Targets
In recent weeks I have been taking tablets for an ongoing problem in my joints. Nothing serious but it was keeping me awake. One of the side effects of the drugs is a feeling of lethargy. As a consequence I have not felt like getting my backside off the sofa and in front of the computer to get on with my writing.It is far easier to sit and let the moving wallpaper wash over me from the box in the corner. (Strange we still call it a box when it is more of a sheet these days)Every day I fall further behind with my word count and at the end of each day I feel guilty for not having achieved my self-imposed target.
This got me thinking; always a dangerous thing.When we miss our targets and get these feelings, does it affect our creativity? I seem to more be hung up on ‘making the count’ than I do on writing something that others can read.
On days without this lethargy I watch the little counter in the corner of my screen steadily rise toward the target and have a feeling of achievement when it turns green. (Those of you who use Scrivener will know what I’m talking about). When it remains resolutely amber and my eyes start to droop, then so does my mood.
The following day I feel obliged to add the words missed from yesterday onto the total required today. By doing this I am making a rod for my own back and my mood spirals downwards when I fail to achieve this new target. When my mood is low, my creativity becomes non-existent.
So should I ignore the word count altogether? I don’t think so. I need a target to keep me going but what I need to do is accept sometimes I won’t make the target and not get hung up about it.
The best way to overcome the problem is to take a break, come back fresh and ready to tap into the creative part of the mind.
This got me thinking; always a dangerous thing.When we miss our targets and get these feelings, does it affect our creativity? I seem to more be hung up on ‘making the count’ than I do on writing something that others can read.
On days without this lethargy I watch the little counter in the corner of my screen steadily rise toward the target and have a feeling of achievement when it turns green. (Those of you who use Scrivener will know what I’m talking about). When it remains resolutely amber and my eyes start to droop, then so does my mood.
The following day I feel obliged to add the words missed from yesterday onto the total required today. By doing this I am making a rod for my own back and my mood spirals downwards when I fail to achieve this new target. When my mood is low, my creativity becomes non-existent.
So should I ignore the word count altogether? I don’t think so. I need a target to keep me going but what I need to do is accept sometimes I won’t make the target and not get hung up about it.
The best way to overcome the problem is to take a break, come back fresh and ready to tap into the creative part of the mind.
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