Runcibility

Time is a resource. Time which could be spent on writing is always precious and even if it doesn’t generate a finished product.

A quick google will turn up countless writing resources and tips. Try it. Give it a click.

Scroll your way past the sponsored content and advertisements, past the inducements to get you published or improve your craft; down, down to the endlessly-regurgitated collection of quotes from the same five famous authors and the books about writing which you are told you must buy. There are a million hits for writing tips. It’s a minefield out there. It’s full of content and it’s full of distractions.

We all know that everyone wants our money, but everyone is also competing for our time.

There is no such thing as a quick fix for the writer. We all know this, but in dry moments we still hope. Whether a novice or a seasoned scribbler, whether published or commercially-clueless, whether in the grip of writer’s block or as a series of self-imposed distraction techniques, we all fight the same battle. We want a quick fix. We want a kick. We want a magical solution. We want to avoid the blank page or the self-doubt or the sentence that just will not take shape.

A thousand sites promise to fight it with us, but beware. Our time could be better spent writing.

I have come to think of writing as a process and not a way of generating an end product. The more I write, the more likely it is that I will do one of two things: I will actually find that magical spot and generate something I can use or, even more miraculously, something I like. Or I will simply train myself to write instead of not writing. Not writing is easy. Writing is hard. This is playing a long game without any expectation of instant productivity. Eventually, this will pay off when I find that magical spot again.

I fully acknowledge the potential irony here: I’m writing about writing and not actually writing. I’m also offering a writing tip which is to be wary of distractions exactly like mine.

However, I am writing, if not writing what I need to write. This is my long game.

Now it’s really time to write.