I definitely resonate with it being hard to do what I love. I love writing, and I'd love to one day publish a novel, but it's scary to come up with something because it involves a lot of labor. Planning, plotting, writing an outline, writing the first draft, the second etc etc, and then to realize (as I knew before going in) that the first novel one writes rarely gets published. If you're super lucky, maybe an agent will pick up your second novel. Or third. Some people write hundreds of novels that never see daylight because, even with all the labor and love, no publisher wants it (unless you publish it yourself, which is also costly in both money and labor). But for now I am satisfied writing my newsletter, even if I don't write as much as I'd like due to both procrastination and my real-life responsibilities. But the practice of sadhana is interesting! I think it's good to have a ritualistic, disciplined way of working. Even if it's just for 15 minutes, sometimes those minutes turns into hours. I feel the same about painting, another hobby of mine. There must be motivation to start, and discipline to finish. And even though I believe it's okay to not finish a work you're not satisfied with, you can't just refuse to finish if it's a commission or otherwise what puts food on the table. I hope to get a routine over the summer, to at least use my time to write more for my newsletter. And find a way to record for my podcast (I know of a studio I can rent for cheap in my city, on hourly basis). One must somehow keep the ball rolling, even up the steep hills! It's rewarding to see the outcome, and to be on a journey.
maybe what they mean by the first novel thing is that it takes practice to write well. I think you write well, Priya, so don't worry! Eventually an agent will love your book and get it published!
Lovely post Priya! And I love the idea of sadhana and making/thinking about our routine as a spiritual practice as well. Distancing it somewhat from the outcome helps and is almost essential because sometimes that very connection when held too tightly becomes the reason for our every excuse. Keep writing and thanks for your words that made me reflect on my discipline too...
I learned about this term in college! It's cool to revisit it. I'm not writing a novel, but I've been procrastinating a bit with some stuff that are more involved and research-intensive these days. I hope you get more inspiration and will to work on your novel each day, even just for a little bit. I've been enjoying your wit and wisdom in your posts.
I definitely resonate with it being hard to do what I love. I love writing, and I'd love to one day publish a novel, but it's scary to come up with something because it involves a lot of labor. Planning, plotting, writing an outline, writing the first draft, the second etc etc, and then to realize (as I knew before going in) that the first novel one writes rarely gets published. If you're super lucky, maybe an agent will pick up your second novel. Or third. Some people write hundreds of novels that never see daylight because, even with all the labor and love, no publisher wants it (unless you publish it yourself, which is also costly in both money and labor). But for now I am satisfied writing my newsletter, even if I don't write as much as I'd like due to both procrastination and my real-life responsibilities. But the practice of sadhana is interesting! I think it's good to have a ritualistic, disciplined way of working. Even if it's just for 15 minutes, sometimes those minutes turns into hours. I feel the same about painting, another hobby of mine. There must be motivation to start, and discipline to finish. And even though I believe it's okay to not finish a work you're not satisfied with, you can't just refuse to finish if it's a commission or otherwise what puts food on the table. I hope to get a routine over the summer, to at least use my time to write more for my newsletter. And find a way to record for my podcast (I know of a studio I can rent for cheap in my city, on hourly basis). One must somehow keep the ball rolling, even up the steep hills! It's rewarding to see the outcome, and to be on a journey.
Hello, Kode! Thanks for sharing. Good luck with the newsletter and podcast. Hope what they say about that first novel isn’t always true!
maybe what they mean by the first novel thing is that it takes practice to write well. I think you write well, Priya, so don't worry! Eventually an agent will love your book and get it published!
Let’s hope all of us make our publishing dreams come true!
Keep on doing what you love.
Thanks, Paul!
Lovely post Priya! And I love the idea of sadhana and making/thinking about our routine as a spiritual practice as well. Distancing it somewhat from the outcome helps and is almost essential because sometimes that very connection when held too tightly becomes the reason for our every excuse. Keep writing and thanks for your words that made me reflect on my discipline too...
Thanks, Reena. I’ve been thinking a lot about holding tightly and of taking action yet letting go of that tight grip.
I learned about this term in college! It's cool to revisit it. I'm not writing a novel, but I've been procrastinating a bit with some stuff that are more involved and research-intensive these days. I hope you get more inspiration and will to work on your novel each day, even just for a little bit. I've been enjoying your wit and wisdom in your posts.
Thanks, Nadia!