There are so many distractions today: cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, texting, XBox, Netflix, etc., and that is just the electronic ones. The "old school" includes chores, friends, social commitments, loved ones, pets, travel - well, you know them and this could go on ad infinitum.
Bottom line: it is so easy for me to get caught up reading funny and informative Facebook posts, checking and responding to emails, talking to family on the phone, creating new recipes for dinner, playing with the dog, watching a DVR television show or a movie I've recorded, getting lost in a new book - again the list is endless. No matter what the diversion, it annoys me when I check the clock and realize that my "work time" has been cut in half.
My novel is days away from being ready for a publisher. Yet, I still have continuity checks to do, and I want to read the manuscript through once more for any glaring typos or omissions. It's the boring part of being a writer, but I'm still committed to it, so the last two days when obligations and distractions kept me away from my work, I get cranky about "the world" that continually invades my creativity.
I write the above not as an excuse, but more as a warning to all writers (or anyone with a work agenda, really!): focus and commitment are even harder today than they were earlier on in my writing career. Be warned, be vigilant, and prioritize!
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Best Way To Renew
Short but sweet today; I'm in the final stages of editing and putting the artwork of the novel together. More on that next week.
My husband and I just finished acting in a play (four-week run), we've both been busy, busy, busy with other creative projects, and we've gone through lots of stress recently because of this lingering financial debacle in our country.
Bottom line is that we need some time away from all the commitments and routine for a few days, and best friends - a few hours drive away - are providing just what we need. So, the housesitter and our dog are here to see to the domestic issues and we are off later today for a long weekend.
I tell you this to note that it's not only okay to give yourself a rest on a regular basis; it is life-saving. I know we will both come back with rested bodies, a fresher perspective, and more productive going ahead. Relaxing, fun times spent with people we love; doesn't get better than that, and I highly recommend this type of escape.
My husband and I just finished acting in a play (four-week run), we've both been busy, busy, busy with other creative projects, and we've gone through lots of stress recently because of this lingering financial debacle in our country.
Bottom line is that we need some time away from all the commitments and routine for a few days, and best friends - a few hours drive away - are providing just what we need. So, the housesitter and our dog are here to see to the domestic issues and we are off later today for a long weekend.
I tell you this to note that it's not only okay to give yourself a rest on a regular basis; it is life-saving. I know we will both come back with rested bodies, a fresher perspective, and more productive going ahead. Relaxing, fun times spent with people we love; doesn't get better than that, and I highly recommend this type of escape.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Back At It
If you look back at the post of November 1st of last year, I mention the publication of my first novel before the year 2013 was to end. Didn't happen that way - but it's going to be in print before the first spring flowers arrive IF things go according to plan.
That seems to be my problem of late, having "things go according to plan". I had planned to make an entry in here at least once a week, get my book published sooner, make daily entries in my journal again. Do you see a pattern? All these related to my writing.
Without going into too much boring detail, let's just say that, after allowing my theatre/family/friends life to eclipse my writing ambitions, some might say I got off track. Yes, in a way, but those other parts of my life just became the all-important ones for the past year or so, and I wanted it that way. The hard part, I discovered, is that once you purposely change your priorities, it gets much harder to "get back to it".
It isn't that I don't want to write anymore, or that I've run out of ideas, or have lost the desire to have my novel read by others. But, recently, I recalled my artist husband telling me about a period in his creative life when he quit painting for awhile to attend to other important issues in his life. He said he was stunned by how hard it was to get back to that easel.
Slowly but surely, the final edit on my book is happening, and I have begun to restructure my life to include all that I love - which will always include putting fingers to the keyboard. This post is another step toward making it back onto the creative road. Just wanted you to know.
That seems to be my problem of late, having "things go according to plan". I had planned to make an entry in here at least once a week, get my book published sooner, make daily entries in my journal again. Do you see a pattern? All these related to my writing.
Without going into too much boring detail, let's just say that, after allowing my theatre/family/friends life to eclipse my writing ambitions, some might say I got off track. Yes, in a way, but those other parts of my life just became the all-important ones for the past year or so, and I wanted it that way. The hard part, I discovered, is that once you purposely change your priorities, it gets much harder to "get back to it".
It isn't that I don't want to write anymore, or that I've run out of ideas, or have lost the desire to have my novel read by others. But, recently, I recalled my artist husband telling me about a period in his creative life when he quit painting for awhile to attend to other important issues in his life. He said he was stunned by how hard it was to get back to that easel.
Slowly but surely, the final edit on my book is happening, and I have begun to restructure my life to include all that I love - which will always include putting fingers to the keyboard. This post is another step toward making it back onto the creative road. Just wanted you to know.
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