Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Have Got a Clue

I realized yesterday as the holiday was coming to an end, that if I knew I had to get up the next morning and write I’d be depressed.

I’m a disciplined person and have been writing in a disciplined fashion for 50 years.  By disciplined I mean being at my desk by 9, writing for 3 or 4 hours 5 days a week unless I was sick.  Year after year.  That schedule has served me well.  But I think I’m tired of it.

I know that there are other writers out there who’ve been doing it longer and for more hours a day and more days a week.  I salute them.  But I’m not in a contest.

It’s not the writing I’m tired of it’s the method.  The trouble is I don’t know how else to do it.  This schedule works for me.  Can this old dog learn new tricks? 

I can’t imagine sitting down to write whenever I feel like it.  Maybe for an hour.  Ten minutes.  No.  These aren’t the rules.  The rules I made for myself.  If I made them I can break them.  Easily said.  But can a willy-nilly writing method work for me?

I’m not a night person so that wouldn’t be viable for me.  I’m best in the morning.  So what if I sat down at my computer at 10 or 11?  What would happen?  Or what if I gave some time in the afternoon a tumble?  I know there’s only one way to find out. 

This is still in the thinking stage and I’m not ready to test it yet.  Maybe next week.  Maybe not.

1 comment:

Jessica Ferguson said...

I sure envy you your structure. I'm a loosey goosey writer and I suppose that's why I never did accomplish much. Last week, trapped in the Hilton in downtown Houston, I finished my book. Now comes the interesting part--revising: fine tuning, shaping, fleshing out. I wish I was one of those writers who revise as I go, but that only works for me during the first three chapters...then I'm able to set sail and I can't look back or I'll stop.

We've rented a room in Houston. Yep, one room. Talk about depressing! We're too old to be living like this, but that's what happens when you're late bloomers and have a couple of divorces under your belt and a young'un still in college. :)

I'm on chapter 20 of This Dame for Hire and loving it. :) I hope you find your way.

Oh yeah, love the hammock pic. Is that your backyard? Pen and notebook and hammock would work for me--as long as there weren't any bugs! :)