Time is a premium for me lately. I snag snippets of time when I can. I’m taking my mother-in-law for cataract surgery today. I will be bringing my laptop or tablet with me, so I can work on my book or blog while she’s having her procedure. I’m far too busy to simply peruse Facebook on my phone while I wait.
I belong to a critique group that meets once per month. There are five members. We each submit up to 20 pages of our books for critique and then have two weeks to read and write up our comments on the work submitted before we meet in person. That means that we are each reading and critiquing 80 pages a month. Of course, we polish our own 20 pages before submitting them, so this is a labor intensive enterprise.
I often bring the other authors’ pages to work with me to read during my lunch break. I’m not alone in this. One of the other ladies takes our pages to work with her, too. I know that because she told me she burst out laughing when she finished the last chapter I submitted. Consequently, she had to read the last paragraph to several of her coworkers who were sharing the break room with her. I was pleased to hear that her coworkers laughed, as well. That was my goal, after all.
My husband and I have precious little time together due to our work schedules. I usually have an Ozarks Maven post to write, pages to critique, or chapters to prepare for critique on our evenings together. I make it a point to spend quality time with him while we have dinner. When he turns on the TV for his shows after dinner, I bring my laptop into the living room and work while he watches TV. That way we are still spending time together, but I’m getting some work done while he enjoys his entertainment. We visit with each other during the commercials.
I’ve also brought my laptop into the kitchen to work while cooking several times. I try to avoid doing that because the food tends to get a little well done if I’m working while I cook. Fortunately, my husband likes pancakes that are a bit blackened. He prefers his scrambled eggs yellow, though. So, I do my best not to get lost in my work while those are cooking.
I get up before everyone else on the weekends so I can lock myself in my study and write while the house in peaceful. Those early hours are when I write my best. The sun shines through the prisms of the dragon sun-catcher hanging in my east window and fills the room with a rainbow of colors. My muse does a happy dance, and my fingers fly across the keyboard.
My family respects my writing time. If I’m in my study with the door closed, they try to leave me alone. If I had more hours in the day, I could do some serious writing. One of these days, I will perfect my time management skills and not be forced to spend so much of my family time on my writing pursuits. For now, I’m following my passion, and my loved ones support me in that endeavor, even if it means talking to me while I type. Thank you for reading Ozarks Maven! If you’ve enjoyed my little seeds of wisdom and joy, please subscribe to Ozarks Maven, Like Ozarks Maven on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @OzarksMaven.
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