The curse? Life. Or rather those things that life brings to derail the progress we writers crave.It's worse than our muses taking a month-long vacation in the tropics while we sit at our desks devoid of the creative sparks that propel our fingers into a furious frenzy of typing.
It's worse than spending weeks polishing dry prose into vibrant excitement while our still unwritten tales slip deeper into the recesses of our minds, waiting.
It's worse than air-starved lungs attempting to breathe fresh, unique life into cardboard characters that stubbornly refuse to be defined by their creators.
It's a nasty little curse, for sure. And those of us not named J. K. Rowling or Stephen King must endure it. There are no charms to protect us from it, no voodoo timepieces into which we can poke needles, no incantations we can utter that will dispel it, and no silver bullets with which we can terminate it. It envelopes us like the very air we breathe.
It's the lawn that needs mowing, the empty cupboards and refrigerator that needs filling, kids that need a ride to soccer practice, and the office from 9-5 with nights and weekends on call. Relatives and obligations, unplanned errands and unexpected guests, they're all part of the curse. It strikes without warning. It strikes without mercy.
Never enough time. Squeeze a minute as hard as you can and you'll wring not another single second from it. Whether time is relative or absolute doesn't matter. Sixty minutes is all you're going to get from an hour. There is no more.
I've heard some say that if you want time, make time. Alas, my talent for making time ranks right up there with my talent for growing younger. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a time machine. Drop in a few quarters, pull a lever and out pops an hour. That would be better than chocolate!
But alas, we can't make time. We can't buy it either. We can only use wisely the time we're given. That, and nothing else, offsets the power of the time-starved writer's curse.
I wish I could have some of those rapid typing frenzies you mentioned in your third paragraph. I average somewhere between 300 and 500 words per hour. By the way, beautifully written post.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patrick. I appreciate the compliment. And 300-500 words per hour isn't bad at all, especially if they're words you can keep. I often have days pass without adding that many "keeper" words to my stories and manuscripts.
DeleteTime has often been a problem for me. With a day job and everything else life throws at us, it is impossible to make time that isn't there!
ReplyDeleteIt is most definitely a challenge, Kyra. Some days we rise to meet it. Other days we sleep in and recuperate.
DeleteWith this post I think you've captured all the things that plague most writers.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment my muses are taking a month-long holiday and I've no idea when they'll return!
While doing the thing we love we must learn to *try* and cope with the things that life throws in our way. Muse holidays, time restrictions and curses all have their own ways of hindering our progress but sooner or later we will get that time or the muse will return and we can get back to doing what makes us who we are.
Great post Jeff.
Morgan x
Thanks, Morgan! If I could buy a return ticket for your muses, I would, but they're often so fickle and stubborn.
DeleteI think the trick is to make writing a priority. Not the top priority, but enough that it doesn't get bumped so far down that wriitng never actually happens.
ReplyDeleteA constant balancing act, that is. Keeping things in proper priority order. But you are quite correct, Terry.
DeleteIt's a delimma I lived with for over 40 years now. It sucks.
ReplyDeleteNo pointers, eh? I suppose the distractions are different for all of us. Different distractions, different priorities, different ways of coping. But you've got books out there, Richard, so you've beaten the curse a few times, I think.
DeleteOh Fudge brownies! I just thought you could make time. Another illusion busted :-( Your blog made me smile though :-)
ReplyDeleteAlways glad when I can make someone smile. Seriously! They wouldn't let me audition for Myth Busters, but it sounds like I may have a future as an Illusion Buster! :) (Although, I rather like some of my illusions and prefer to not have them busted prematurely.)
DeleteThanks for stopping by my blog, I am a new follower to yours. I love your writing style, you have a wonderful gift with words. It is something I deeply admire.
ReplyDeleteTime. It's a funny thing. This month is the busiest I have been in a long time. I am short staffed at work, doing 2+ people's jobs. My inbox is full of emails, I am trying to learn algebra in my own time, I'm taking an Eat for Life class, and read my friend's manuscripts while writing a book in a month. Yet, I have been able to write as much as I have ever written before. I wish I could tell you some secret, but there is none. (Well, I don't have kids) I write on my lunch breaks at work, and I force myself to write some on weeknights, and on weekends it is the first thing I do in the morning. I think making it happen, making it a priority helps. Trying to make it a daily habit is key. I hope this helps.
Andrea
Many thanks for the compliment. It's very much appreciated.
DeleteYour month sounds much like my last six weeks. Demands and responsibilities from literally all facets of my life are vying for the top spot on the priority list right now. It's unusual in the sense that there's normally at least one area not demanding absolute commitment. But as you say, making it a habit and a priority is really all that we can hope to do.
I have a lot of respect for your "Book in a Month" challenge. I attempted a NaNo last month. Let's just say that I learned a lot. :)