Is it worth the work?
Spent the past few days doing some revisions on the first third of my new manuscript. Now that I have an idea where it's going, things are coming together. Today I was back at the keyboard for another 1300 words. Yay!
A few friends who read the blog have recently asked me about my writing routine--they want to know if it's "worth the work," and if I'm "losing my summer vacation" by spending "so much time writing."
"Of course it's worth it!" was my immediate, gleeful response. Maybe I was too gleeful...
"Okay...just checking," was the reply, with a nervous we're-not-sure-you're-stable expression, then the subject changed. But I kept thinking about it.
I *love* what I do. LOVE it. For me, writing 1,000 words per day is a luxury. This summer, I'm actually making it a huge priority to sit and write, every single day, no matter what. Yes, I have a goal in mind, and yes, there is a time frame attached to it--but that's the way I operate with anything. I'm a goal/deadline driven person (if I didn't have a goal, I'd spend all day watching Law & Order reruns on TBS. Or USA. Or TNT...). Instead, I'm able to structure my day around doing what I love. I don't dread sitting down with my laptop. I look forward to having that time to be creative and develop the manuscript. And I am protecting that time. I don't answer the phone when I'm writing. I haven't over-booked myself with social events, leaving no time to write. It's amazing!
Not that it's always easy. Yes, I struggle with figuring out the plot elements. Yep, there are definitely days when I judge myself too harshly...but to me, those challenges are a lot more fun to puzzle out than the ones that I've faced working as an editor, or a marketing assistant, or (shhhh!) even a teacher. It's a different type of gratification.
So yeah, it's definitely worth it. And, oddly, my summer is moving at a much slower pace than it has in years past--maybe because I'm not running all over the place and filling every second, or working at my full-time job. Instead, I'm enjoying each day and feeling good about the work I'm doing; and when I do see friends, I don't feel anxious because I'm not doing what I need to, and I'm not trying to figure out when I can squeeze that much-needed writing time in.
Here's to a summer's worth of work!
A few friends who read the blog have recently asked me about my writing routine--they want to know if it's "worth the work," and if I'm "losing my summer vacation" by spending "so much time writing."
"Of course it's worth it!" was my immediate, gleeful response. Maybe I was too gleeful...
"Okay...just checking," was the reply, with a nervous we're-not-sure-you're-stable expression, then the subject changed. But I kept thinking about it.
I *love* what I do. LOVE it. For me, writing 1,000 words per day is a luxury. This summer, I'm actually making it a huge priority to sit and write, every single day, no matter what. Yes, I have a goal in mind, and yes, there is a time frame attached to it--but that's the way I operate with anything. I'm a goal/deadline driven person (if I didn't have a goal, I'd spend all day watching Law & Order reruns on TBS. Or USA. Or TNT...). Instead, I'm able to structure my day around doing what I love. I don't dread sitting down with my laptop. I look forward to having that time to be creative and develop the manuscript. And I am protecting that time. I don't answer the phone when I'm writing. I haven't over-booked myself with social events, leaving no time to write. It's amazing!
Not that it's always easy. Yes, I struggle with figuring out the plot elements. Yep, there are definitely days when I judge myself too harshly...but to me, those challenges are a lot more fun to puzzle out than the ones that I've faced working as an editor, or a marketing assistant, or (shhhh!) even a teacher. It's a different type of gratification.
So yeah, it's definitely worth it. And, oddly, my summer is moving at a much slower pace than it has in years past--maybe because I'm not running all over the place and filling every second, or working at my full-time job. Instead, I'm enjoying each day and feeling good about the work I'm doing; and when I do see friends, I don't feel anxious because I'm not doing what I need to, and I'm not trying to figure out when I can squeeze that much-needed writing time in.
Here's to a summer's worth of work!