Benefits of a writing-buddy

Cheesy but true

What the heck?

I looked at my blog and saw that I completely missed posting an entry at all in February.

I know I've been busy - I can tell from that frantic nervous feeling I have deep down in my gut.

I did do an online writing course, which had some interesting concepts that I found helpful as a writer, but that's something I might talk about at another time.

What I want to say right now is that I had a great couple of days preparing for a lunch meeting with my writer-friend.

I had to have something ready for him to review, and I can honestly say, that if we didn't have our meeting scheduled, there's NO WAY I would have written the article that I wanted to do.

It's a lesson I keep having to re-learn: unless I set a definite deadline to complete a writing project, it won't get done. It will just sit there in the 'to do list' of my mind, creating clutter and frustration. Then that vision is tagged with the cliche, 'I'll get around to it some day.'

SOME DAY NEVER HAPPENS.

I know this ABSOLUTELY from bitter experience.

There's no point beating myself up about it, about how poor my self-discipline is, or how scattered my mind gets.

Without a deadline, any writing project is meaningless.

My fortnightly meetings with my friend reminds me of the joy I have when I sit down to write creatively. He gives me the gift of connecting with that ineffable 'something' that sends electricity through my body when I write, like I'm a kid again and I'm just SO DAMN EXCITED.

I too often forget that feeling.

So my writing-buddy is one of the best gifts I have.