Finding Time for the Right Things

Finding time to write has become an ageless concept in the writing world. All of us want to discover the magic formula for making hours instantly appear on the clock, or days added to the end of a month, or even just ten more minutes before the morning commute.

There is no magic formula.

Last night, I was determined to get some words down, to immerse myself in my story. But then I got distracted. My stomach was growling and I can't write when I'm hungry. This wasn't an excuse - it was a need. So I went and grabbed a bowl of cereal (I'm a sucker for cereal as an evening snack). Then my daughter showed me her book that she'd checked out of the library and asked me if I wanted to look through it. Since she snuggled up next to me, how on earth could I say no?

After we finished, I put in my Susan Boyle CD (she is SUCH an inspiration!) and my daughter started asking me about her since she absolutely loved the talented Ms. Boyle's voice. When I told her about the original video on Britain's Got Talent and how this woman had inspired so many people to live their dreams, my daughter wanted to watch the video. So off to the computer we trotted (I write on a laptop that is not hooked up to the internet - this keeps me from mindlessly surfing when I should be writing!). Naturally, I had to watch the video with her and got inspired all over again.

By this time, that precious hour I had for my writing had disappeared. It was time to get my daughter and myself ready for bed. After we were both settled in for the night, I grabbed my laptop and managed to write a few hundred words. Not much, but by then, my eyes barely wanted to stay open.

The moral of this story? Live your life. Allow a few interruptions. In my case, I was able to share an important lesson with my daughter - that it is never too late to chase your dreams, and you cannot judge a person by how they look. Would I have accomplished this had I chased her off and said, "Shh, I'm writing, can't talk to you right now." Absolutely not.

Sometimes, the writing is not the most important thing. I've read too many articles where people advocate putting your writing above everything else. I don't agree. There is a time and a place for it, and if that time and place doesn't quite work out, you simply accept it and move on. Don't allow guilt to rear its ugly head. If I had focused on my writing instead of my daughter, we wouldn't have shared so much and learned so much together. And to me, that's more precious than writing any novel in the world.