Is writing distracting you from writing?

I don’t remember the last time I wrote something that I didn’t post. Whilst I’m becoming more present on social media, I’m less present in the background of my writing life. Instead of pencil to paper, it’s posts to pages (Fb pages, Instagram pages, WordPress pages; you get it.)

I mustn’t be alone in this, surely? (please tell me I’m not alone).

I feel like I have no surprises. I haven’t spent time writing the novel I want to write/finish. I haven’t spent time working on my next poetic creative non-fiction coffee table book (a made up genre that I’m totes coining).

Maybe I’m procrastinating (no maybe about it). That’s the biggest thing about being a writer (I’ve found), the fear of giving time to the craft in case you don’t fill it with quality writing. What happens if you sit in the chair and nothing comes out of the heart, mind, soul or fingertips?

I am writing though. I’m writing this right now, so that’s got to count for something. I’m blogging and posting. I’m writing poetry and posting. I’m updating you on #allthethings, and posting. And there might be another writer out there reading this instead of giving their time to writing (yeah I see you).

I haven’t touched the novel I started writing when I tried NANOWRIMO this past November. I managed 20,000 words (half my goal), but stopped the minute December 1st showed up.  I haven’t opened that file since. I’m scared of it. I’m scared of the amount of work I have to put into it. I’m scared of the late nights I’ll have to timeshare with my uni degree. I’m scared I’ll want to go to my full time job even less because I’ll wish I was at home procrastinating about writing the book. I’m scared of the bags under my eyes that will whey me down during the day. I’m scared I don’t have another 20,000 words in me that will contain a decent middle and an end.

That’s a lot of fear.

It’s much easier to write this short (ish) post about how scared I am. Hopefully a bunch of other people are procrastinating (sorry, not sorry) about their own writing, just enough to comment on this and say “You are not alone’.

So tell me, am I alone in this?

Are you procrastinating about the next big project in your life?

(Laundry is also considered “a big project” and yes I’m also procrastinating about that).

T x