Because I Needed Something to Actually Write About
We’ve all said it, we writer types.
“If I only had more time…I could finally finish writing my novel.”
“I’m so tired from my busy week that I don’t have any energy left to write.”
“How can I actually think a thought and take time to write when I’m busy from waking till sleep with work, family, and kid activities?”
We envision languid days in coffee shops where we can ruminate over our muse and type out brilliant words while sipping on locally sourced tea. These words that will be savored by fans. If only I had more time, we think, I’d be *such* an amazing writer.
Hmph.
Some years ago, I found myself unemployed for a span of a few months. Having recently moved across the country and with no freelance writing gigs on the horizon, I did have a book outline I was working on to submit to a publisher.Finally! Nothing but time! I could finish my book proposal in peace.
Instead, I found myself surprisingly undisciplined. I would stare at my blank screen, stare out the windows, lay in the middle of the living room floor and stare at the ceiling. I would type a thousand words and then delete them. Life was boring and so was my writing.
After several months of this unproductive stupor, I took on a nearly full-time job, got back to writing when I could find the time, submitted my book proposal, and saw it published. I continued freelance writing assignments as well, and somehow kept up. And while I often heard friends and family comment, “You’re way too busy!”, having outside work again made me flourish in my personal writing ventures.
Maybe you’re more disciplined than I am. But I don’t feel too bad about that. I remember reading about how the amazing novelist James Herriot (Alf Wight, the vet behind the series that includes All Creatures Great and Small), a veterinarian still working in a busy practice when he began writing his series, wrote his books in the evenings after work. He tapped out his amazing descriptions of life as a country vet on a typewriter while his family watched television in the same room. Can you imagine?
And while I’m not comparing myself to James Herriot, the realization that he didn’t have what would be considered the ideal writing environment encouraged me. I had no excuse. And it occurred to me that being busy brings forth my best writing. Maybe you can relate.
It gives me something to write about.
If I’m interacting with other people regularly, it only helps my writing. Little nuances and conversations flesh out characters and give me ideas for dialogue in my writing. Everyday moments like walking down the street, meeting with colleagues, or small talk with a stranger inspire a scene I might not have considered.
Busyness makes me more mindful of my writing schedule.
I often need a kick in the pants to just get over myself already and settle down to writing. If I only have a block of an hour or two to write, I’ll get right to it vs. letting my thoughts meander.
I write better under pressure.
I thrive under deadlines and can knock out hundreds of words when the clock is ticking. I know if I have unlimited time to finish writing — whether it’s an assigned piece or for myself — that’s exactly what I’ll do, take unlimited time.
It helps me get over the bondage of perfection.
At this stage of life, I must fit writing in around my work and family time. There comes a point where I need to say, Ok, this is good enough. I can’t tinker with it forever or make sure a sentence is just so. This has been a huge weight released, this letting go of the self-absorbed need to toy with the turn of a phrase or read a piece over and over and over again before submitting it.
It makes me more creative with my time.
I’ve taken my laptop to sports practices or all-day kids’ tournaments and found a corner of a bleacher seat or sat in my car to write for a bit. These days, I pull out my laptop while the little granddaughter I’m watching is napping, or tap out a few sentences in the early morning before work. And while it may not seem like the most efficient method to some, finding little snatches of time here and there provides me forward movement on all my writing projects, including my latest book.
And while this approach to finding time to write may appear too scattered or that I’m “too busy” to those who know my daily schedule, it works for me.
