I am once again doing my best to avoid the writing that I want to do.  How many loops on the same gerbil wheel do I have to make to ‘get’ this? I’ve weeded in the rain, I’ve dusted things that really didn’t need dusting, I’m doing a load of rags in the wash as if that’s a pressing need…it’s pathetic to watch myself spending more energy avoiding the project than it would take to do the damned thing.

It’s all classic. It’s what I run up against pretty much constantly. I need to give myself permission – again! – that I don’t have to write a book, just edit a little bit of what I’ve already done. I know that approach usually works; I trick myself by editing line-by-line what I’ve already written.

It’s a way of sneaking up on myself and eventually I’m adding a word or two or a sentence and voila…I’m writing. Even the fact that I’m right this second explaining how I trick myself, I still need to actually execute the trick. And isn’t a trick or magic something that the one being tricked can’t figure out?  Clearly I know about how it works if I’m explaining it?!?

The mind is a strange and powerful and covert animal.  And probably just a little twisted. But here’s the beauty of the blog thing. I will hit the “publish’ button and there will be this little thrill of completion and mastery and that little small ‘e’ endorphin will allow me to click on the Word Documents file and give me the impetus and confidence to begin again…unless of course, I urgently need to make tea and then find out it would be a very fine idea to clean out the tea cupboard or polish the stove knobs.