By Linda O. Johnston
No, I’m not talking about traffic. I’m talking about writing. And I think all writers experience stop-and-go in their writing at various times. Maybe all the time.
The “go” is the best part. We figure out what we’re writing about, plan it, plot it, and do it. Go for it. With me, that’s most of my writing life. I’m always writing something, or planning in my mind what’s coming next. Telling the computer what’s on my mind, via my typing fingers, always helps too.
But then there’s the “stop.” That’s when you at least slow down, have other things in your life that get in the way, maybe (shudder!) even have some writing issues that slow you, then maybe let you grind to a halt—hopefully only for a short while. But the interruption can definitely matter.
I’ve recently been having more slowdowns and stops than I’m happy with. Breaking my arm, which slowed my ability to type, is certainly among them. So is receiving extensive edits and questions about a manuscript I recently submitted. That’s what I primarily need to focus on now. Is it stopping the rest of my writing? No, but it’s not allowing it to go as fast as I’d like. But I do concentrate on figuring it out so I can get back to what I was already working on, and more.
How about you other writers? Do you always get to focus on what you want to write, move forward, and enjoy it? Or have you also had some issues that slow you down, maybe stop you for a while?
But the great thing about being a writer is that we’ll deal with it and go forward with our writing. Right? Write!
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