Forming new habits or letting go of old ones.

I’m thinking right now about breaking habitual patterns. It’s too easy for me to get into the habit of *not* writing. So, I’ve spent part of today figuring out how to get into the habit *of* writing. 

For me, the vast majority of it is a mental state. If I think of myself as a person who writes, who dedicates a part of every single day to the craft and art of writing, then I do it. If I let that slip for even a little, soon, days and even weeks will pass without me having written a thing.

And then, the rest of it is the physical state of getting my butt in a seat and my fingers on the keys. If I can get the mental part down, the physical comes without too much trouble. So, that’s the goal. I need to get to the place where my state of mind always reflects that I am a writer. I am a person who writes.

I have three books to finish: FGD2, Symphony in Ex, and the Arbiter (and that’s not counting the four other ones I’ve had on the back burner for the last three years).

I have also decided not to try to write Seoul Song up by its deadline. Instead, I will focus on FGD2. It’s the more pressing of the two. 

But still, the important of all of this is that I need to think of myself as a person who sits down and does the work. When I gave up sugar, I became a person who no longer eats sugar. When I gave up commercial soda, I became a person who no longer drinks commercial soda. Once the paradigm shifted, I had no problem with it. But enacting the habit of writing is harder for some reason. 

Perhaps, it is harder to get into because I am trying to form a habit of doing something rather than giving something up. It is a positive net gain in my life and it is a time commitment. It takes no more time to not drink a diet coke than it does to drink one. The same goes for sugar. 

Perhaps all of this trouble is a time management issue. If I can manage my time properly, I will be able to accomplish the other necessary shifts. 

I will look into my time management practices and I will focus on allocating time to writing. As I learn more about this process, I will keep you all updated.