Yesterday I was working with my event planning partner at Starbucks. We were discussing several topics including plans for next year's charity event. We stressed over the one we put on last month but are excited to have a much greater amount of time and now experience moving forward for the next one. We talked about ways to improve upon our previous event as well as successes we would like to duplicate. As the day went on our conversation moved form what we had worked on to what was coming next for us as writers in general.
The topics of the next book, the next signing and the next project are almost always on my mind. The problem is that they are always on my mind at the same time. I struggle to focus on one thing or another and as happened today I will find myself staring off into space not accomplishing anything when I have so much work to do. I joking titled my self-diagnosed disease A.D.W.D. also know as Attention Deficit Writer Disorder. Authors have a spectacular ability to deal with the issues of this newly recognized disease and I feel I am practically the poster child for it.
In a regular day we will find ourselves jumping between trying to get our word count in while also making time for editing, creating cover art, updating social media to stay engaged with our readers, promoting our already or about to be published work, researching or discussing topics for current works in progress and of course trying to make time for our non-writing obligations as well. Pile on the fact that many authors either work on multiple books simultaneously or are at the very least distracted by the voices of characters from additional stories to the one in front go us and you have a recipe for an overworked and overwhelmed writer.
As all of these thoughts coursed through my mind I found my head spinning from all of the things I wanted to finish while also fighting off the insecure squeak of self-doubt doing its best to make me run and hide. It is not that I do not want to finish the projects I have started it is just that A.D.W.D. has invaded my brain and is wreaking havoc on my productivity. I shall not give in to this disease though. I am determined to fight it and make my stand by raising awareness and finding the path to overcoming this author specific disability.
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