Getting Started

Hmm, well is there anything more daunting than a blank piece of paper, or section of screen on the computing device where you want to put the millions of funny, pithy, smart, hurtful, insightful, and stupid thoughts that buzz through your mind every second?  Perhaps not. Or maybe, can be equated with staring at those last pieces of chocolate you are NOT going to eat, 5 seconds after you have decided to go on a diet!
Ok, well I have been re-writing a novel in my head for 10 years.  I am probably not alone in this.  I did once fancy myself as an aspiring writer.  I sat down at my computer for 10 hours a day for 3 weeks and wrote 600 words, which is in fact, a book! I managed to do with with a supportive husband, no children. two obliging dogs who were quite happy to keep my feet warm in the wee hours of the morn and a full time job intensive care nursing!  I know!  How the hell did I do it?  I certainly haven't managed to create that ideal situation since.   I confidently, packaged it and posted if off to New York!  Yes New York, USA!  What was I thinking?  Of course it came back to me rejected.  There was alot of positive stuff in there, but all I saw was the rejection.  Despite the confidence of my dutiful husband, I was sure this was a sign, that I was not a writer and was in fact just a regular registered nurse from small town Australia.
So 10 years have past and surprisingly, I am still NOT a published writer and that would be no doubt due to the fact that I have not actually sent anything else in anywhere to be rejected by anybody, since.  But I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I will never be a 'published' writer, but that does not mean that I am not a writer.  In fact I have many journals, notebooks, scraps of paper and letters to friends that indeed testify to the fact that I am a writer!   So I am going to use this blog to inspire myself to set some writing goals and actually get my thoughts out of my busy head and on to the screen.  And maybe if I am really good at actually following my own plan for a change, instead of putting it off I might end up with another 600 pages to send off to somewhere.
Somewhere along the line I have decided that there is no perfect time, perfect location, situation, computer or anything else that you let distract yourself from whatever goal you want to achieve.  There is only fear, fear that your not good enough, no-one wants to listen to what you have to say, show, do or offer.  I think in the end, like most things, you end up doing something because there is a need in you driving you to do it despite the odds.  Maybe it will amount to nothing in terms of commercial  success but it always amounts to something in terms of personal growth and achievement.
My plan, is simple mostly because I am a big fan of the Keep It Simple Stupid idea in life.  Two to three pages a day. Sounds simple hey, achievable too I think........except for when faced with actually doing it and for the record, I am not counting any of the writing I do on here.