Timing is everything
Posted on | October 26, 2009 | 9 Comments
Hi Monday. Apparently I hit publish last night before bed, and this odd collection of urls and lines of text went live yesterday night sometime. Oy. ( I’m glad you liked my ‘experiment,’ Denise.)
I did want to share all sorts of things I’ve been crushing on lately though, including these poems, and enough gorgeous pink blooms here to almost make me weep. Also, this inspiration to play around with some stenciling. (I’ve always had a crush on Banksy.) And this artist’s interpretation of the “Missed Connections” section in the paper, which is where I go, too, when I’m looking for a new story.
Speaking of a new story, I’m doing NaNoWriMo this year. You all remember my failed attempt in August, I am sure (which was kiboshed by a heaping helping of freelance copy-editing.) This time? No excuses. I need to get this story out of my system. I need to get this story on the page. I need to see my words accumulate following NaNoWriMo’s instructions:
“Do not edit as you go. Editing is for December. Think of November as an experiment in pure output. Even if it’s hard at first, leave ugly prose and poorly written passages on the page to be cleaned up later. Your inner editor will be very grumpy about this, but your inner editor is a nitpicky jerk who foolishly believes that it is possible to write a brilliant first draft if you write it slowly enough. It isn’t. Every book you’ve ever loved started out as a beautifully flawed first draft. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.”
So basically, it’s ON, November.
Also, I got a part time job at a place that is very close to my heart–doing something I’ve never done before, with lots of opportunities to learn new creative things like In Design which will, in part, help to pay for my writing habit. So this coming month it’s all about time management and balance. A week or so ago, at the suggestion of my very dear and very organized friend, I watched this lecture on time management, and I’m inspired to try to keep a time log this week to attempt to become more aware of how I spend my time. I’ll likely be posting more on this at the end of the week..
This week is all about getting ready for Halloween around our house. Carving pumpkins. An obscene amount of foil tape and a pretty cool robot costume in the works. It’s also about finishing two short stories and getting an essay submitted so that I have a clean plate for November’s novel insanity.
What are you up to? Where do you think you spend your time? Have you ever kept a time log? Where do you know you need to become more efficient?
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October 26th, 2009 @ 2:52 am
I like your experiment.
October 26th, 2009 @ 2:53 pm
Hi, I stumbled across your blog a while back, and adore the way you write. You have an amazing gift in capturing beauty in words. (I loved your post entitled, ‘we sleep and then we dream’ – for some reason I had that phrase going round and round my thoughts the other week!)
I’m from Bristol, England, and so when you mentioned Banksy, I thought it was about time I left you a comment! He recently held his first ever exhibition here and the queues were phenomenal – like a mile long, people queueing for up to 6 hours to get in! He is a well loved artist, and I feel a sense of pride that he’s from where I live, so it’s lovely to read about him being appreciated across the world!
thanks for your writing, it is truly inspiring,
Hannah
October 26th, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
i know where a lot of my time goes…to this box in front of me. a time log…it scares me, so it’s probably a good idea.
if i wasn’t wasting time here, i know i’d be finishing my art projects and photograph organizing…not to mention the sewing.
thank you for the missed connections link. i love the artwork and i can’t wait to dig in more.
October 26th, 2009 @ 4:34 pm
my time management when the girls are home is pretty good, because we have to get homework/dinner/showers/reading in. But during the day, my time is spent way too much on this computer! I do need to manage my time better. I bet if I worked or went back to school or did something productive, I would use my free time more wiselY!
Can’t wait to read your novel one day!
tara
October 26th, 2009 @ 4:47 pm
If I want to do something at all, I have to schedule in the time. For me it’s about discipline to claim those things, too. My day erodes away lying on the carpet and watching babies scoot around and learn to read, etc. Sometimes that’s the best thing to do…but at the end of the week I wonder why all of those things I wanted to experience didn’t happen!
You’ll do much better this time around, you have your past experience behind you, eh?
October 26th, 2009 @ 6:58 pm
Oh, hi. I don’t really want to face up to the questions of where my time goes. Sometimes it seems to melt away, and suddenly I am late for something. Other times I wander around the house avoiding the things that need to be done, yet feeling too guilty to do the things I want to do…because that other thing NEEDS TO GET DONE. I tend to check the computer every time I walk through the room. I tend to use nap time as my personal break time. And now that I have kindergartners, when they go to school, I don’t really know what to do with myself. I need a routine, but I also like the freedom to follow my whimsy. What I know for sure is that I get A LOT done the hour before my husband gets home. It is like a deadline for me.
Good luck in November…Kick it’s ass!
October 26th, 2009 @ 7:46 pm
Hi Christina! I just happened to come across your blog and I wanted to leave you a message saying how much I love it! I can SO relate to a lot of what you write about… having a 2½ year old and a 4½ month old myself. I adore my boys more than anything, but time for me? Mostly no-no. However, I know that I feel so much better about myself (and I actually think I am a better mama) when I do put time aside to write, draw and be creative in other ways. It is super super super important to me – but it doesn’t mean I get to do it very often. Still working on that.
I’m off to check out the NaNoWriMo site. I signed up once a few years ago but it never worked out. Maybe I’ll give it another shot soon.
Have a great afternoon/evening!
Ida (in Quebec city, Canada)
October 26th, 2009 @ 9:17 pm
I always feel the urge to edit as I go; I think this semester I’m finally learning the concept of allowing myself to work on the page and let it all out, know that I can “fix” it later.
I don’t know if I’d want to do a time log!
I think I’d find myself very frustrated!
October 27th, 2009 @ 10:48 am
It’s like the saying, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” That’s so true for me. If I’m not faced with way too many tasks, I don’t feel as productive. It’s just that I’ve come to dislike the stressed out feeling of having too many things I feel I must accomplish.
Ironically, it’s the slow times when I get the most done. That’s my dream time, the time when I come up with all of the things that keep me busy. Over the years, I’ve come to savor the slow time and truly appreciate it. Even if I’m faced with a serious deadline, I refuse to jam-pack the day. So a load of laundry doesn’t get done…so what? I think a time log would freak me out at this point in my life!