Making Writing a Priority

f it’s December it must be time for setting goals. Ah, the writer’s routine of goal-setting. But first, let’s wrap up our week on priorities. Our priorities will lay the groundwork for what we are blogging about next week.

To make writing a priority in 2009 I need a good dose of both passion and discipline.

Passion. I’m convinced that you make time for what you really want. If you really want to write you’ll find the time to do it. You’ll find a way to be one of those authors who writes on the subway to work. Or you’ll get up at 5am to kick out a chapter. You’ll carve out some time and space in your life to write if you want it bad enough.

But what if you feel stuck? You want to write, but no matter what you do you can’t seem to do it? Your intentions are good. You’ve got some great ideas. BUT….[insert excuse here].

Now, I get that life gets in the way and priorities get messed up. There is a trick to help you keep your priorities in front of you.

Answer these two questions: Why do you write? What do you write?  The answers will help you form that yucky mission statement. What? Never written one? Hmm. Guess it is time.

I wouldn’t make this harder that it is. Yes, it would be great if you can have one or two sentences taped up to your computer that you can read every morning. But a short pep-talk (written down so you can read it when you need a boost) to yourself can also do wonders to remind you why you want to make your writing a priority in 2009.

Discipline. When something is automatically a routine—like brushing your teeth—it no longer requires discipline. Discipline is what you have to do to make yourself do the thing you are struggling to do. (Read that again!)

Clever definition of discipline isn’t it? I have to admit I didn’t come up with it on my own. I picked up this idea about discipline from a book by Mark Buchanan. I think it was Your God is Too Safe. He was actually quoting someone else, too.  I should have written the quote down so I could have given you the real thing instead of my remembrance of it. (Sorry! If someone really wants the quote I’ll go dig it up—it was a library book.)

This definition of discipline makes so much sense to me. It ties right in with my thoughts on establishing writing routines. If I automatically write one or two scenes after my kids go to bed I’ll make steady progress on a WIP. If I keep a stack of books on my nightstand I’ll keep up on market research. If I participate in NaNoWriMo I’ll get a lot of writing done every November. If I write a blog once a week I’ll be getting my name out there to help build that infamous platform. Get the idea?

You set up your life so writing becomes a priority.

Before I got married and started a family I was a full-time writer/editor. I wrote for a living, so no discipline was involved—it was pretty routine.

Once I became a stay-at-home mom, suddenly the need for discipline kicked in. I’m still working on creating my writing routines. Each year I try to get more done than the year before. I build up my routines slowly so I won’t be overwhelmed and tempted to quit.

So, as I head into my goal planning sessions for 2009 I’m going to focus on making my writing a priority. To make my writing a priority, I need to focus on my passion for writing—why I write and what I write. This provides the energy. Next I need to have discipline to keep my writing a priority. I need to organize my life in a way that ensures I not just think about writing, but I actually write!