time management and my owie
Time management is a crucial element in writing. I ain't telling you nothing new, but those of you who've dealt with or taught newbies know that this basic element of the game is often a sticking point. I ain't saying nothing new when I say that it may be the difference between amateur and pro, writer and wanna be. When they learn to manage their creative time, they turn the corner.
Now, I'm looking at my situation here with my little owie and considering other factors in the creative process. There are factors we can't control and health is sometimes one of them. It's Job One, believe me. We can do healthy stuff to live better lives, sure, but sometimes Feces Occur. For me, right now, dealing with my owie comes first. It's serious stuff, survival stuff. What time is left during the day, I try to devote to writerly persuits, energy permitting. But I don't "write."
Jim Van Pelt has made a career out of writing two hundred words a day. My friend Julie Hyzy (just got an agent, by the way!) writes two pages a day. I haven't written any new fiction in a couple years. I don't anticpate doing so any time soon, if ever.
But if I have a few minutes or an hour or so a day between dealing with my owie and related complications, why not write? I mean, that's what I do, right? I Am a Writer. That's how I define myself. Instead, my writerly time lately is devoted to PR and the like--peripheral tasks related to the release of books. And so on. Why not use some of that time to write a new story?
If you've been sick, you have an idea how debilitating it can be. But you got over your sniffles and pushed on. Good On You. I'm not going to get over my owie. Ever. I'm tired. I need to rest. I also have stuff I need to get done as opposed to letting somebody else do it (take out the trash).
And, right now, my mind is so cluttered with--crap--that it's hard, really hard, to accommodate a creative writing project. I don't have the energy or the will. I hope you never get to this territory; belive me, it's real.
I fully understand the concept of time management--I'm not being simple or sophomoric about this. I've spent a huge portion of my life writing, but not anymore. I'm too dang tired, and that's that. What you'll see from me in print (and electronic--I have a lot of stuff at Fictionwise.com) is stuff I did, not stuff I'm doing.
I ain't sad about this. I've had a good career and I'm proud of what I've done and generally I'm in good spirits. I'm being reasonable and logical about what's happening to me and I'm approaching the reality--realistically. I'm good. I'm me.
Now, I'm looking at my situation here with my little owie and considering other factors in the creative process. There are factors we can't control and health is sometimes one of them. It's Job One, believe me. We can do healthy stuff to live better lives, sure, but sometimes Feces Occur. For me, right now, dealing with my owie comes first. It's serious stuff, survival stuff. What time is left during the day, I try to devote to writerly persuits, energy permitting. But I don't "write."
Jim Van Pelt has made a career out of writing two hundred words a day. My friend Julie Hyzy (just got an agent, by the way!) writes two pages a day. I haven't written any new fiction in a couple years. I don't anticpate doing so any time soon, if ever.
But if I have a few minutes or an hour or so a day between dealing with my owie and related complications, why not write? I mean, that's what I do, right? I Am a Writer. That's how I define myself. Instead, my writerly time lately is devoted to PR and the like--peripheral tasks related to the release of books. And so on. Why not use some of that time to write a new story?
If you've been sick, you have an idea how debilitating it can be. But you got over your sniffles and pushed on. Good On You. I'm not going to get over my owie. Ever. I'm tired. I need to rest. I also have stuff I need to get done as opposed to letting somebody else do it (take out the trash).
And, right now, my mind is so cluttered with--crap--that it's hard, really hard, to accommodate a creative writing project. I don't have the energy or the will. I hope you never get to this territory; belive me, it's real.
I fully understand the concept of time management--I'm not being simple or sophomoric about this. I've spent a huge portion of my life writing, but not anymore. I'm too dang tired, and that's that. What you'll see from me in print (and electronic--I have a lot of stuff at Fictionwise.com) is stuff I did, not stuff I'm doing.
I ain't sad about this. I've had a good career and I'm proud of what I've done and generally I'm in good spirits. I'm being reasonable and logical about what's happening to me and I'm approaching the reality--realistically. I'm good. I'm me.