Two years ago I went on a cruise with my daughter. One day an
area of the ship had a sign up saying Works
in Progress. To ensure the passengers didn’t attempt to access that area
there was also a security guard close to the sign. They were serious about not having
the work disturbed.
There are times I’d like a sign and security guard when I
have a work or several works in progress.
The trouble is, most of my interruptions come from me!
Sometimes the words don’t flow and I look for distractions
to keep me from feeling like a failure. Avoidance doesn’t work forever and
sooner or later I need to focus on my writing. When I force myself to sit down
and actually start, things aren’t nearly as bad as I’d feared.
Other times I have an abundance of ideas. I will write a few
lines, give the piece a working title and save it in a draft file. These drafts
may give me a starting place on the days I’ve run out of fresh inspiration. The
trick is to make enough notes so I remember what my original idea was.
At the moment, I have a few works in progress that I need to
get on with. It’s time to set out my sign, position my inner security guard and
get serious about eliminating distractions. Maybe then I can make some
progress.
