A Writer's Notebook, Day One-Thousand-And-Ninety-Four

I am glad to say that I got myself to work far earlier tonight and will be able to finish up at a far more reasonable hour.  It is often more a matter of getting myself to focus then anything, and that can be difficult, even at the best of times.  In many ways, this is why it is so important for me to have the kind of routine that I do, where I write each day and focus on keeping to that practice.  While I have a good deal of difficulty getting started, I am not going to back off from the larger effort, so, at some point, I have to do it.  It is not sensible, I suppose: I know I don't have to, that it is a choice, but the commitment is something I value in myself.  That is, it matters to me on a deep level, almost at a level of personal identity, that the promise I made to do the work will stand, and I know that I need to keep that promise each day.  It is true, of course, that I have slipped a few times here and there over the past few years, but, for the most part, I've written daily since I started this blog.  I forgive myself, of course, for those few times I slipped up, but those times were often out of forgetfulness, not a choice, and the once or twice when I did choose, it wasn't just that I was tired or didn't feel like it, and served to push me towards being more diligent afterwards.  I know many writers who say that it is necessary for anyone who is serious about writing to get to the page daily, but I don't know if that is the case.  First of all, not all of what it takes to be a writer or to create a good book is just writing.  There is always the need to learn, to take in new information and ideas around the subjects being considered in the work, and there is the need for the writer to have what they need, in a larger sense, to be creative, which often involves aspects of life that seem unrelated and don't involve working at all.  For me, writing each day serves a vital function, keeping me actively engaged with the work and focused, as well as offsetting some of my difficulties with managing myself, but I am not foolish enough to think that means it is a universal dictum.  Really, I think any writer who is serious needs to find their own practice, the one that allows them to create the work they want.  Of course, I myself resisted daily writing for many years, to, I now realize, my own detriment, so while I don't ascribe it as a necessity for all, I might suggest it is worth trying, if only for a bit, no matter your natural inclination to the proposition.

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