I get a little too caught up in figuring out my processes sometimes. For example, with my podcast booking service, I got overly obsessed with finding the right task app, time tracking app, to-do list app, project management app, you name it. Anything to make me feel more organized, that less was on my plate, and I wasn't so stressed.
It didn't work.
And what I've come to realize is that all of this hunting for the one app that will make my life easier is just wasting time.
Truth is, what ended up working out is a simple Google sheet where each tab represented a client, and I would fill it with the podcaster I pitched. I also included a Google Doc of what I'm pitching at the top. That simple. That easy. Oh, and occasionally, I'd add notes.
I didn't need a fancy app. I didn't need bells and whistles.
And the same problem can happen with my own writing.
On a cloudy, colder-than-usual August morning, I opened up my laptop, took a sip of coffee, and hunted for a story on my Google Drive.
I knew it was somewhere. I had worked on it...oh, I'm sure not that long ago (or so I thought).
Ah, there it is, I told myself when I found it.
Sadly, the last time I worked on --- peaking at my document changes -- was this May.
Let me tell you, this summer has been a doozy. It's not just the heat. It's not even one thing in particular.
All the while, my creative writing turned into a guilt-inducing project I'm ignoring.
Surely, there's just something wrong with my processes.
I thought of downloading a writing app. Tried a mind map one. Briefly considered a fancier writing software.
Deep down, though, I knew my little old short story didn't need those things. It just needed my attention.
So, I got started with one more final round of edits. And by around noon, a polished, ready-to-submit version of my short story was done.
I learned that sometimes you just need to start. Guilt from neglect can lead us to look away from our stories in shame.
Don't let that happen. Just get started. Write despite any begrudging thoughts that scream, "Why bother?"
Why?
Because your efforts add up. Before you know it, you'll have a completed...something. A poem. A novel. A short story. An essay. A stream of thoughts.
No matter what you do, keep going back to your writing. You never know when you'll catch a wave of creativity. Ride with it when you do. Sure, the dry spells happen.
Just don't give up.
Nicole Pyles is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. Her writing has appeared in Sky Island Journal, Arlington Literary Journal, The Voices Project, The Ocotillo Review, and Gold Man Review. A poem of hers was also featured in the anthology DEAR LEADERS TALES. Her short story, “The Mannequin of Lot 18,” was nominated for Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy for 2024. Since she’s not active on social media very much, stay in touch by following her writing blog at World of My Imagination.
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