Writing is mostly
about avoiding writing.
Every time I go into the office it’s the same. I’ll check my emails, Twitter, the sales for Mostly
Comedy, my bank balance, the stat-counter on mine and Glyn's website, the Paul
McCartney forum and then Twitter again, before I consider putting pen to paper
(in an electronical, computer-typery sense). I’d repeat this cycle ad
infinitum if I could get away with it.
If there’s
anything I can distract myself with, I’ll leap at it like
a man possessed. The closer the deadline, the longer it takes me to get to work. It’s not the most helpful approach.
Not every
diversion is self-inflicted. There’s often admin to wade through first.
I’ve also not taken into account the many hours spent trying to connect to
BT Openzone. You don’t get that time back; something I'm looking forward to mulling over on my
deathbed.
I may not be
giving myself due credit. I’ve managed to keep this daily blog up for a year
and a half, which is something to be proud of. I still love to avoid it. Working
on ideas, particularly for stand-up, can feel like an insurmountable effort.
At least today’s
been well spent. I recently felt I’d reached a bit of an
impasse when it came to writing new material for my show. I couldn’t get past the halfway point. I’m pleased to say I think I’ve
managed to overcome this. I’ve made a long list of things I’d like to include and
have started to work my way through it. The trick is to not keep looking at my
calendar, as the time frame becomes daunting. I’m still ahead of the game. I need to keep reminding myself this.