MAKE Time to Write
I'm going to harp on about it, the whole getting up in the morning thing.
Because I missed out on a session last week: the mother-in-law was over staying with us, as my wife left for the gym the baby kept making noises like she was going to wake up... just a couple minutes more rest, because there's no point going downstairs to write if I'm going to be bounding back upstairs to fetch the kiddo, who will likely have woken up the other one, and my mother-in-law will be down there, having a cup of tea, and I'll feel rotten for leaving her in the kitchen on her own, and nothing will get done on the short-story-in-progress.
Only the baby did go back to sleep, as did her lazy dad, and I can tell you I felt awful for having missed my morning session. It's just one of those things that becomes addictive... I find I need that buzz a few solid hours of work gives me in the morning. And when I don't get it, through laziness or just the intrusions of daily life with two young kids, I really, really miss it.
But then maybe that's when a plain old pen and pad of paper would allow me to steal moments without requiring me to run into the office for some time at the computer. What do you do to squeak in extra work? When do you have your allotted writing time? What do you do in that time?
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Steve Hauk says:
Working time
Matthew, take deep breaths, try not to let it bother you, you'll get to it. Figure your subconscious is working on the story. I know this is a bit delusional, but there's nothing wrong with fooling yourself now and then. And don't ever let the kids feel they are intruding _ they never forget and years from now they'll say things like, ``Well, what did you care who I played with or what I did _ you were too busy with your writing.'' After all, you want them to be supportive when you win the Pulitzer.
Matthew Michael Hanlon says:
That's very, very true. When
That's very, very true. When I said "the intrusions of daily life with two kids," I, of course, meant more like a knife wound is an intrusion. ;)
And now you've got it in my head that I need to run out and get them some decent clothes for that Nobel ceremony... thanks.*
*By which I mean, of course, thanks for the comment, and you're right, you're definitely right.
Steve Hauk says:
Pulitzer first
Matthew, if you're American you usually need a Pulitzer or Tony first, before you can be considered for a Nobel. But what the heck, it's not written in stone. Hope you get both. Steve.
Heather Goyette says:
Pen & Paper or Laptop & BlackBerry
The pen and paper idea sounds like a good one. I'm more of a laptop/digital person myself, so I have a BlackBerry -- it's perfect for when I wake up at 3 a.m. and suddenly have an idea that I don't want to lose.
You could also bring your laptop upstairs and then bring it down with you again in the morning. (For me, that's the beauty of a laptop although it won't fit on my nightstand as well as the BlackBerry.)
Matthew Michael Hanlon says:
I know the feeling of
I know the feeling of wanting to keep things digital. The more I write, though, and the more of our lives we move on to computers and other digital devices, the more I find it easy to get lost on the way to jotting down those ideas -- there's far too much stuff to play with (or even not playing so much as procrastinating - who would have thought TaxCut would be a distraction from writing?).
But I do admit that my first reaction to the iPhone was: "Cool, I wonder will the notes app be any good for jotting down drafts of story ideas or works-in-progress?" And it does fit so well on the night stand for late night inspiration striking.
For sheer productivity I'll need to stick with pen and paper, I think.