9am--Drop my youngest son off at preschool. Now I have 2.5 hours free to write! But, wait. I'd better send a couple of emails and make some phone calls first. (I'm planning a funeral luncheon, so that was totally legit.) And oh, yeah. It's Friday. I need to post a short story on my Facebook page. I need to write a blog post too. I'll do that first and then write. But I have no blog post ideas. I guess I'll just read blogs and catch up on typing instead. Suddenly it's:
11:30am--Pick up my son from preschool, feed him lunch and take him to his friend's house. I know have approximately 3 hours free to write! Sweet. Except I have some more email to answer and more phone calls to make. Now it's 12:30, and it sure is a nice day out. I think I'll go for a walk at the park. I need the exercise, right? Right. That takes until:
2pm--It's time to make a salad to take over to my neighbors. (This is also related to the upcoming funeral.) Then I pick up my son from his friend's house and it's almost time to get the other kids home from school. I'll just read Facebook until then. And finalize the funeral luncheon arrangements. And make a few more phone calls. Now it's:
4pm--I can really, really write now. Really. I think the food is all arranged for the funeral. But, hey! I finally got an idea for a blog post. I'll just write that, and then I'll work on my novel. Maybe...
Does that sound familiar? Do you ever avoid writing? What do you do to get around it?
I'd love to know, but now I am going to sit down and WRITE. I promise.
19 comments:
I usually read to avoid writing. But it's kind of interesting what we can come up with. Sometimes those things really do need to come first or they weigh on us. Like preparing for a friend's funeral for instance... *hugs* Hope you're doing okay.
Welcome to my life... :)
Life has a way of coming in and muddling up our plans for sure. I've just gone back into the working world after being a SAHM, I am so struggling to get writing time in. I'm so tired by 9:00 that I just go to bed. I'm determined to get it back though. Good luck to you in finding time. P.S. I just moved back to Idaho from Utah... miss it. :(
What don't I do to delay writing and such? Lol. I've been getting better at it lately now that I only have so much time in the morning before work.
You're not at all alone, Angie.
My current WIP has been "my current WIP" for 2 years :)
Hope you kept your promise to yourself to write.
Almost every day sounds like that. Then, when you are ready to write, and I mean really ready, your family is too loud or needs something from you. Right?
This year I've set aside a certain time of day. During that time, I turn off my wireless antenna so I can't connect to the internet. I turn off my phone, and my family is learning not to bother me during that time. And then I write. Something. Anything.
I'm hoping the habit will sink in and get easier as I keep doing that.
good luck!
Writing often is hard to fit in. Yep, legitimate reasons and some that are less legitimate get in the way...
Unfortunately, that does sound familiar. Especially today. Expected to get up and spent the whole morning writing. Morning is over and I have gotten a haircut, packed boxes for our move, signed documents for the new house, and checked all the electronic connections to the world. All (mostly all) necessary, but no writing.
At least I'm in good company. And now I'm going to stop reading blogs and go write.
I don't mean to avoid it, it just kind of happens. I have really good intentions at the start of the day but as it moves toward evening, I find one thing after another that's "more important." This could be why I have nightmares about being strangled in my sleep by frustrated characters. And yet such dreams don't make me write any more than pleasant dreams do. :P
Thanks, Mohamed. I managed to get 2.5 pages in yesterday. Good luck with your WIP.
Terry, I often have to give myself permission to let some things go in order to find time to write. BTW, I am loving Blood Sword! So exciting.
That sounds like my day sometimes too! There's all those little things to do to avoid writing. I need to stop it. I need to sit down and force myself to write. I should clean the bathroom before then, though.
I usually avoid it by checking my e-mail, then Facebook, then Tweetdeck, then Facebook again, and maybe checking out folks in my blogroll...
And then I get a big surprise when I'm forced awake at 2AM, and go off to finally get my writing done...makes for long, exhausting days, though.
So true! My New Year's resolution is to force myself to write. so far I'm doing good, but I'm just waiting for that day to come like this one.
Yeah, Christine. Those darn bathrooms! Sigh. Good luck with writing.
Todd, I get distracted by those things too. I don't think I could write at 2am, though.
Great job, Aubrie! Keep it up.
Yes. In fact, I'm experience it's close cousin: Revision Avoidance.
I found an entire chapter that I have to work into the rest of my book. Don't have the strength to do it right now. >_<
I find myself with a huge tendency to avoid writing my papers for class. I convince myself that it's okay to wait until the last minute because I'm thinking about the assignment and outlining it in my mind, but then I end up with not much time to edit.
Someday, I will gain enough self control to stop avoiding my responsibilities, but I'll work on that tomorrow. :)
I'm ashamed to admit that I did that today. =P It's so easy to lose track of time. And my brain.
Good luck with revisions, Misha. Those can be scary!
Rochelle, I know just what you're talking about. I was an English major once too. =)
Too, too familiar! So I am now leaving here, bye!
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