On Guard (I wish I knew the French version)

The week has gone fairly well. Outside of taking Monday off as part of the long weekend, I've stuck to the intent of each day for the rest of the week. Plus I've managed to get all the winter clothes put into storage and the summer things out in their place. I rearranged one of the linen closets that was exploding. I could hear it every time I shut the door--towels high-fiving the cleaning supplies and all the suntan lotion bottles and aloe vera hanging out by the footbath, the hairspray buzzing around with the Flowbee. I've put everyone in their place, and it's pretty quiet in there this evening. I keep opening the door just to look at the order. I can see peace and quiet. Funny how peace and quiet comes with order.

I have been reading a book called The War of Art. I hope the author will have some pity on me and let me add his name later. I am typing in the dark and I'm not sure where the book is at the moment. Plus I don't want to break the rhythm that I've finally captured.

The book does a good job encapsulating just what resistance is and what it will do to you. I wish I'd had the presence of mind today to realize that was what was happening with me. Today was supposed to be writing day. I fooled myself into thinking that editing "stood for" writing, or that reading did (Writer's Digest--come on that doesn't "count"?), or that my dh was running around like a crazy person so what right did I have to sit in the recliner and try to come up with a 1/2 K story for the Indiana Review contest. I went to all the trouble last night of making sure I had access to Octopus Shoes to send in to the Andrea Brown Agency, and I chickened out. I still am not satisfied with some of the rhyme, and sounded flat and boring. So I finally found the last revision I did of Viewfinder, and you know when I read that, it too sounded slow and boring and then ds needed the computer to put some new CDs on his iPod and it was just easier to do laundry.

Anyway, as I sat down tonight and reviewed the day, I recognized Resistance in all its horrible ugliness and I can't let this continue to happen. I have to make a way for Thursdays to work. If I can't write at home (where it's expected that I be "busy") then I'm going to have to find somewhere where I can. And some of it has to be creating. I do understand that editing and submitting are part of the process, but the larger part of Thursday should be for creating. That doesn't mean it has to be fiction, which is what I was reaching for today, and felt so horribly blocked on. I might get some research done on Frederick Tudor over the next week so I have everything nice and tidy for a children's article. Maybe the what-ifs that lead from fact to fiction will come out of that research. Who knows? But Thursdays can't be an all-research day either.

I guess I could pre-write some blog posts too. Hmmm.....

So Resistance, you're put on notice. I know who you are and I will find a way to get beyond you, so I hope you enjoyed today.