Lately I have found that it is so easy to find something else to do rather than work on the work-in-progress or edit the work-waiting-for-response-from-agents. The waiting is excruciating. My lovely daughter wants to have a party, so I said yes. Partly because it will be fun, partly because I now have way too much to do. I have an excuse to leave my work because I have to dust, vacuum, clean, shop, etc. Of course, she’s doing a lot, but you know it’s all on me.
Of course, that isn’t to say I don’t sneak away every few days to make sure everyone is still in my computer, waiting for me to return. It’s a little world in there that comes alive when I open it-and is stuck in a never-ending game of freeze tag as soon as I hit “close.” But I know they are just waiting for me to return. Sometimes I feel guilty thinking about them in there, waiting for me to unfreeze them. And I miss the characters, as if they are friends (even the ones who are not so likeable). Alas, life gets in the way. The party must go on, the shopping must get done, the classwork must be completed.
When life gets in the way, the best thing to do is fight back, yes? I’ll be waking up earlier now and making time for my frozen universe in the computer. Early mornings are my favorite time to work, but I also love to sleep. Sleep has been winning these days, but I owe it to my characters and to myself to get up early. It’s an excuse to say that life is getting in the way when what I really mean is that I am not taking the time to work. It means I’m avoiding it because I’m stuck on something or waiting for an agent to tell me how much they love my work before I continue. Big mistake—life may get in the way but this is also my life and I’ve got to embrace it.
How do you make time? Do you work late into the night, steal moments during your kid’s soccer game, write in a coffee shop during lunch? All good ideas. Writers write when they can. There is no excuse is there?
