My Rhythm
So usually one of the first questions anyone who meets me and finds out I am a novelist AND a mother of four asks is . . . "WHEN do you find time to write?" And if the person is an aspiring writer, they ask, "Do you write every day?" The answer to the first is "Whenver I can" and the second is usually maniacal laughter, as in, "You've GOT to be kidding me."
But I do have a rhythm. Wake up before dawn, answer email, blog, organize my brain for the day. Get three of the four kids off to school, get baby up, and then write "when I can" My house has a rhythm of its own, and I know when I can enjoy a quiet half-hour and when that's futile.
But now, my parents are staying with me for the next two weeks. My father is blind, so that means NOTHING can be on the floors. No matchbox cars, no blocks. The three dogs must be kept out of his way since he can't see them. And so you know that rhythm thing? Gone! I have no rhythm because my world is completely out of sorts. I spend the day running after my toddler picking up the things he throws on the floor, having nightmarish visions of my father breaking a damn hip on a Lego.
It doesn't take much to throw off my rhythm. A cold. A kid in a bad mood. Visitors. Whatever. What fragile space I carve out for my writing disappears. Or the quiet and music I am used to is replaced by TV (my father watches TV all day . . . yes, watches--we have a HUGE set and he can see it a bit. And he can listen.).
Do you have a rhythm to your writing routine? What is it? Do you write every day? And can it be thrown off track easily?
But I do have a rhythm. Wake up before dawn, answer email, blog, organize my brain for the day. Get three of the four kids off to school, get baby up, and then write "when I can" My house has a rhythm of its own, and I know when I can enjoy a quiet half-hour and when that's futile.
But now, my parents are staying with me for the next two weeks. My father is blind, so that means NOTHING can be on the floors. No matchbox cars, no blocks. The three dogs must be kept out of his way since he can't see them. And so you know that rhythm thing? Gone! I have no rhythm because my world is completely out of sorts. I spend the day running after my toddler picking up the things he throws on the floor, having nightmarish visions of my father breaking a damn hip on a Lego.
It doesn't take much to throw off my rhythm. A cold. A kid in a bad mood. Visitors. Whatever. What fragile space I carve out for my writing disappears. Or the quiet and music I am used to is replaced by TV (my father watches TV all day . . . yes, watches--we have a HUGE set and he can see it a bit. And he can listen.).
Do you have a rhythm to your writing routine? What is it? Do you write every day? And can it be thrown off track easily?
Labels: writing routines
posted by Erica Orloff at 8:16 AM
4 Comments:
My best time for writing is when I first rise from sleep. I try to get in at least 1000 words/day. My "day" job disrupts my rhythm more than anything. Three days a week, all my time and energy is devoted to that.
But when I'm working on something--as I am now--I develop a bit of tunnel vision. The story invades my thoughts (looking around for pods now) no matter what else I might be doing. It's a sort of madness, I reckon.
Hmm, rhythm is such a gentle, lyrical word and life feels so discordant right now, I guess I have to say I'm rhythm-less.
Like Jude, when I'm in the zone on something, I get very single-minded, and the rest of life falls into a militant sort of schedule.
Right now, I'm battling not to start something new until I've polished and figured out what to do with the old. I'm afraid this writing gig (aka obsessive compulsion) has morphed into a big enough part of me that when it doesn't flow, other stuff gets messy too. I have a membership to a big box store, but my house ran out of toilet paper. :0
And I'm pretty sure Chef Orville Redenbaker and the microwave made dinner for the dd last night.
Enjoy the visit with your parents!
Hi Jude:
I wish I could write first thing, but I can't seem to settle my mind into writing until I've been up for a bit.
E
Hi Lainey:
Very much like me. If writing is a mess, chances are a lot of other things are, too.
E
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