out if they were clothes-pressing irons or branding irons. I could stop to do some research to find the source of that saying, but…my revision!
I love the book I’m working on. I don’t know why I get distracted. Writer friends, do any of you get stymied by your next great idea?
Sharon Edge Martin 