Day
after day, day after day,
We
stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As
idle as a painted ship
Upon
a painted ocean.
Water,
water, every where,
And
all the boards did shrink;
Water,
water, every where,
Nor
any drop to drink.
You may recognize the above from The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In maritime terms, the doldrums refer to
calm periods when the wind disappears. The doldrums also refer to listlessness,
inactivity, stagnation. Since before Christmas, I’ve been in the doldrums with
my writing. I’ve written the blogs I’m committed to, but the work on my WIP is
in a holding pattern.
First, I blamed it on the six weeks I spent in Arizona,
visiting my son and his family. Hubs says I have a permanent crick in my arm
from holding Baby Girl so much. He might be right on that. I took every chance
I got to hold her, especially since we won’t see her again until August. She
called more to me than my WIP. Then I blamed it on jet lag from returning home
and all that being gone for so long entails. Whatever, the doldrums have me in their
grasp.
I may have mentioned before that my writing chapter
(Mid-Michigan RWA) promotes our own version of NaNoWriMo (National Novel
Writing Month). Each month we publicize our goal for the month then encourage
each other on progress. This month I said I needed some butt-kicking to get my
WIP back on track. Our organizer, Alyssa Alexander, gave me the first kick. But
after two days, I still haven’t even opened the file.
I can support others, kick others, encourage them, but what
can I do to get myself going?
Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.
