Making It My Own

As I have been reading On Writing there has been a tremendous amount of advice and information flowing into my brain. The largest part has been time dedication. He mentions that he believes those that want to be writers should dedicate four to six hours per day for writing and reading. I can understand that but for some of us that is simply not feasible. I can get an extra hour in before work if I do not go to the gym though for the sake of my heart I need to go workout at least four times per week to strengthen my heart and other cardio vascular muscles. I can definitely read an hour before bed and usually do but if I extend that I am cutting into my sleep which effects my ability to function the following day.

I already read and write on my breaks but considering my job is not wha one would consider "normal" in terms of breaks and schedules I cannot take an extended break or work through lunch, it is just not set up that way. I could come home from work and head straight to the office, closing the door behind me to get a solid hour or two of writing time but those are the only times I spend with my boyfriend generally and family time is just as important as writing. So for me adding more time at this stage of my writing career isn't quite as easy as I would like.

Instead I am choosing to simply take advantage of unexpected times. This morning I was awoken far before I would normally be getting up and so decided to get out of bed and get at least five hundred words in along with some promos and this big post. It isn't the typical two thousand word goal that Mr. King has set for himself but it is five hundred more than I would have gotten if I had simply turned over and gone back to sleep. Each writer is different. We all have similar goals in that we write because we enjoy it and most of the time publication in one form or another is the end game we shoot for but the journey for each of us is varied. 

I love the time I get to spend in my fictional worlds and I do not plan to leave that ambition however I need to accept that right now my visits are vacations and not routine trips. Someday perhaps I will have a second house in my imagination land. Until I can make a more permanent home there though I am doing my best to make sure that when I go I am productive and when I am in the real world I can focus on the priorities that exist here. Balance is key for me and I can always readjust as things change later on.