Thursday, February 17, 2011

Getting back on the writing horse

So I'm trying to get back into the freelancer groove, and I've discovered something I'd forgotten: Rust takes time and effort to shake off.

I don't take enough "me" time and make effective use of it. I'm easily distracted; I've never been all that great at focusing like a laser on something, and the truth is that I envy the hell out of those who can. And sadly, it's my own damn fault for squandering the "me" time that I do take.

All in all, it makes the writing difficult. What I need to do is keep pushing...otherwise I'll never improve, either as a writer or as a person.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

"Me" time? Really? What is that? I thought you understood that having a wife and KIDS pretty much ate all time. You're going to have to learn to do what needs to be done with said "distractions". You spend a lot of time on the computer on chat groups. You could be writing instead. Just one suggestion.

PEG said...

You and the kids aren't the distractions; the chats, OTOH, are, and that's what I'm talking about when I say I'm easily distracted. Not making effective use of the time, and THAT'S what I've gotta work on.

Better time management is one of my personal goals. I think I've gotten slightly better...but ONLY slightly.... :)

Pen Wilcock said...

In our family, we make writing targets. My daughter, who is a very full-time mother, has a writing target of one sentence a day. Mine when I am working on a book is 1,000 words a day. At the moment I am taking a break and have no writing targets.
Some writers find it hard to start because they try to begin at the beginning. Beginnings and endings are hard to write and are better tackled separately. If, say, thee wanted to write a novel, thee would maybe leave the first and last chapter for the time when the book had taken some shape. Thee might write down a snatch of dialogue, or a scene between two people, or a passage describing how somebody felt. Store it all in a 'notes' file to be patch-worked together once some shape emerges.
Another helpful thing is to use emotionally charged moments from everyday life. If thee feels angry with thy spouse or child, while the feeling is still strong, write a fictional encounter of an argument or fight. It will make the writing real and thy home life sweeter.
I hope those thoughts may help.
God bless thee.

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