I have loads of ideas, loads and loads. At the moment about five of them are fully matured and ready to be written: all the kinks are worked out, the names, the places, the whats and whys. I've picked up and dropped each of the five in turn...

The problem is that I just don't feel like writing. Usually I get excited about a story and have trouble stopping. Now, instead, none of my ideas are grabbing me, at least long enough for me to get beyond a few thousand words.

At the time same time, in the sphere of my job, working from home has made it possible for me to procrastinate in a far more elaborate way than I ever have done before. Still, I felt that I could clear off my work to-do list if I'd just sit down and go through it.

Then I remembered the Pomodoro technique: You work for 25 minutes on something, then take a five minute break. You repeat and repeat, and make the fourth break 15 minutes long. I started doing this with my work assignments, and found that I'd become a monster or efficiency. So I gave it a try with my writing.

It's amazing. For months I've been struggling with a mystery story, and it seemed so tedious! I mean, just to get from point A to point B takes so many words. Now, knowing I only have 25 minutes to go at it, I've been making remarkable progress. Not that I have a deadline or anything... and I'm sure no one is wondering "What is that Iodine woman up to?" But for me, it's very gratifying to see my brainchild slowly emerging. It's really satisfying to see the story build and the word count grow.

If you'd like to try it, there are several Pomodoro timers on the web, but I like this one: https://pomofocus.io/

Et in Arcadia, io