Writing Without A Plan

Staring at a blank page (or screen) can be brutal.

I know this to be true in my head.

But I recently experienced this in my body

for the first time in a long time.

I was unproductive and unmoored.

I was restless and distracted.

I didn’t have a plan (read: a list of writing projects) for moving forward.

I was surrounded by a cluttered desk

and a cluttered mind

that refused to settle on one idea long enough to start writing.

So, instead I rustled papers

I opened and closed tabs

I checked email (I did respond to a few!)

I tried (unsuccessfully I might add) to figure out how to transfer a note from my Notes app into a Google Doc folder

and, then, the writing time was up.

So, let me unpack this.

I always start a writing session with a list of writing projects that I want to focus on.

Next, I choose what I’m going to start with first.

Then, if I have more time, I move on to something else.

This time, I had no plan.

I thought I could just open up a blank page in my Google Drive and go from there.

After all, I’ve been writing every day.

I should have a bank of ideas from which to choose.

I am Super Teacher Writer!

Ugh!

And, ouch!

What I’m describing sounds like a simple fix, I know.

But simple fixes aren’t always easy to see in the moment.

But they are learning opportunities.

My students will benefit from the fact that I am a teacher-writer

because I will continue to share my struggles with writing

and the strategies I have identified

as powerful ways to keep me writing

every

single

day.

Cross posted to The Two Writing Teachers Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge.