Discipline: prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior
Prescribed:
to lay down as a guide,
direction, or rule of action
I’m in dire need of a new prescription for discipline.
Unfortunately, this is not the sort of prescription I can go
to the pharmacy to get. It’s something I have to pull out of myself and follow.
I used to be so disciplined with my writing. I had a schedule that worked for
me. Somewhere along the line, I lost it.
There have been some major changes in my life that have
altered my time. A time intensive blog, home schooling my son, and dealing with
a serious illness have all made inroads on writing. Dealing with one and two
were doable, add three and poof, writing? What’s writing?
I still have to deal with the blog (which I enjoy) and home
schooling (which is done in two months), but the illness knocked me down below
the speed bump and it’s a bitch to crawl back up from that one.
NaNo helped. It tapped back into my imagination and
reassured me it’s still working—trust me, I had some serious doubts on that
score for a while. It was hard to think beyond basics. I didn’t have the energy
or inclination (not to mention enthusiasm) to write when it was all I could do
teach the kid and do the blog. In between I took my meds and slept—a lot.
I’m not totally well but I’m getting there and now I’m
desperately in search of disciple. Part of it is finding the motivation (and
energy) to write intensively again. That’s a hard one. Then there are all the
things in the house I had to let slide when I was so sick. Now it’s learning to
pace myself. Balance is so important for me. I don’t do well without it but it
takes patience to get life balanced when it’s been out of sync for so long and
your focus is on the necessities.
Since I do my best writing in the mornings, I’m going to
have to schedule time for just writing and then tackle my to do list, find time
to nap (which is still very necessary), check the kid’s school work, and work
on the blog. It’s getting there. Kinda.
Bottom line for me, if I don’t make the time, then my time
gets squandered away and nothing is accomplished. I don’t like that feeling.
I also need to be consistent.
Most successful writers have to be.
- How do you carve out time to write? Some work full time. Some can’t write at home but have a favorite place they can write. Some can only write on weekends, or early morning before the day starts, or late at night when the house is quiet. The point is they have to make the time.
- So, what works for you?
