Finding Time To Write

Finding time to write is one of those nearly impossible things you plan to do but never seem to get the chance.  It’s like the way you promise yourself you’ll take a nap in the afternoon and that never happens either.  There is always a task to do or an errand to run.  Someone drops in unexpectedly or you get tied up paying the bills.  There are a million time eaters out there waiting to snatch those precious minutes from you day. (Right now I have a dog in my lap feeling neglected.)  Just finding time to write this blog took the better part of the day.  When you shut everything else out and concentrate just on writing, the words just flow onto the page.  Then I’m in my happy place.  I remember why I wanted to be a writer in the first place.  There is an unparalleled joy in putting words to paper (or in this case, a computer screen).  There is no other feeling like it.  When I get cranky I know I haven’t written for a while.  The process isn’t as simple as sitting down and writing.  You have to have something to say first.  Then you take it like a piece of clay in your mind and mold it into something you can use.  Only then can you even consider approaching the computer.  Some writers do their best work off the top of their head.  Truth be known, I wish I was one of those people, but I’m not.  I’m a calculated person and compulsive planner.  Currently I am putting together documentation for my fourth book.  It’s the unglamorous side of writing but publishers need it in order to understand all about your book and make a cover.  The one type of writing that doesn’t thrill me is writing about what I’ve already written.  You’ve already created it, written it, rewritten it, edited it and done a final proof.  Now you have to start telling people about what you’ve said.  Later comes the editing and the re-editing.  Still, if you remember your love of writing, nothing seems like too much work to achieve your goals.