It’s over 70° today. In March. In New England. This isn’t a usual temperature for New England. In March. Since this serendipitous weather has shown up—I mean, it can be 30° next week. It is New England, after all—I plan to take advantage of it.
I’ve been meaning to get to the spring clean-up outside for a few weeks now. I made a feeble attempt last week, picking up fallen branches and the like, pulling out the snow stakes along side the driveway, and picking up what had been knocked over by wind and weather. This weekend I’ll tackle the rest. I’m done with editing my student’s papers and done with another draft of a WIP. I’ll let the draft sit, then take advantage of the free time.
There. I said it again. Take advantage. I wish I had a dollar for every time a student asks about how to find the time to write. The notion that writers can stop time—or work, or family, or every other responsibility known to man—just to write is a myth that won’t die.
You have to carve it out from whatever presents itself each day. You have to—you guessed it—take advantage of patches of time unique to each day. There are other things you can do, too. You can take advantage of a quiet, sleeping household and get up early to write. You can take advantage of everyone else watching a movie on TV and slip into another room to write. Or you can take advantage of your lunch hour, brown bag it, and sit at your desk to get an hour of writing in.
The possibilities are endless. Think opportunity—and then take advantage.
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Our weather has been gorgeous too! I’ve been taking advantage of it by writing outside. My students also complain about never having enough time to write – I tell them they’ll always feel that way, so they have to MAKE time. I’m not quite sure they believe me…
Hi, Anna! I just got back from finishing up the last of my spring yard clean up—am I out of shape!
I like to write outside, too. And read. (And knit.) Do you see a pattern here?
I think my students are the same way… It’s a hard concept to grab hold of, that you’ll always have to pursue time and take hold of a chunk of it to write. I think it all boils down to how much you want to write, as in need or desire.
I understand that the only way to be good at something is to practice. Both comments are correct. Make time. Want to write. Every day too.
Andrea, you’ve mentioned about writing every day — no matter what you write about. That’s the best advice I’ve received. I’ve also learned not to worry about a designated time of day, because interruptions are the one constant!
Hi, Wendy, glad you dropped by! You’re certainly right about interruptions being the one constant! Life happens everyday.
And you’re also so right that if you want to write you’ll make the time. It’s really as simple as that. If you want something badly enough, you find a way.
I read an article this past weekend about a poet who, when she sits down to write, writes about what’s going on around her, in her life, and then finds herself sliding into a poem. So writing, no matter what you write about, is what’s important. It’s the act of putting words down on paper that you’re striving for.
Today it’s drizzling and in the 60′s and I have to admit it’s the first time I’ve written in days. It was good to get back into the fictional world again. Spring cleanup and the joy of being outdoors has kept me away from the computer. I had plenty of time to write but just couldn’t sit at the computer when the outdoors was calling.
Wow. Haven’t touched the spring cleanup yet. But there’s no point until our neighbor’s oak sheds its leaves (in spring!). And I have to get the taxes done first — ours and my mom’s, and they’re extra complicated this year. Done with editing student lessons??? Wow, I’m never done. I mean, there are ALWAYS some in the inbox. A dollar for every time a student asks how to find time to write? I’d take a nickel.
Hi, Catherine! I know what you mean—when the outdoors calls, it’s hard not to answer.
Especially in spring. The first good days after a long winter not only draw us out, but almost insist on it. Still…after yard clean-up outside, I settle back to my work. My heart’s outside, though. Anna’s idea of working outside is the best of both worlds!
Marcia, I’m the same way with the fall clean-up. All the leaves have to be down or it’s no point. One year we got lucky, a strong wind blew our leaves out of the yard. It was amazing. No raking needed at all. (But that only happened once.)
Should have been clearer—done with the snail mail edits that come once a week. The online lessons, well, like you said, they’re always there.
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