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Time.... A Writer's Biggest Challenge?

I know the key to being a successful writer is time management. Being a poet, I have become accustomed to keeping my notebook at the ready, jotting down lines, ideas and images that come to my head. Many times, these scribblings will sit on the lined pages only to be revisited weeks or months down the road. After some reworking, tweaking and polishing, they become full-fledged poems. That is how I've been working for many years.

But it seems as if this summer my fool-proof system got messed up. The train derailed. Life got in the way. Family commitments, weddings, travel itineraries, school schedules, you name it. I counted 16 days out of the last 28 that I was either living out of a suitcase or rushing to catch a plane somewhere. Fortunately, I'm back home now, albeit completely exhausted. But where is the notebook brimming with ideas? Lines scrawled from 30,000 feet above, where I used to feverishly work to take my mind off the anxieties of flying? Somehow I have veered far off the beaten path. I feel as if my brain is a blank sheet of paper. Is this just a dry spell, a temporary writer's block that I will overcome? Only time will tell.

Time. That's what I seem to need more of these days. As a mother of two, my days seem cram packed with carpools, orthodontist appointments, telephone calls, grocery shopping, laundry and more laundry!! I have just got to get back on track and carve out specific periods of time that I will block out the world, the internet, the cell phone, and just WRITE. I used to do it so easily, pen in hand, scrawling sonnets as I blow dried my hair or waited in doctor's offices. I hope to get back on point (when school gets back in session next week) and get some more me time. More writing time!

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Comment by Author & Book Promotions on August 17, 2007 at 12:58pm: Hi Colleen,

I need to do the same. I haven't been writing as much as I should. My time on both Shelfari and BMK will have to be limited after this week. I enjoyed reading your blog.

Be sure to drop by my page when you have the TIME:)

-Nadia

Comment by Barbara on August 16, 2007 at 8:41pm: Collen I know exactly what you mean when you speak of not having enough time! I have four grandchildren, (one of which is preschool) and he keeps me quite busy during the day. Most of my writing is done late, late, late at night!

Comment by Colleen Breuning on August 15, 2007 at 6:28pm: Dario, I am so glad you made this point about available time at the right moment. You are right, there are times when I have been free - but unable to write. Mood is very important. And you are 100% correct, most of us have other things in our lives (like jobs & children) that we must attend to outside of our writing. My best poetry ideas come at odd times - showering, jogging, cooking - and I find that I need to jot them down, or they are lost. I am so glad to hear your perspective, thank you for that!

Comment by Dario de Judicibus on August 15, 2007 at 3:39pm: It is, and it is not. That is, as most of you, probably, I cannot live just writing books. I have a job, and I have not much time to write. The problem, however, is not the amount of time, but the availability of ti,e at the "right" moment. Sometimes I have some spare time, but I do not feel in the right mood to write. So I use it for researches. I do a lot of researches to write robust plots. Sometimes I am in the write mood, ready to write pages and pages and.. I cannot. Something else to do. :(

Comment by Dahris H. Clair on August 13, 2007 at 8:08pm: Hi, Colleen ~ I saw the cat and I knew I liked you. Ginger is ensconced on my desk as I write this. If you look at my pictures, you'll see her. It makes it difficult when I have to type from reading material, but I try to accommodate her. We also have Baxter, her brother, who is very different. He comes in as I sit at the computer, silently reaches his paw to my shoulder, then meows a greeting. A little back scratching and he's contented. I do love animals. We have a dog, Annie, who is a Basenji mix. Delightful personality and very smart. I look forward to reading more of your blog entries. I haven't done one yet as I have been occupied with my Florida Writers Association Blog, and my e-zine, The Infinite Writer. I hope you will visit the zine and consider submitting some of your poetry. Guidelines are on the home page. Susan Haley is the coordinator.
http://mysite.verizon.net/resockeb/e-zine. I hope to see your name in the September issue.

Dahris