I won't amaze anyone by saying this is written at the county fairgrounds on my laptop via WiFi while my kids are at their 4-H Dairy Club meeting.
These kinds of technological short-cuts surround all of us now. It's new to me, but sometimes my "Oh, wow!" reactions just earn me some eye-rolls from the kids.
To an extent constantly updated technology help all of us make use of our time.
As a writer, though, I often find myself longing for more time. Big uninterrupted chunks of time. Maybe in my sweats, hoodie, fuzzy slippers and with a hot cup of good coffee right at hand. I don't know when I ever experienced that, though. Before working in town, the kids were a lot younger and we had a lot more cattle and things happening on the farm. Now I have to grab bits of time when I can.
However ... so many evenings when I sit down to write, I wander off into the world of Facebook and browsing various sites for the latest news.
So how do I embrace the new normal of working in town and finding time to write and take care of my other responsibilities?
I have to make some choices. Lately I've been trying to "fast" from my favorite news websites, and only checking Facebook once a day. (Sorry, cousins!) I do try to take the laptop with me whenever I might have to wait on the kids at ballgames, 4-H meetings or appointments. I also try to keep a pen and scrap paper handy in case a cool idea crosses my mind. Actually, writing on the laptop while not online has worked out well.
I would love to hear other ideas for making more time for writing. See you all tomorrow afternoon after work!
After our house fire last June, we never subscribed to cable TV again. That has saved a lot of time over the months.
ReplyDeleteI have rediscovered the lost art of writing things out by hand. I collect cute notebooks about 5X7 size and keep them in my purse. Whenever I'm in a boring meeting or waiting for something, I pull out the notebook. I've written some of my best chapters this way!
ReplyDeleteI bet so!
ReplyDelete@ Rita -- I bet no cable saved hours!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I do -- when I'm writing out character sketches or plot structures (I'm a plotter/pantser hybrid and my current series is more the latter, but I'm going to try more plotting for my next series), I'll have a form copied out and work on it during my once a week coffee house sit-in (also used for reading) or if I'm in the car waiting for my wife. (She's a hospital chaplain, and it's not unusual for her to be late getting off.)
ReplyDeleteJeff
I know this might get boos and hisses, but I've discovered I can get more created in an hour during 4-5 am than when the household is awake. I don't have kids at home, but I'm head concierge for the dog and a husband. The bonus is the creativity bleeds over into the rest of the day.
ReplyDelete