A lovely little clock in a wooden case reminding me to limit my time writing this blog.
Well, the great debate about Blue Ticks on Twitter rages on. With so many people threatening to leave Twitter over it and other issues, perhaps it's time for me to make this website a more timely and interesting place. The plus for me is that I can ramble on as much as I like about the things that interest me.
I hope you will find them interesting also.
I've posted before about how important it is to Write Here, Write Now. I even delivered that advice at several conventions. But fear not, I'm not oging to cover all that again here. Instead, I'm going to talk about the next thing that would-be writers say. "I simply don't have time to write. I want to write, but there's no available time in my life.
My life has recently become more complicated. More loads of laundry, a need to cook 'real meals' rather than tell my tolerant spouse to 'go fix yourself a sandwich', a need to keep my messy house more clear of obstacles and stacks . . . all of it eats minutes if not hours every day.
Yet I continue to write. And you can start, if that is your heartfelt desire.
First of all, you have to realize one thing. You will never have more free time in your life than you do right now. As one of your obligations falls away (Kids going to school now) something else will pop up to claim that time (part time job? Volunteering in the school?) The only way to handle this is to claw back some of the time you have already committed to other things.
Here's my list of things I curtail when necessary things claim more of my time.
Television (I spend more time looking for something to watch than I do watching!)
Cooking (Plan ahead so you can freeze extra portions, budget a takeaway meal, etc.)
On-line activities (gaming, social media, chatting)
You don't have to give those things up. Just decide how much time each can claim, and stick to it.
You can make your own list. I promise not to judge you.
Next importan step. Defend the block of time you have claimed. If you have a family or friends, people will ask you for your time. 'Can you babysit for me?' 'Would you drive me to the airport?' 'Let's go out for drinks.' Whatever. Practice saying, "Not now. This is my writing time." Just as you wouldn't jump out of the bathtub to do those things, don't get up from the keyboard. This is your writing. It's important to you. Claim it. And don't hesitate to reverse the flow. Ask your family to help protect that time. Let your friends know that you are writing your magnum opus and you need time to do it.
Things that help me but may be hazardous to you.
Keep a writing log. Jot down when you start, how many words/pages you have at the beginning of your session, and then log when you stop writing and what results you can claim. Yesterday, I got 585 words. Pathetic, right? But that doesn't reflect that I reorganized the first 100 pages, moving chapters, inserting chapter headings for bridge work I need to create, researched diseases of sheep (it's relevant!)etc. While the word count may not reflect all that you did, it tells you one thing. Yesterday I wrote. Today I write. And tomorrow I will have written. Even if I write only 500 words a day, at the end of the year I will have 182,500 words. That's a respectable book chunk!
And . . . oh, my. Look at the time! That's all my blogging for today.
I will see you tomorrow. Perhaps. But now I have to go.
I have a book to write.