This week, I’m getting into my summer groove of writing and finding time to write. Even in the midst of my son’s graduation and preparing for his big graduation bash next Sunday, I manage to squeeze in time that’s just for me.
How many of you are able to find that quiet time to write? How many of you are night owls (like I used to be) or squeezing that writing in early or during a mid-afternoon break?
All the best writers will tell you that you have to make time to write – that you should be writing every day. In the summer when I am not teaching on campus, it makes it a little easier for intense writing to become a daily habit.
As my fellow writers out there can attest, it doesn’t typically happen among the mayhem of a normal day. It has to be penciled in like a workout or a big errand you have to run. Making time for writing is essential, but you also have to know when your brain is ready to do its best work.
When is that time for you? For me, it’s changed over the years, for certain. As I wake up earlier than I ever have, I find I come downstairs, make a little breakfast, brew my first delicious cup of coffee, and then… I begin to write.
Sometimes that writing may involve starting a story from scratch. Sometimes it revolves around editing or embellishing a piece of writing I’m working on. Other times, it may require me to do what I’m doing right now – trying to write a meaningful blog post for my amazing audience.
Yesterday, I finished re-working a piece entitled The Girl on the Trapeze for my short story collection entitled The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry. I wanted to make the story longer, better. I started attacking it and questioned what was missing. More dialogue? Better imagery? Thoughtful introspection from my main character? I dabbled and dabbled, and then something wonderful happened: it morphed into something a little different, and I liked it. Allowing time for creativity to blossom is so essential.
When you get in a groove, it’s fabulous, but you cannot ignore that that little groove requires that you pencil in time for it.
Just be sure that the time you choose to write is best for you so that your own creativity can flourish.