Time, Time, Time
I recently sat through another of Jerry Jenkins’ (Left Behind series) on-line seminars. One of the many tips he passed on was to set aside time to write. He’s not alone with that advice. Jack London wrote until noon each day but as a professional he could schedule his day. Jean Auel (Earth’s Children/Clan of the Cave Bear series) had a day job and five kids so she wrote her first books (after extensive research including learning primitive survival skills) at the kitchen table after the kids were in bed. She too scheduled her day.
“But, but…writing is my passion! I do it when I am moved!”
Great. Prepare to starve.
Or take Ray Bradbury’s advice: “Get a meaningless day job, blow off everything else, and write, write, write.” (That’s a paraphrase from a video I used to show my students.) He, too, developed a schedule after he made the big time. The video in question included an office in Venice, CA where he would get away from home completely.
If you are writing for passion, keep your day job. If you are writing for publication, know that writing is hard work and passion is…passion. Just like learning Latin, you have to set aside time to study the language. “Write, write, write.”
And if you are not in an MFA program but just hanging out in the world, take time to find a good writers’ group. Good? One that a has a couple semi-pros who will honestly critique your work. And then don’t run away when they do it. I can’t tell you how many “one and done” authors visited our group and never came back.
Me? I set aside time for devotions each morning (about an hour) then tackle the day. I find I cannot write if something is hanging over my head (bills to pay, pipe drips, fist fight with the IRS…) so I have to get SOMETHING secular done before my head will go left brain. Then the passion is free and the only thing to stop me is dinner when, like London, I go back to the world.
Time,Time,Time
See what’s become of me
While I looked around for my possibilities
I was so hard to please.
Hazy Shade of Winter – Simon and Garfunkle
