Use It or Lose It #IWSG

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After a summer of not writing, I was so glad to get back in the saddle again. I've sent my revision off to my editor, and I await her final notes.

All summer I kept reminding myself of the "use it or lose it" principle--that writing is like a muscle that can atrophy if not used. And even though I feared jumping back in, I survived the leap. No injuries occurred. *checks mirror for bruises*

While life swirls around me at a dizzying, uncontrollable pace, I continue to put one word after the next, creating something only I can create.

I hope you're doing the same...

The Summer of Not Writing #IWSG

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Last summer I was busy with the release of my novel "The Summer of Crossing Lines." This summer, in keeping with "The Summer of..." theme, it's been "The Summer of Not Writing."

But now that my oldest son is settled in safety at college (boo hoo), and my other two sons are about to start their sophomore year in high school, I'm prepping to dive back in.

Life has a way of getting in the way, and I'm not stressed at all about not writing. There's a time and a season for everything. This summer may have been a The Summer of Not Writing, but autumn can be The Fall of Falling Back Into Work.

How about you? Did you get much writing done this summer? If you have kids, are they back in school? Are you back in the routine?

Antidotes for Excuses

There are a couple of writing tasks I haven't completed yet. There's no excuse, but I'll offer some anyway:

• It's summer and the kids are home from school
• I can't write at a water park--my laptop will get wet
• I can't write at the beach--the sand will damage my laptop, or the wind will rustle my paper
• How can I concentrate on revisions with ten 14-year-olds in our pool?
• How can I concentrate on plotting when I have two 11-year-olds playing Wii Sports?
• Have I mentioned it's summer and the kids are home from school?

I realize that the work will not get done unless I sit down and do it. No one else can take the blame. And there's no reason I can't put my butt-in-chair and write for 15-30 minutes at the beginning or end of each day.

If you're like me, and writing has taken a back seat, here are some great quotes about making excuses. I'll call them antidotes for excuses:

"Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure." -- Don Wilder

"Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses." -- George W. Carver

"Don't make excuses, make something incredible happen in your life right now." -- Greg Hickman

"There aren't nearly enough crutches in the world for all the lame excuses." -- Marcus Stroup

"No one ever excused his way to success." -- Dave Del Dotto

"Success is a tale of obstacles overcome, and for every obstacle overcome, an excuse not used." -- Robert Brault

"I never knew a man who was good at making excuses who was good at anything else." -- Benjamin Franklin

Ouch! I think I'd better get to work.

Have you been diligent about writing this summer? And do you have a favorite excuse to use when you haven't been writing? Or am I the only one using lame excuses?

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