One Promise Broken, Another Made

Today I signed up for http://www.blogher.com/blogher-topics/blogging-social-media/nablopomo  This requires that I write a blog a day for the entire month of November. I had been on the fence about signing up because I have a very weird schedule and wasn't sure I could do it. This morning I was going through my files of things I had started writing over the last few years, looking for inspiration for a singular blog post. One of the files I came across was a folder titled, "Writing exercises". This was something I had challenged myself with far too long ago and something at which I have failed miserably! It was a simple task, to write something, anything no matter the quality, three times a week. I opened the folder and found a single, lone file. Just one! Here, you can read it for yourself:

     With alcoholics they say that admitting you have a problem is the first step. 

     Well my problem is not alcohol, it’s procrastination, but I believe the 

     philosophy is the same. I have been telling myself that I was going to start 

     writing for quite a while now. I won’t say how long because it’s just 

     depressing! I bought resource books, a laptop, created a nice quiet little home 

     office where I could write uninterrupted and what do I do? Do I actually start

     writing? No! I constantly find myself distracted and never really begin anything.

     I never just sit down and do it. Until tonight that is. This is no masterpiece, 

     it will never be submitted to a publisher or posted on a blog. But it is a 

     very important step for me. I made a commitment to myself that I would sit 

     down and write something, even if it was garbage, before going to bed tonight. 

     This is sort of free-association rambling with the only purpose being to “prime 

     the mental pump” more or less. Just to get into the habit, making the act of 

     sitting down and writing a part of my routine. Maybe, if I do it every night, 

     after a while I will start getting some of the many ideas tumbling around in my 

     brain to coalesce into something worth making available for others to read. 

     Until that happens I will write something at least 3 times a week minimum. 

     That is a promise to myself.

     1/15/11

I left the date there so you could see how long this has taken, otherwise the paragraphs are unedited. I was wrong about it never being posted on a blog but I truly believe the rest. If I just summon up the mental discipline and put my thoughts down in words I will be able to tame the twin beasts of distraction and procrastination and accomplish my goals. So today, instead of a private deal with myself, I make a public commitment to achieving the goal of NaBloPoMo and completing a blog every day this month. 

At the present time there are over 1400 blogs listed as participating. I cannot be the only writer involved who struggles with this issue. Any sage wisdom or words of experience are welcome. 

P.S. Guess I already blew it because I should have posted this yesterday. Going to keep on going anyway, such is life.