By Dame Kaz
Smiley Kaz
First of all, I need to announce the winner of Chloe Neill’s cool giveaway. Thanks to all the people who entered – what a great turn out! 
Here is the winning number courtesy of Random.org:
24
Timestamp: 2009-10-06 13:54:43 UTC
That means the winner is:
Congrats, Wendy! Please email me directly: kaz[dot]mahoney at gmail[dot]com with your full name and mailing addres and I’ll forward your details to Chloe.
—
I am going to ramble a bit today, so please bear with me.
The thing is, with all the stuff going on in my life right now, I feel that I have NO time to write.
And then I reminded myself to go back and read Dame Jackie’s amazing post from a few weeks ago. If you haven’t read it, you really should. I don’t mind if you want to go do that now – I’ll wait…
Okay, did you read it? Did you find it inspiring? Did it give you the kick in the pants that you needed? Because it did all those things for me – and more! 
But it also got me thinking about how we’re all different. Each and every person approaches writing in a slightly different way. Even if it seems like our circumstances or our processes are similar we are still completely different in so many other ways, and this often includes our ability to sit down and get the writing done. It includes our tendency to procrastinate and how easily distracted we are (me = very easily distracted). And what about all those Real Life commitments?
I don’t want to repeat what Jackie said before (though a lot of it needs to be repeated because it is very sensible advice!), but I thought it might help me – and maybe a few others – to think about how to find more writing time in my own life. How to make more time or how to maximize the time I already have.
Right now I am:
- Working a Day Job
- Considering taking on a second Day Job
- Living in two places (with all the travelling in-between that entails)
- Looking for a new place to live
- Keeping up with email & online commitments (Deadline Dames, my LJ, other social networking)
- Coping (sort of) with a difficult situation in my personal life
- Writing (which includes revisions of a novel under contract; writing an entire sequel under contract; writing a 12,000-word story for an anthology, also under contract; and a side project I really want to write and sell.)
Notice how I put writing last on that list. Not good!
My mind is very scattered right now. Sometimes it feels as though the inside of my head reflects the scattered nature of my day-to-day existence. But despite all of this, writing is so very important to me. Without sounding all dramatic about it, it is one of the most important things I have ever done with my life. It’s the career I want for myself. It is the thing I love doing more than anything else – even when it’s hard. Well, okay, I don’t love it when it’s hard… but I still love the feeling of satisfaction I get from wrestling a particularly stubborn scene into submission.
Yet at the moment, finding time to write feels like an almost impossible challenge.
Here is what I am going to do to try to find/make more time to write in my life. (If anyone wants to try this with me, go for it – let me know how you get on!)
- In the evening, if I only have one hour to do anything for myself, I will make that ‘thing’ writing even if that means I don’t update my blog. Even if that means emails go unanswered (um… unless those emails are from my agent or editor!). Even if I don’t have time to call my mum. *g*
- For the month of November I will pledge to do my own mini-version of NaNo, whereby I will write 30,000 words in that month. Those words can be on any project; on a combination of projects; and/or on project(s) that are already in progress. So this isn’t the ‘official’ NaNoWriMo by any stretch, but 30K is half a YA novel. And it’s only 1,000 words per day. That’s around 4 pages. I know I can do that, even with everything else grabbing at my attention. You can do that too. Join me!
- On my non-Day Job days, I will do my writing before I do anything else on my computer. I will allow myself to check email – quickly – for anything genuinely important, but then I will reply to everything else later. Writing comes first. Wait, maybe I should say that again:
Writing comes first.
This is actually a very difficult lesson for me to learn. I have always put other people, and other things, ahead of my own wants and needs. It’s something that I will never entirely be able to stop doing, because it’s a big part of what makes me who I am. I really do like to help people. I love to stay in touch with my friends and fellow writers.
But for the rest of this year I need to learn to put myself first, which means putting the writing first.
Who’s with me?
Related posts:
Tags: Contest, Karen Mahoney, writing
I’m with you, Karen! I’m planning to join NanoWriMo in November.
I’m with you too! I do try to write 1000 words a day, but I don’t usually succeed. Then I feel guilty and go on writing binges. Not good or healthy.
OK, let’s try this again!
I’m with you, I’m with you! (Ironically I had a very similar conversation last night with one of my friends–how I never put myself first, which means writing, and she encouraged me to do that and not feel guilty about it.)
I’m going to join your mini NaNo if I get my editing done this month
I don’t have time to do 50k–not with school, but I think I can handle 30k. I’ve been feeling the same way you have–a BIG list of stuff I have to do, and not enough time to do it, and because a lot of it is obligatory job and school stuff, writing gets pushed to the bottom. Which makes me depressed.
My list isn’t nearly as difficult as yours but I’m pretty good at procrastinating when I should be writing. Ie I’m here posting instead of working on a novel. Heh. Oh well. I am going to do nano this year and normally I try and get between 500 and 1000 words in a day. Recently I’ve been better about it. For a while there I was not getting much done at all.
Good luck everyone!
Abso-bloody-lutely! Writing comes first. Sometimes for me it’s juggling between academic, personal, professional and monetary (i.e. stuff I was hired to do, am driven to do, need to keep a public profile with and, well, erotic romance
but writing is job one. I often say that nothing exists until I’ve written about it, so it behooves me to keep at it.
Hey, any craziness that keeps you writing!
Well said. I’ve been in a weird headspace lately and also need to get back on track. You’ve got a good way of looking at it.
I’m with you Karen. I don’t write everyday, even though I know I should.
This is a great post and a really timely reminder. Thanks!!
::scurries off to write – the chores can wait!::
First of all, thank you so much for the writing you do here on DD. It’s so supportive, helpful, awesome, and so very very appreciated.
Second, I am so with you! I’ve been getting up at 5:30am every morning to write before I go to my day job, and my second day job, and it is so wonderful. It sets the tone for my day, puts me in such a connected space inside my heart/mind. I get to connect with the novel’s characters as the sun comes up and the birds start tweeting. Just lovely. (and I tighten my resolve after reading your post to make sure I only attend to the *important* emails before I get going
You dames are incredibly inspiring . . .
Wheeee! I WON? I just emailed you!
I’ll sign up for mini-NaNo! That sounds much more doable for breaking in a new job in addition to the writing. Please keep us posted on your progress and then we mini-Nano’s can do the same
Mini-Nano? I like that idea. That’s about all I get written during Nano anyway. It’s 3x more than I get written during any other month of the year. Heck, I haven’t written more than 10k since February (I was revising/editing most of the spring, you might call that writing). I have got a story all plotted out and am actively working on it. well, I was until I decided to see what today’s post was about. Thanks All Dames for such awesome tips and motivations.
I think I’ll post on this, too. I’ve had to motivate myself to just get started writing.
I’m with you Karen, I just joined NaNoWriMo for November. I like the idea your version as well, the mini NaNo, I’d like to get to 50k, but I’d enjoy having the 30k, that would be an accomplishment for me.
Dottie
30K? I can do that. Plus, I’m going to do NaNo as well. Gotta kick the writing butt.
Hi
Thank you for the personal thoughtful post.
It’s okay if you just put a post on your blog “GONE WRITING”. Your friends & fans will understand.
All the best!
RKCharron
xoxo
Just what I needed. I’m gonna do it! 1000 words a day isn’t much. When you put it that way it’s achievable.
My main issue is… the internet… Hours go by as though they were minutes and though its all about writing and incredibly helpful, sometimes I have to remind myself, hey, the whole point is the WRITING in the first place. No query letter, synopsis, submitting etc without a manuscript.
Hey guys,
Thanks for all the great responses. Hopefully people might come back and see this comment… What I’ll do, if anyone is interested, is to post about this on my own LJ nearer the time. My next post at the Deadline Dames is on Tues 20th October, so I’ll mention it again there, too. Maybe we can do a weekly check-in or something over on my personal blog.
Should be fun!
Cheers,
Kaz
On a work night I usually manage 1500 words (if I’m lucky). Weekends I try to do 2500. Sunday just gone, I was up till midnight and final count was just over 5000 words!
Needless to say come Monday morning my brain was goo. I couldn’t get anywhere Monday night, and last night only managed 500 words. I need to find a happy medium. No more slacking then making up for it, and going OTT>
Thanks for the post, it’s a nice gentle reminder.
it is one of the most important things I have ever done with my life. It’s the career I want for myself. It is the thing I love doing more than anything else
Yes! That’s exactly how I feel
And I might join in the mini-nano too.
I did NaNoWriMo last year…loved it! It really challenged me, and I felt that it was really a breakthrough experience for me in terms of motivation and just plain getting things done!
Can’t wait for NaNoWriMo 2009!
I’m with you! I have a terrible habit on my day off of sitting down with my breakfast, coffee and computer and noodling around on Twitter, LJ etc. Before I know it an hours gone by and by the time I get writing it’s after lunch. Bad!
I need to finish my rewrite in October – this October!
As I said on LJ I’m definitely on for this 30k project. Everything that you are saying is true – make time for yourself and writing and putting it first.
You remain a true sauce…erm, source of inspiration!
***hugs*** I’m so proud of you, Kaz!!!
Karen, this post was so inspiring. Thank you for writing it!! I think I might join in the mini-NaNo as well, although I won’t know until November, but we’ll see! In the meantime, I just wanted you to know that I linked to this post on my blog:
http://britlitfantwin.livejournal.com/105099.html
♥.
That is all.
30,000 words is a lot less intimidating than 50,000. I’m in!
I’m adding dance to my before everything else list, though. I practice wrist circles while I write, & contemplate my novel while I struggle with posture.
I love that people are into this.
More soon…
Kaz