It’s that time again. End of the school year madness. Gym shows, scouting graduations, school award shows, field trips…half days! OHHHH, half days, how you torture me. I mean, c’mon, we all know those kids aren’t doing any WORK those half days. Either just give them the day off, or keep them the whole day! Mama’s got to work!
Okay, so I digress.
See, I’m staring down the barrel of a loaded pop-gun, here. I have a book to finish and another to finish edits on, and my kids are going to be underfoot in a couple weeks and…I kid you not…every single day between now and then seems determined to undermine my best efforts at writing.
I knew it would catch up with me. Oh, the idle days of internet surfing, the hours of Queer as Folk, the Sims2. Yes. I admit it. I lost myself in “leisure” time when I might have been pounding out the pages. So why, then, does it feel like I’ve been working non-stop without a break?
It’s that way with writing. Maybe it’s that way with lots of things, but since I don’t DO those things, all I can say is…I always feel like I’m writing. Even when I’m only thinking about writing. When I’m actually sitting at the computer and writing (a book, not a blog entry) I’m thinking about how I’d rather be watching QAF or Supernatural. When I’m watching tv, I’m thinking hey…this could be great in a book.
And now I’m looking forward to the summer and knowing that my writing time is severely diminished, and I think, man, where did all that time go? How will I finish this book and edit the other and edit this one and submit them both before school lets out?
The answer is: I probably won’t. But that’s okay, I’ve got time before deadline, and I’ll still be working.
Did I have a point to this entry?
I guess it’s that there needs to be balance. Write when you have to, take time off when you can. But don’t let the time fritter itself away while you do other stuff; if your writing is your job, it needs to be done and on time, too. Not wasted.
I plan on working as hard as I can so I don’t have to worry about writing this summer. That’s the payoff! But I know I will be writing, no matter what I say about taking the summer off, because I just can’t stop myself…
M
May 21st, 2008 at 8:44 am
I hear you M. I’ve been flitting away all kinds of time but still think I’ve been working.
As for the summer for me, since I homeschool two, when the summer hits I can actually get some work done. LOL We do a trade. I get to work all day for 3 or 4 days of the week, and the remaining we do stuff and go places like the zoo, parks, museums, the lake.
May 21st, 2008 at 5:27 pm
I tend to think I fart around too much and then when I tally up all I’ve done I realize I work more than I think, which is nice, LOL.
Summer makes me tired. It’s hot. The kids are home and usually around water which means much closer supervision and also outside in the sun so I have to make sure they’re hydrated and slathered in sunblock because two of them are very pale like me and they turn beet red in the slightest sun. Still, I tend to write at night anyway, so my productivity doesn’t suffer too badly and this summer there will be no vacations except for a few short weekend ones because of the dude’s job. So, I’ll be home, finishing up Relentless and then Outshined. (and having a few margaritas)
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:31 am
Good luck with the deadlines, Megan! I am hoping my tween will sit the younger ones this summer. Hoping…