Setting Goals:
Setting goals can be difficult for a writer. I have had to learn to not do anything in the morning but write. From at least 8:30am – 12 noon, or 1pm, or 2, or as late as possible really – I write or work on writing related business. I might take a short break for lunch, a walk or the gym – but I have to put in my time first. I sometimes end up staying up late at night writing or getting up very early to write – but that’s when I haven’t had time for my morning session, usually.
Once in a while, things do come up – I have events at my daughter’s school or holidays with the family. These times are fun. They make life worth living. But they can also be tedious, when one has to pull oneself away from an exciting or emotional chapter. They say art imitates life. But sometimes lives should imitate art – the events in the books we read and write can be much more stimulating and thrilling! This is why we read and write in the first place.
In the end, the stability and predictability of life is reassuring . . . because life also throws curve balls, and then is rarely neat and tidy. Life then becomes messier and harder than events in a novel – because the tension does not rise in a smooth arc – it blasts on us like tsunami, earthquake or a sudden car accident.
Let us not forget, the word for ART comes from ARTIFICE. We create art and control it. Life, on the other hand, is a meeting of measured creations and seemingly random events.
Sorry, if this sounds preachy -- back to GOALS AND WORK HABITS – a topic I blogged about for the Hollywood Blog.
My point here is: we plan because we know events will arise that will get in the way! Anyone care to share your thoughts on planning and the fine art of family and writing juggling?
Setting goals can be difficult for a writer. I have had to learn to not do anything in the morning but write. From at least 8:30am – 12 noon, or 1pm, or 2, or as late as possible really – I write or work on writing related business. I might take a short break for lunch, a walk or the gym – but I have to put in my time first. I sometimes end up staying up late at night writing or getting up very early to write – but that’s when I haven’t had time for my morning session, usually.
Once in a while, things do come up – I have events at my daughter’s school or holidays with the family. These times are fun. They make life worth living. But they can also be tedious, when one has to pull oneself away from an exciting or emotional chapter. They say art imitates life. But sometimes lives should imitate art – the events in the books we read and write can be much more stimulating and thrilling! This is why we read and write in the first place.
In the end, the stability and predictability of life is reassuring . . . because life also throws curve balls, and then is rarely neat and tidy. Life then becomes messier and harder than events in a novel – because the tension does not rise in a smooth arc – it blasts on us like tsunami, earthquake or a sudden car accident.
Let us not forget, the word for ART comes from ARTIFICE. We create art and control it. Life, on the other hand, is a meeting of measured creations and seemingly random events.
Sorry, if this sounds preachy -- back to GOALS AND WORK HABITS – a topic I blogged about for the Hollywood Blog.
My point here is: we plan because we know events will arise that will get in the way! Anyone care to share your thoughts on planning and the fine art of family and writing juggling?
I like to think of the simplest way I've heard it put - "Big rocks first". That helps me alot - I focus on the important family stuff, and then fit everything else in where I can.
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