We manage ourselves, not time. Commitments seem to be without mercy when you're trying to get some good work writing done. I looked at my calendar Monday it looked pretty wide open. The next thing I know, a friend calls for a ride, at the event I drop him off at, another asks for yet another favor. Sure I say, I'm free that day.
Until my lawyer calls and needs to have a sit that gets moved from the morning to the night. The change curtailed a pleasurable leisurely morning with my paramour. I thought to get some contract project work done, and behold I managed to accomplish that. I made it to my writers guild meetup and picked up another task there. More legal appointments. Then a new project demand.
I haven't written anything I wanted yet this week. I'm watching the clock - it says its time for a nap, then dinner before a grueling six hour trek into DC beltway traffic and back. I look at my calendar for next week - it looks pretty wide open too, but I nonetheless wonder if I'll be able to meet commitments and make some time to work on my biggest priority - Harvester.
Pennwriters conference is in Lancaster Pennsylvania this year, may 14-17th and I plan to pitch Harvester there but I'm told that the best way to do this is to have a 2nd draft manuscript ready to go, if not pretty much the entire book. Plus a synopsis, dust jacket, bio and I can't remember what else.
My life is a bit of a mess right now, it seems that's the way I like it. I don't have time to do anything except everything I don't want to do. I washed those clothes three days ago and still haven't folded them. I'm just moving clean pile into dirty pile. I have a closet someplace but it seems too far away.
That's the life of someone trying to finish a 90,000 word manuscript in 2.5 months. I put the page/word count into a piece of software - it said to plan 8 months for completion I had to fall down laughing. I guess that's why when you see in a horror film like I spit on your grave or the shining the writer has completely sequestered themselves in a state of total isolation. We know how well that worked out in both of those situations. I'm trying to do this without the giant bleeding elevator or the revenge murder spree, can someone help me? Oh never mind the school just called, one of my kids probably hacked the library computer again and I've got to pay for some tech guy to repair it. I'll try to talk about writing tomorrow perhaps?
Just kidding. I owe it to my fans to seriously share about the project piece. So, while I wait for the fiction book business to explode, I'm doing projects for my part time employer the VA. I didn't expect to enjoy any of this kind of work. But they surprised me, they dropped a content contribution opportunity in my lap. I get to work with an a-list graphics designer and I get to write about something I deeply care about. Albeit in a context that is constraining. I lost sleep over planning what to write after surveying the literature at links provide as prompts by my client. I was so fired up as soon as I could get to my keyboard this morning I pumped out two quick pages with links and a graphic concept for my designer.
Why am I sharing about this? Well it's professional paid writing work. It's not necessarily what I want to be known for. I want that to be my fiction work. That said, for you other aspiring novelists out there, I'd say be open to other opportunities. This unexpected one provided me a chance to sharpen my skills, work outside my comfort zone or find joy in just writing something that doesn't matter so deeply that it hurts to try and make it perfect. I honestly was thrilled to work on this project and hope to be asked to do more outside my normal specialization.
It can't possibly be bad for me, it will come with the benefit of cash (to use marketing my books). I can feel pride in writing, increasingly for a living, as I wade free of the sea of misery PTSD has had me trapped in for so many years. That - writing for a living, is really an amazing gift. If you want to write say for a magazine or newspaper, or books, my advice is to write wherever you can for whoever you can to build skill, network and portfolio. I will, if allowed by the client, proudly share this latest professional piece here.
Tomorrow? Poetry I wrote for a beautiful woman. Or maybe fart jokes. I never thought I'd be writing poems, she just does something to me. So maybe next year, a poetry collection. Including a chapter of fart poems my kids will enjoy. Can't hurt to write something I didn't necessarily plan on, if I can find the time. What's your biggest time thief getting in the way of your writing?
Until my lawyer calls and needs to have a sit that gets moved from the morning to the night. The change curtailed a pleasurable leisurely morning with my paramour. I thought to get some contract project work done, and behold I managed to accomplish that. I made it to my writers guild meetup and picked up another task there. More legal appointments. Then a new project demand.
I haven't written anything I wanted yet this week. I'm watching the clock - it says its time for a nap, then dinner before a grueling six hour trek into DC beltway traffic and back. I look at my calendar for next week - it looks pretty wide open too, but I nonetheless wonder if I'll be able to meet commitments and make some time to work on my biggest priority - Harvester.
Pennwriters conference is in Lancaster Pennsylvania this year, may 14-17th and I plan to pitch Harvester there but I'm told that the best way to do this is to have a 2nd draft manuscript ready to go, if not pretty much the entire book. Plus a synopsis, dust jacket, bio and I can't remember what else.
My life is a bit of a mess right now, it seems that's the way I like it. I don't have time to do anything except everything I don't want to do. I washed those clothes three days ago and still haven't folded them. I'm just moving clean pile into dirty pile. I have a closet someplace but it seems too far away.
That's the life of someone trying to finish a 90,000 word manuscript in 2.5 months. I put the page/word count into a piece of software - it said to plan 8 months for completion I had to fall down laughing. I guess that's why when you see in a horror film like I spit on your grave or the shining the writer has completely sequestered themselves in a state of total isolation. We know how well that worked out in both of those situations. I'm trying to do this without the giant bleeding elevator or the revenge murder spree, can someone help me? Oh never mind the school just called, one of my kids probably hacked the library computer again and I've got to pay for some tech guy to repair it. I'll try to talk about writing tomorrow perhaps?
Just kidding. I owe it to my fans to seriously share about the project piece. So, while I wait for the fiction book business to explode, I'm doing projects for my part time employer the VA. I didn't expect to enjoy any of this kind of work. But they surprised me, they dropped a content contribution opportunity in my lap. I get to work with an a-list graphics designer and I get to write about something I deeply care about. Albeit in a context that is constraining. I lost sleep over planning what to write after surveying the literature at links provide as prompts by my client. I was so fired up as soon as I could get to my keyboard this morning I pumped out two quick pages with links and a graphic concept for my designer.
Why am I sharing about this? Well it's professional paid writing work. It's not necessarily what I want to be known for. I want that to be my fiction work. That said, for you other aspiring novelists out there, I'd say be open to other opportunities. This unexpected one provided me a chance to sharpen my skills, work outside my comfort zone or find joy in just writing something that doesn't matter so deeply that it hurts to try and make it perfect. I honestly was thrilled to work on this project and hope to be asked to do more outside my normal specialization.
It can't possibly be bad for me, it will come with the benefit of cash (to use marketing my books). I can feel pride in writing, increasingly for a living, as I wade free of the sea of misery PTSD has had me trapped in for so many years. That - writing for a living, is really an amazing gift. If you want to write say for a magazine or newspaper, or books, my advice is to write wherever you can for whoever you can to build skill, network and portfolio. I will, if allowed by the client, proudly share this latest professional piece here.
Tomorrow? Poetry I wrote for a beautiful woman. Or maybe fart jokes. I never thought I'd be writing poems, she just does something to me. So maybe next year, a poetry collection. Including a chapter of fart poems my kids will enjoy. Can't hurt to write something I didn't necessarily plan on, if I can find the time. What's your biggest time thief getting in the way of your writing?
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