"I Don't Have Time to Write" Is Perfectly Valid

[blairmacg]

You’ll not be surprised, my darlings, to hear me admit a few things trigger me to rant on and on. You’ve seen this before, yes? Well, this time it’s the notion that a writer who says they haven’t time to write in truth doesn’t really want to write.

I don’t want to call out specific folks because the call-out doesn’t matter. Besides, some folks won’t

Comments

[sartorias]

*clapping hard* well said.

Also: non writers might not realize that in a life like that, even if a half hour does show up, the brain is so stressed out that the ideas won't come, and the last thing a writer needs is to be punishing themselves for not doing it in that sliver of time.

[blairmacg]

Exactly so.

There were times I could use those small slivers well--times when the constraints on my time didn't demand as much mental engagement, and I could keep the story rolling in my head regardless. But as those demands became emotion-based rather than task-based, that ability decreased immensely.

[sartorias]

Yup!

[blairmacg]

Really good points, all.

I ended up writing more non-fiction pieces for much those same reasons.

[queenoftheskies]

People don't realize that some people have more responsibilities and commitments than others...and also have no help except themselves.

They proclaim everyone should do it like they do because they're privileged and have support and don't realize what it's like to be isolated and along and struggling.

[blairmacg]

Yes, this, indeed-y. I used to be one of those folks because I lacked the life experience myself, and was young enough I couldn't put myself in those shoes.

These days, I see every little thing that, in the past, gave me time and emotional reserves to write at any time... mostly because I lost them all at one point or another!

[scallywag195]

I enjoyed this entry of yours. I was one of those people who come home from VP completely ready to write and edit three works in progress. I had so much high hope on what I would accomplish when I got home. I wrote lots and lots of words last November and felt so satisfied.

Early December my husband and I went on vacation and came back in time to have my mother with us for 3 weeks during Christmas. During her visit it became obvious she needed a lot more help than she was getting at home. The upshot was I travelled to Calif in early Feb for a week to talk to my sisters about having her move in with me. I had to extend my stay because she had a stroke the day I arrived and died 9 days later.

At that point my job just started. I'm the trustee of her estate and have put hours and hours and hours into handling her affairs. When I've had reprieves here and there, I've been too emotionally exhausted to write. It's really difficult to write with empathy when the writer herself is overworked and grief stricken.

This isn't going to last forever

[blairmacg]

Oh, I just want to hug you with empathy, if not with arms, right now. I hear the echoes of my own experience in yours, and send my condolences.

Writing stories is an emotional experience, and when we're deep in difficult emotions, writing can actually be *painful.* Yes, the formal parts will be done in six to twelve months, but do then give yourself the time and kindness to find your way back. Once I accepted that grief is sneaky, unpredictable, and SO non-linear, the bumps and pitfalls became less stressful to manage.