Getting Back Into The Game

Since my unexpected hiatus from WordPress and all things written word in the last month, I’m glad I’m back on board. My efforts have been in short bursts during this last week. My usual ability to push myself for a couple of hours to write after work hasn’t returned yet, but I’m getting there.

There have been times, though, in this last week when I’ve questioned why I can’t write like I was five or six weeks ago. Not only has it been about committing myself to write, it’s also about finding the space and time to create ideas. The stories I could be editing seem like bigger projects that are just beyond me right now. The sleeves-rolled-up mentality that I had is in serious need of rebuilding.

So, at the weekend, I took inspiration from an unlikely source: I was watching a soccer match and there was a lot of talk about one player who was returning to his team after a layout through injury. The commentators mentioned how he had been through an individualised training programme, then played a game or two with the juniors in the lead up to his return. After the game, his manager said that they were slowly building him up to full fitness, and it would be a few weeks before he played a full game of soccer.

This got me thinking about my situation. If small, steady increases work for soccer players returning from injury, then it could work well for me. Part of my “rehabilitation” has been to do the Daily Prompt here on WordPress: I’m starting to feel that creative spark again and I’m enjoying connecting with other writers. It’s also helped me get back into the swing to create my own posts like this. When I look up at the clock I  see that between writing my Daily Prompt post and this one, an hour has gone by without me even thinking about it! This all makes my mind feel less heavy than when I was at work today.

Slow and steady is definitely working. I’m going to stick with my current regime for another week or so, then look at getting back into editing stories and returning this website to it’s original format….bit by bit.

I’m excited by the fact that I’ll be putting up another story soon. The flow is returning; I just can’t rush it.

Cheers soccer, my old friend