No.
This is not a story about nuns!
Klaus K. Tausz als Vince La Rocca in der Neuauflage des Musicals “Sister Act” – 2005/2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’ve read a number articles over the last few months about it taking 21 days to make or break a habit.
Since July NaNo finished, I haven’t written or even edited much. Since I finished reading an Odd Thomas book what seems like months ago, I haven’t read much either.
We have most of our leave during the summer months. Makes sense right? Well it does until we have to go from September until Christmas before we have any more time off. I’ve also been busy doing the day job and so my extra curricular writing has suffered.
The start of the English football season and a mild addiction to Candy Crush haven’t helped.
Yeah, they are both to blame. 🙂
I know that I need to snap out of it, but that is always a lot easier said than done. I’ve been too zonked out to put serious time into more “work” and have resorted to “play” instead. Fine for short periods, but beyond a joke now!
We have a New Year approaching fast and I hope that a rebirth of the year gives me an extra incentive to get writing again. Reading again. Blogging again. I need to hit a new 21 days to form a new habit. Then I can continue the journey.
Not a nun in sight.
Seasonal greetings.
Picture by Me using Paper by 53
Pete Denton 
It’s so easy for this to happen, Pete. This year I discovered Chuck Wendig’s Flash Fiction Challenge. He issues it every Friday, and it’s great for writers who are biased towards fantasy – but since he loves setting genre mash-ups, you find yourself treading new paths completely.
It’s prompted me to write at least 1000 words a week, often in a new genre. Some of the ideas that came out during this are developing into longer projects. That’s brought me out of my cosy world into something quite different – a real challenge for anyone who likes to think of themselves as an author. If you want to join the hundreds on there, check out terribleminds.com/ramble/blog It makes a nice regular feature for my blog too 🙂
Thanks, Jemima. I will check it out. 🙂
I think we all fall into the trap of finding other things to do besides concentrating on our writing skills. Sometimes, it’s a good thing unless it lasts too long. Sounds like you have a plan to get back on track!
I hope the plan works! I just need to shake myself out of things. Onward to 2014!
So good to hear from you again, Pete. I also have fallen out of the habit of blogging, but getting back to it IS a New Year’s Resolution. It seems that I can focus on getting short stories published OR working on my second book OR blogging Or critiquing for two groups, but can’t do all four. Gotta get more organized to keep all the balls in the air.
I can understand your interest in football (OK, soccer on this side of the pond). As a sports junkie, I am faced with men and women’s soccer, women’s field hockey, and American football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and lacrosse and baseball in the spring. What to do?
Looking forward to hearing more from you!
Thanks, Noelle. You have a lot of juggling to do, but a New Year gives us all fresh hope!
Time for an early New Years Resolution Pete to lay off the games.If you let it go on too long you end up like me, no pen to paper for 2 years now and white hair, I’m only 29. Just a very mild kick up the rump from me to propel you forward again. You’ll soon get back into it. Perhaps just one Premier League match a week then.
Thanks, David. I need to be more disciplined. The kick will do me good! I’ll try and keep it to just Liverpool games 🙂
I got away from writing regularly myself, for a number of reasons. I’m kicking my butt into gear now, and although it’s hard to get back in the swing, it feels good to be working on writing again. I’m trying to let that be my motivation, that satisfied feeling after I’ve done some real work. And maybe some hot chocolate. 😉
I’m glad to see your face in the blogosphere again. I missed you. I’m sure you’ll find your way back to writing regularly, with some dedication. You know what you need to do to get there, and that always helps.
Thanks, Julie. It’s been a nice break even though I’ve wanted to get back into things. My characters keep trying to entice me back, which is a good thing. Dedication is the key. Happy editing/writing 🙂
I’m trying to figure out how to increase my reading! Not an easy thing to do in our “busy” world. I am looking forward to a New Year and am taking this quote by Rainer Maria Rilke, with me…
“An now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.”
I am so glad that we are connected! All the very best!! 🙂
Thank you and happy reading!
🙂 🙂 🙂
Interesting that you’ve stopped the writing, reading AND blogging – do they all go together for you then? I had noticed your absence. Hope you had a good Christmas!
Thanks, Vanessa. They shouldn’t go together. I think I get to a point where watching TV is all I can do. Other than a bit of baking!
Nice quiet Christmas thanks, I hope you had a nice time?
On to 2014!
Yep lovely things, still having it, not back at work till next Monday 🙂
Damn! I’m back tomorrow. Boooooooooooo!
Happy New Year 🙂
I meant ‘lovely thanks’ not ‘lovely things’!
That does make more sense!
Hurrah! I feel less guilty now – writing is a guilty pleasure and I must do it more too!!
We will get a date in diaries to catch up and get reinspired!
Oh no! Got a new camera and want to learn Spanish – feeling optimistic we will write again
Thanks, Christie. We do need a meeting of Steel City Writers. Must arrange! I did Spanish at school. Failed my ‘O’ Level though so probably not much use 🙂
It seems so easy to break habits and so hard to create good ones. It is a never ending cycle of restarts Good luck getting back in the writing habit. We are here to help by reading what you write.
Thanks, Dennis. Very true words.
I now hate Candy Crush with a passion after spending the last three months stuck on a level lol
If it was level 197 then I sympathise as I was stuck on that one for weeks as well!
how did you guess? I am at a point where once a week I go on and have a go the spend the rest of the week swearing I will not go back
I know a few people who were stuck on 197 for a long period of time. The irony is when you do complete it, you’ll have ten moves left or something. Good luck!
I need to find my way back to that discipline, too. I did so well in November with my “PerNoReMo,” but lost all momentum with a heavy work load and the holidays here in December. I’m going to launch “PerNoReMo 2” in January, setting modest writing goals, and see if that gets me back on the track I want to be riding.
Good luck with finding your writing routine again. I like the image of being back on the track I want to ride. 🙂
It’s so easy to fall out of a habit and so hard to build one. If only it were the other way around. 🙂 I barely read any books in 2013. December I read half the books I read the entire year. Something I need to build into my daily schedule.
I know once I start reading again I will be back in the swing of things. The same with blogging and hopefully writing when I get back into it. A daily schedule sounds like a good plan!
I can understand life interfering with writing and blogging, and I too have been diverted by random time suckers such as but not Candy Crush from time to time… ok I admit to Pinterest, lately, in the interest of full disclosure. But not reading … that is the worst thing that could befall me.
Good luck getting back on your horses 🙂
Thank you. Slowly the horses are ready for me 🙂