on October walk 2017
We are fully aware that books don't pop up like mushrooms, aren't we? But while I have a great support system and those who understand the effort that goes into writing, I fight my own battles for time. Do I really protect my writing days? Do I not cave into distractions and other self-imposed interruptions? Am I lax in guarding my allotted writing time from...myself?
Thank you, Ms. Rowling for giving us food (or mushrooms?) for thought. For these are good questions to ponder as the month comes to a close and another beckons.
How I do sometimes wish, though, that my ideas for books would materialize easier on the page like popping mushrooms. Oh, how much easier that would be!
How about you? Do you struggle with outside pulls on your writing time or with your own habits and proclivities?
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It's some of both. When there is a day with nothing on the slate, I find that I can't write virtually all day, anyway. If I begin at 7:00 or 8:00 am, I am spent by noon.
ReplyDeleteEvening hours are always free to write, but I give spending time with hubby higher priority, even if it's only to watch an hour of tv.
It's become a family joke that I'm 65 and have been interested in writing for 3 decades, but am still not published. But I CHOSE to work full time for years, and I CHOOSE to drop everything whenever my family needs me ... again, it's more about priorities than anything.
Cathy, so much to identify with here :-) I, too, have been chasing after the publication dream for over thirty years--some smaller credits but not the big one yet--but family has always been a priority for me as well. We have a lot in common that way! So we apply ourselves the best we can and enjoy the journey as we go. Thanks so much for stopping in. Always good to hear from you...
DeleteI suspect many of us have those same issues. Family, home, and (for some) outside employment take up their share of time. I do put writing before some things, though, and my husband is so understanding about dinner being late or a house that's not always pristine. As soon as I make my first billion dollars (like J.K.Rowling), I'll quit my job, write when I please, and pay someone else to do the housework. But I'll still make time for family. :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree, Peggy, that most of us wear a number of hats and few are truly full-time writers, so there's a lot of give and take. But not when it comes to family--as you and Cathy both have said and I agree--our families are important to us and we want to be there for them. But as the saying goes, we can't not write so we make time for it somewhere--even if our houses are a wreck! Glad to hear you have an understanding husband, too :-) Wishing you a great weekend...
DeleteYes, I'm afraid that's my struggle, too. I HAVE time. I just don't MAKE enough time. Consequently, I'm a slow writer. I haven't found the cure for it, either. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteHi, Elizabeth. Seems like many of us writers have similar struggles, but we learn from each other, too :-) So thanks for sharing your thoughts. Better to be a slow writer than no writer at all!
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