If it seems I’m having a hard time staying focused this year, that’s because I am.  While I’m not sure where the problem lies, I’ve been thoroughly frustrated with the situation.

Maybe it’s because I’m working on too many things at once.  I’ve mentioned that before.  And yet, I’ve only wiped one project off my calendar, so far.

My schedule leans heavily toward editing and coaching this year.  Both of which are activities I love.  At the same time, I feel an incredible pull to leave those projects in the drawer, and spend time only on writing my own stories.

That’s not going to happen.  (It can’t, for many reasons.)  And I’ll figure out a way to balance the editing, coaching, and personal writing.  Until I do, I suspect I’ll continue having days where I get far too little done, because I don’t stay with one project long enough to complete it.

That’s part of growing into new skills and new directions as a writer.  If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will.  And you’ll reassess where you are, and where you want to be in your writing career.

There’s nothing wrong with forging new paths in our careers.  Sometimes those side trips lead to intriguing new concepts we wouldn’t have reached without a little soul searching and a whole lot of detours.

Taking those unmarked routes, we leave the familiar, smooth road of what we’ve already accomplished and drive into the blazing sun of discovery.  New ideas, new characters, new worlds blast open our imaginations, fueling exciting writing adventures.

It’s in allowing those deviations from our planned route that we make some of the happiest discoveries of our lives, finding our way home, into our own power as writers.  

So, here’s to plenty of exciting detours in your writing career.  I’m not sure where my current unplanned path will take me, but I expect to learn a lot along the way.

When was the last time you corrected course in your writing career?  How did it happen, and what did you discover?  Leave a comment and share your insights.