I recently found a piece of paper with my 2017 writing goals listed on them. It was depressing because on the list were stories that three years later I still haven’t finished. A closer look at the list made me feel a little less of a failure when I realized my writing goals in 2017 were quite ambitious, but still, I need to do better.
One of the stories I was to finish in 2017 started out as a novella, but now is over three hundred pages. I’d write a little. Stop. Work on something else. Then go back to it. But for the last year and half I have given the piece all of my attention, stopping only to write two short stories. Twice, I’ve changed the course of the plot and have deleted over a hundred pages–months of work–but the plot change was necessary for the story.
I’m sure I can not be the only writer who wonders if she should have written more with the time at hand, but sometimes the words do not flow easily. I write, forcing out words I know will eventually be deleted, but I write them anyway, because a writer writes. Maybe not always well. Maybe with words she knows will be replaced, but she writes.
Keep writing. Write through blocks. Write through distraction. Write through internal doubt.
Just Write.
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aliciajoseph 
Alicia, this is beautiful. Follow your heart and the words will come. I take my time with my books. It has been almost two years since Awakened by Fate came out and my second book still is being edited by my publisher. I have manuscripts I’ve started and stopped. I took a break from writing last fall. For me great works need time to sit and simmer for a while. I am excited that you are working on projects and I can’t wait until your next book comes out. Keep writing and blogging!
Thanks for your kind words. I just saw your blog about your new release coming out soon. Congrats! And yes, I agree one should take their time with their stories. Have a good night.
Your blog struck a chord with me. I write because I enjoy it, like making up stories and tend to fall in love with my characters. I’m retired, I have plenty of time and no excuses not to do it. But some days I’ll sit at the keyboard and think ‘I’m just not up to it today. Anything I write will be crap.’ Then I tell myself, ‘Yeah, but it’s your crap. So what if you delete it tomorrow.’ Like the novel you’ve been working on since 2017, I’ve got one I started last year – several times. I’ve thrown out more than has been left in. And in the interim I’ve completed two other short novels. One of these days I will get the damn thing finished.
I love the advice you’ve given – just keep writing. Remember all those monkeys at their keyboards churning out gibberish along with Shakespeare’s plays? Some days you just have to pretend to be one of those monkeys and eventually “Rosemary and Juliet” will come out.
Thanks for reading my blog and leaving a message. That’s great that you’re writing. Keep at it. We can always delete the words we no longer want to keep, but we can do nothing with the words that aren’t there at all. So keep writing! Good luck to you on your journey ahead.