Day 2: Writing--And What Gets in the Way

December 2 - Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
(Author: Leo Babauta)

How long can the list of things that get in the way of writing be? Not sure this blog can contain that many characters.

Truth be told folks, for me, writing gets in the way of writing. Now that sounds rather paradoxical, no? Yes. Let me explain:

I write all day long--answering emails, putting lengthy comments on student papers, editing the work of others, writing new lectures, crafting challenging essay topics, conjuring up review letters, etc. I tweet. I comment. I live my life in words.

And yet, somehow, when I think of "Writing" [with a decidedly capital W] I don't think of any of these things. For me, "Writing" means my research, my intellectual life, and that's the writing that often gets pushed to the bottom of the pile during the sturm un drang of the semester.

I need three things to write well: a sizable chunk of time with minimal intellectual commitments aside from the writing [this can be as little as 2 days--preferably closer to 2-3 weeks]; a deadline; and a catalyst [these are often unexpected].

I write best in stressful situations--i.e. right before a deadline. This has always been true. It's a flawed system, admittedly.

And also, I just finished a major writing project that is the culmination of 10 years of research and hard work. I'm letting the well of inspiration fill up. I have an exciting new project [a BIG monograph] that I want to do and that I've spent a good deal of time conceptualizing, but my writing takes RESEARCH, and research takes time. We'll see if any of those precious grants come true. [If this is about setting intention for 2011--I'm setting intention for that!!]

But all these things, while valid, still sound like excuses.

So what can I remove?

Well, for starters, I can probably remove my preconceived notions about what I "need" to write well. Perhaps instead of having a clear head [not teaching 3 different classes on 3 wildly different topics] for sustained periods of time, I could clear my head for a few hours each morning, or each evening. Perhaps next semester, I can declare a "writing day" and set a page goal. All things to think about.

Writing for me takes an unbelievable amount of discipline. This is not to say I don't enjoy it--sometimes I do. *A-ha moment* I just had a realization that for me, writing takes a SINGULAR focus. I must concentrate on my writing while writing, and honestly, not much else. This concept of singular focus is utterly foreign to my normal daily existence where I'm apt to engage in a wondrous variety of activities [teaching different classes, meeting with students, grading, coaching track, working with local historical organizations, working on an exhibit, researching, going to committee meetings, having some semblance of a life separate from work, etc]. And so that's what I'm going to cultivate--a more intentional singular focus--less multi-tasking.

And deadlines, don't forget those!