Monday, March 10, 2014

99 Problems (with Writing): Too Busy to Write

We all know that old excuse.  Come on, say it together now...but I'm too busy to write!

Yeah, right.

I know, I don't like hearing it either.  I AM busy.  I swear it.  But so are most of us.  We're busy, yes, but not too busy for some things.  Like our families.  Like our jobs.  Like eating and sleeping (mostly) and online shopping.

So the problem isn't really that we're too busy, full stop.  It's that we're too busy to write.  Too busy to carve out the time to do something that we all really love doing (or else why would you be reading my blog about writing, right?)

I love writing.  I really do.  I love the high you get as you watch the words tumble onto the page.  I love the struggle of finding the right word or phrase or description.  And I am in love with the sense of accomplishment you get from just having finished writing a few pages or even just a few lines.

So why do I (and here I mean all of us writers) sometimes put writing at the bottom of our list of priorities?

Because, deep down, we don't see writing as being as important as our jobs or our families (we're right here) or our sleep or our online shopping (or t.v. watching or whatever else we do to relax after a day of working etc.

THAT'S the real problem.

Don't get me wrong.  I am a firm believer in t.v. watching (particularly if that t.v. is The Walking Dead, in which case it isn't actually relaxing to watch at all).

Yes, I'm busy...with a fairly high stress day job, my lovely family, two volunteer positions and the myriad other activities that give my life purpose and meaning.  But so does writing give my life purpose and meaning...and joy and a creative outlet...need I go on?

We all love to write.  In most of our cases, we need to write, the same way we need to eat and sleep and work.  So trying waking up a half hour early and writing.  Or carving out a half hour between sitcoms to write.  Or taking a writing break instead of a lunch break at work (bring your own laptop for this purpose).

You're busy.  But you're not TOO busy to write.  Not if you really love it.

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