Pros and Cons

The con: The past week or so I haven't been inspired, or even interested, in playing my guitar. It seems like every time I pick it up, I just end up staring at it. This happens to me every now and then, it's not unique. Of course I always get nervous when it does happen, wondering if I'll ever be interested in playing it again, but it always passes, so I have to defer to the logical part of my brain that tells me: "Wait it out. You'll be itching to play again in no time."

The pro: In lieu of not wanting to play, I had to find something else to occupy my time so that I wasn't watching TV and playing video games from the moment I got home from work to the moment I went to bed. So I revved up a different part of my brain and worked on a short story idea I've had bumping around for years. And more importantly, last night I finished it. This is the first story I've finished in quite a long time. Now, while working on it, I had in the back of my mind the entire time the reminder that I wanted to try and work more within a draft system. That is, when I used to write before, I hated writing in drafts. Hated it! As a result, I'd try to get everything exactly right the first time. And as a result of that, I'd very easily get stuck at some point and not be able to continue. Which is why over the years, the wrecks of half finished stories litter my drawers.

So this time I kept mentally telling myself: You are writing in drafts. You will be doing this over. Just get the story out and worry about the rest later. So, the story may have been finished last night, but it's not good. Not in it's present form. It needs some whipping into shape. I'm taking a week off from it to decompress, to let it percolate, and then I'll start on a second draft of it. The entire thing is on paper, and now all I have to do is make it readable, and hopefully enjoyable.

But the important thing, to me, is that I got it out. I actually finished one. It's been so long since I've done that.