Making Writing a Priority

By Elizabeth Solazzo

I love to write. Really, I do. I promise!

With more free time available in recent months, I’ve examined the reasons why I’ve procrastinated so much throughout the years. If I love to write as much as I claim to, and enjoy creating, why do I avoid the process so often? I don’t think I’m alone in this.

Is it fear of the blank page? Maybe. Or lack of confidence that I have anything meaningful to share?

Aren’t there enough books in the world already? Now we have artificial intelligence that offers competition.

Perhaps I enjoy reading more than writing? Or maybe it’s imposter syndrome that is all the rage lately.

I’ve even considered that I might be the kind of person who likes to “have written,” more than “to write.” But that’s not true either. I actually love putting words on the page, including the messy task of rewriting and organizing my words into a readable final draft. I also love sending my words out into the world to stand alone.

So, why not make writing a priority? For years I had more excuses than words on the page. I mostly wrote in my leisure time, and it was a hobby more than anything else. I took workshops on occasion and joined a local writers’ club. I wrote a couple of books to take up space in the “bottom drawer.”

In my day job, I was a financial aid director, where I was responsible for students getting funds to attend college. I worked a lot of hours and put in so much effort; my brain was mostly fried by the time I arrived home. Even then, writing was a “go-to” that I enjoyed when I made the time for it. I once created a murder mystery to kill off the irritating IT director I had to deal with to keep my technology up to date. He was a crank who thought nobody should have more computer resources than he did. He didn’t care that I had to maintain certain specifications for equipment to meet Department of Education guidelines for awarding grants.

Between my career and family, there was little time left over for much serious writing, although I tried. I stayed busy raising two daughters alongside my husband, who also worked long hours. Keeping a house running by doing all those pesky little chores no one sees or appreciates unless they don’t get done kept me busy for years.

After my girls left home, I started to publish a few articles and wrote an occasional personal essay for local publications. Then I had four grandchildren, each three years apart. I started a journal for each of them to capture all those cute things they said and did. Once again, I was my family’s center, getting us together on a weekly basis for dinner. Babysitting and helping with whatever anyone needed. Then, I helped care for ailing parents, and finally a husband with a motor neuron disease (ALS) that would eventually take his life.

I kept writing through it all and finally published seven books (fiction and creative nonfiction) after I retired from work in 2012. Not too shabby! But then, the marketing took over. Who knew I would have to spend so much time talking about books in order to sell my books?

At this stage in my life, I’m a widow and the grands are all grown. I have no more excuses. I’ve decided to make writing a priority again. It’s time to dust off some old tricks to convince myself to put my butt in the chair and create.

One trick I’ve used is to promise myself I’ll write for at least 10 minutes a day most days. If the writing muse is doing her job, I might write for two to three hours. Sometimes even longer. If not, I give myself permission to do something else.

A friend suggested keeping a daily log on my computer, and that has helped lead me to my desk more regularly too. I  used that hack to finish my last novel. Something about knowing I will give myself credit for the time spent inspires me to put in the work.

Having a few little tricks that motivate makes starting a writing session less intimidating. Turns out getting started, along with a little inspiration, was all I needed. I’ve burned up the keyboard this week!

Elizabeth Solazzo is a writer living in the Piedmont of North Carolina who enjoys writing about family and relationships. Her most recent publication is Mountain Miracles, the final book in the Clinch Mountain Trilogy. The books feature the relationship between a 100-year-old widow who struggled to survive in the hills of Appalachia in the early 20th century, along with a young female doctor opening her first medical clinic in those same mountains at the end of the 20th century. Other releases include three collections of creative nonfiction and one collection of short fiction entitled Chasing the Wind. Learn more at http://elizabethsolazzo.com or subscribe to her newsletter at https://elizabethsolazzo.substack.com