“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” Mark Twain

Boy, Look At Her!

I've spent a good deal of the past several days doing little constructive.

It's been a hard week or two. First, my husband got pretty sick - with bronchitis. Listening to him cough, and struggle for breath, just tore my heart out every time. (He IS on the mend, by the way, but still has inflamed bronchial tubes. According to the doc, he should get better with time)

Then, my motherboard stopped working Wednesday - the day before I was planning to enter the first 7k of my Biblical fiction WIP, Handmaiden to a Princess in The Emily. I KNOW God had a different reason for me to work as hard as I did to get that part of my manuscript polished and pretty, but it was still a bit of a letdown.

And now, I'm waiting (not so patiently, if you're wondering) for my new puter, which should arrive NO LATER THAN October 21. I'm using the hubby's laptop here and there, but that's about it. And I try not to take advantage of his generosity.

So, as I sit computerless and internetless, for the most part, I've been feeling blah (Boy, Look At Her: get it??). And totally unmotivated to write. And it's not like I have nothing to work on. I'm still working on (theoretically) a back cover blurb for another contest with a deadline later this month, and I have a post due at the Internet Cafe no later than the 20th of this month. But my brain has no desire to cooperate.

MAYBE all this is God telling me to take a break (as much as I can, anyway) until I have my own computer. Perhaps I should focus my time on other things, like cleaning my house (did I just hear an "Amen" from the hubby's chair?), reading, spending time with my family, or who knows what else.

Or maybe I should embrace my blahs. Or work through them anyway. (We all know we can't wait for inspiration to do what we need to do - we do it and hope it comes)

Or, like every good 21st century writer, I could do what I just did - WRITE a blog about why I can't WRITE.

Makes perfect sense to me!

What do you do to fight off the blahs? How do you handle the lack of motivation to write?


Paving Rough Roads With God's Presence

12 comments:

  1. B.L.A.H. Boy look at her.. Love it Joanne. Cannot give you any writing advice as I have not been giving the time I should to it lately. Need to increase my membership on FW so I can rejoin the challenges. But I have so enjoyed this post :) I pray hubby will recover soon and I know it weighs on you when someone you care about is suffering. God bless ya, Deb

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  2. I miss you, JO! ((hugs)) To get through my "blahs", I do something else that I've been putting off. It seems my creativeness is hindered by self-nagging. Once I clear my conscience, the muse starts working again.

    I hope you're back in the writing mood again, soon!

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  3. Big (((HUGS))) Jo! I know the blah's well. Sometimes I immerse myself in a novel (or two, or three). That will spark my desire to a)write BETTER that the junk I just read, or b) practice so I can write THAT good some day.

    Other times, using the left side of your brain to do something visually creative (Word Filled Wednesday, scrapbook, paint or draw). For some reason, that gets your right brain working again.

    Then, of course, read scripture and journal. The Lord will reveal to you things you don't know are bothering you.

    Hope you feel better soon, sweetie. Enjoy your God-imposed break.
    Love
    Cat

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  4. Hang in there, Jo--when you least expect it those blahs will leave. Your last line left me laughing.

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  5. I just start writing. It's amazing what flows from my mind when I'm not expecting it.

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  6. I take a hike :). I go out for a walk in the fields. Best place to listen to what God is saying, get ideas and clear out the cobwebs.

    Sounds like you have a great attitude through your trials. You're way ahead of most people.

    Hope things get better quickly.

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  7. Oh I like that acronym for blah,Joanne. Very creative.

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  8. priceless! Love this post. Hope everything gets back to 'normal'!

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  9. Sorry the BLAH's have caught up with you. They must be heading east, as they've just left my place. I kicked them out the beginning of October. :)

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  10. You have had a time of it! I am in that blah mood myself as I start a new book. But I seek motivation!!!

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  11. Everyone goes thru the blah mood, but things always gets back to normal.

    http://youcanfacetodaybecausehelives.blogspot.com/

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  12. You have to believe in yourself . That's the secret of success.

    -----------------------------------
    Leiden

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