Getting Clear About Wishes

In every writers' group I've joined, there's always at least one person, usually several (myself included!) who fool themselves about not having enough time to write. Granted, if you're a homeschooling mother of six kids under age 12 and your husband travels on business, you probably have a genuine time issue. But most of us don't fall into this category.

A decade ago, my son was an unusually good-natured kid, my stepson only lived with us part time, and my husband didn't need a lot of nurturing and service. Both he and I are independent types. The house didn't need any more work than anyone else's, my jobs weren't usually too stressful and I didn't volunteer 50 hours a week at the school. I wasn't even a soccer mom, since neither boy did sports. Yet I hardly produced anything during that period. I have friends who don't have an unreasonable number of commitments or dependents, say they want to write, yet will find almost anything else to do (like clean the toilet) rather than sit down at the keyboard.

What gives?

There are probably zillions of possible reasons but the two biggies I can identify are 1) not being clear about what we really want to write, and 2) a resulting lack of focus.

No matter what your vocation, calling or dream, you need to have a specific picture in your mind's eye, and it needs to excite you. If it doesn't, you won't feel the pull to work on it. Clarifying your desires is the first step towards achieving concrete goals. For example, if you've always thought you want to be a writer (I use this example only because I'm familiar with it) but never get around to any actual writing, ask yourself these questions:

1. When am I in the flow - what excites me so much that I lose track of time when I'm doing it? If my answer isn't "writing," should I continue to halfheartedly pursue writing, or is it time for a change?

2. If my answer is "writing," what kind of writing is it? Storytelling? Poetry? News? Is it comforting or edgy? Lyrical or journalistic? What flavor or style am I drawn to?

3. What do I hope to accomplish with my writing - help people forget their troubles by entertaining them? Sell a product or service I believe in? Change someone's mind about an issue?

4. What do I see as my purpose in life (at least currently - purposes can change), and how does writing support this?

Answering these questions and doing some soul-searching is like creating a spotlight - once you have one or two projects that align with a heartfelt purpose, you'll look forward to working on them. Not only that, the energy they bring to your life will jumpstart your day job.