Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Tue, Feb 02 2010
I don't have time (or insert-other-word-here) to write
Writing at home is a challenge for many of us who write. There are always other things that will tug and pull and try to steal our writing time and focus. And we can't ignore our social life. It's important to keep human contact going so that we don't become hermits and forget how to tell stories of real humans. It's always a challenge for me to keep the house clean, do laundry, help the spouse with outdoor projects and other things and still be able to sit down and concentrate on writing stories. There are a million things that can pull us away from our writing. Are we going to let that happen? If not, how can we keep going when the refrigerator breaks down, we need to pack and catch a plane, we need to clean up after dogs or help kids with homework, we need to write checks for bills and maybe we even need to handle another whole job and then try to sit and write without fatigue taking us right off to sleep?
When I know I can't spend hours on a project I try to find ways to keep it fresh in my mind. I make lists or write down key words relating to scenes I'm building in my mind. While my hands are busy cutting up onions, unless it's one of those particularly radioactive onions that takes full focus, I try to keep the mind busy with seeing my characters and imagining their gestures, their voices and their general look. I've even spoken lines aloud to see whether my character would actually say such a thing.
People often think writing is easy. Good writing isn't easy. It takes commitment. It takes energy. It takes determination. It takes using whatever task is before you as a catalyst to move the writing forward rather than holding the writing back. I'm writing this right now to remind myself of all this. I hope some of you reading it might find help at the same time.
posted at: 12:27 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
Writing at home is a challenge for many of us who write. There are always other things that will tug and pull and try to steal our writing time and focus. And we can't ignore our social life. It's important to keep human contact going so that we don't become hermits and forget how to tell stories of real humans. It's always a challenge for me to keep the house clean, do laundry, help the spouse with outdoor projects and other things and still be able to sit down and concentrate on writing stories. There are a million things that can pull us away from our writing. Are we going to let that happen? If not, how can we keep going when the refrigerator breaks down, we need to pack and catch a plane, we need to clean up after dogs or help kids with homework, we need to write checks for bills and maybe we even need to handle another whole job and then try to sit and write without fatigue taking us right off to sleep?
When I know I can't spend hours on a project I try to find ways to keep it fresh in my mind. I make lists or write down key words relating to scenes I'm building in my mind. While my hands are busy cutting up onions, unless it's one of those particularly radioactive onions that takes full focus, I try to keep the mind busy with seeing my characters and imagining their gestures, their voices and their general look. I've even spoken lines aloud to see whether my character would actually say such a thing.
People often think writing is easy. Good writing isn't easy. It takes commitment. It takes energy. It takes determination. It takes using whatever task is before you as a catalyst to move the writing forward rather than holding the writing back. I'm writing this right now to remind myself of all this. I hope some of you reading it might find help at the same time.
posted at: 12:27 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
