When I read about other writers, I find out many of them spend many hours a day writing. This seems to be the mark of a serious writer. It leaves me living two lives.
I love writing and am trying to be serious about it. Each day finds me at the computer writing something. Today it’s posts for the website. This evening I hope to add to the novel.
However, I have another life away from the computer. It involves goats, chickens, gardening and housework (phooey).
Are They Separate?
Ostensibly these two lives are separate. In reality, they are not.
As I milk or wash dishes or shovel dirt, I plot my novel. This doesn’t always work out well as I’m not paying attention to what I’m doing.
When I am in town, my novel fills my mind. I miss stops I am supposed to make. Things get forgotten when I go shopping.
One difficulty with this is remembering the good plot points that occur to me once I get a chance to sit down at the computer. Generally I do remember enough to write a scene or two.
Another difficulty with this is trying to stay where I am in the novel plot. At the moment the plot is ending the setting up section and entering a phase setting up the climax of the book. It is much more interesting to think about the coming climax than the present plot steps.
Once I read advice to go ahead and write this interesting scene. In this case, that will not work as not all of the stage is set. I would have to totally rewrite the scene later on making major changes.
Finding the Balance
I will not give up either of my two lives. Living two lives is complicated and frustrating at times.
One method I’ve found is to set up times for each life. They do overlap some, but, like those who must balance work and home, it is possible.
