Writing a novel ... so easy to do????

Whaaat? I hear you squeaking! Yup I was as surprised as you are to read that, but now let's put it into context before we all have heart failure!

Picture this ... a rainy winter afternoon in Jo'burg (not hard to do right now with all the rain we've had lately!), you relax in your reading chair (what do you mean you don't have one?), open the latest copy of Essentials magazine (because you're really curious to find out when they'll be announcing the winners of the short romance competition) and you see the column next to the editorial with heading ...

But, would we really?

So, curious you continue to read ... and I quote ...

How many times have we said "if only I had the time?" Well, here are just the excuses we need not to feel bad ...

And item number two on the list, again, I quote ...

Write that novel - except we know we don't need to do it right now 'cos it's going to be so easy to do, and we'll just sit down when the moment's right and it'll just ... sort of happen.

OK so now I'll give you all a moment to let that sink in ... and simmer.

Oh take me to someone who agrees with this and I'll eat my ... hat! Well, I would if I actually owned one.

If, like me, you've been wondering what on earth happened to your time this year, and now Mother's day is just around the corner which basically means we're nearly half way through the year, and you still haven't written that story that's been milling about in your head ... Well, now you have the perfect excuse don't you? It's going to be so easy as soon as you have the time. As soon as the day job gets less hectic (really you still think that's gonna happen?), as soon as the kids leave home (that would be ... oh in about ten years then), as soon as you've finished rebuilding the house, and so on, and so forth ad infinitum.

There is no end to the number of excuses you can come up with as to why you don't actually have any words on paper. And you can feel good about having them - can't you? No?

So there can really only be one answer to your dilemma. We know writing is not easy. We also know writing brings us great joy. We know the excuses make us feel bad. When you look at it in cold reality ... no excuse makes you feel as good as writing actually does. So let's make a pact! Promise yourself no more excuses. It's time to prioritise.

Writing = Feeling Good.

Give yourself the gift of time to write!