Every project reaches a point of desperation. Your deadline looms, unanticipated problems arise, a key player calls in sick, shared files become corrupted, your internet connection doesn’t connect, and pouring rain ruins the sparkle on your freshly detailed car. Then a product you need is back-ordered, and you don’t dare ask what else could go wrong. That is the precise moment when your laptop flickers and your mouse refuses to respond. You hear King Richard’s voice ringing in your ear, “A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!”

Multiply by ten, and you know my past week in a nutshell. These challenges are annoying, discouraging, and a fact of life. Whenever I make changes or create something new, the universe conspires to throw obstacles in my path. I like to be in control. I aspire to perfectionism, and these setbacks try to infringe on my sacred writing time. In a perfect world, my house is in order, my head is clear, my soul is calm, and I sit at my pristine desk and write.

If I allowed my perfectionistic demands to interfere, I would never write. Instead, I embrace the imperfections. My screen flickers as I type. I disconnect and reconnect to the Wi-Fi and remember to save my document often. The phone rings, and I let it go to voicemail. The helpful people at the other end probably want to ensure I have renewed the warranty on my sixteen-year-old car. I narrow my focus, harden my resolve, and work with purpose. I will complete the project. The words may not be perfect, but now they exist, and they wait for my brutal editor to make them presentable.

Do you write despite difficult circumstances?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer