Back to Life, Back to Reality

I gave myself quite a lot of time off over the Christmas / New Year holidays. I had a long wind down towards it and I've given myself a long easing back in period too. All in all I've had about three weeks away from doing any real, committed, serious writing.

This was A Big Mistake. I'm finding it really difficult to get back into the swing of things again. The words aren't flowing. The stories and characters are clichés. And 'Bargain Hunt' is just a little more tempting than usual every lunchtime.

The life of a self-employed writer is different from most jobs. Normal workers pretty much get straight back into their role as soon as they return to work. There's usually a boss breathing down your neck and some procedures in place to make sure that you produce whatever it is that you do in a timely and quality controlled manner. Not for me. I have nothing stopping me wandering to the paper shop or having a cup of tea and a chat with my Beloved. I am my own boss and my own slave driver.

It's really about motivation. In a normal workplace there's someone around to make sure that you're pulling your weight. They have various metaphorical carrots and sticks to ensure that you do the job that you're contracted for. Me? I have… me. I have to tell myself to get it done, to coerce and bully myself into churning the word count. Any self-employment must include a large dose of self-motivation and that's not always the easiest thing in the world.

It's been great having a work-free end to the year but now my favourite coffee shop is open again and I can plop myself into my favourite armchair there, writing all day fuelled on seriously strong Grumpy Mule coffee. In fact, that's where I'm writing this. What I need now is a series of well-paying commissions with tight deadlines. There's nothing like the threat of not getting paid to encourage productivity.

That's it. That's this week's blog. I know that this piece may seem a little disjointed and rambling but, hey, I've got to ease myself into the writing year somehow, right?