March 8, 2010
GOING CRAZY
Yes, as the title suggests, I am surely going insane. Or as they say in Alice in Wonderland - which incidentally was a good
movie - I'm going MAD!
Like many first time authors, I do have a day job. I teach English in my local high school. It is a rewarding job, but some days it
just drives me insane - like I'm sure so many of us think of our own jobs. To add to this pressure, I am doing my very first book
reading for some children this coming weekend (which incidentally, will be part of my blog this coming Sunday), so I've been
ordering books and been practicing reading, so I can do a good job. Not to mention that I'm still working on all my promoting,
little by little. If this isn't enough to drive a person up a wall, I don't know what is. That's not exactly what I want to talk about
though.
Most of us who do work everyday, and don't have the luxury of being full time authors, may understand this feeling that I'm talking
about. After working nearly eight hours, and then knowing I still have another job to go to at night (tutoring for me), I find it hard to
find the time to actually write. And that's the feeling that drives me mad. I am not just a weekend writer, and I don't intend to be. I
make sure that I write a little bit every day, no matter what. But where do you find the time?
The solution is simple. Make time to write. Even now, I am sitting in Borders cafe, which is two storefronts down from my
second job, waiting for said job to begin. This is the time have allotted to writing, and thus, I have chosen this time to update my
blog. Once I am done here, I will begin working on the sequel to High School Heroes, which I have been making steady
progress on since November. All you need to do is make the time.
If you make the time to write, then you can easily get a little bit of writing done each day. During my lunch break at school,
instead of contributing to the chatter in the teacher lunchroom I bring a tiny notebook with me, in which I get a few paragraphs
jotted down. When I get home, while I'm waiting for dinner to get out of the oven and the clothes in the dryer to finish tumbling, I
get a couple more done. I set a simple goal for myself, one that any good writer should be able to achieve on a daily basis. I vow
to write 500 words a day, which I usually break. 500 words is all you need, especially if you have a busy schedule like I have,
which I know most of us do.
I mean, some of us, I'm sure have kids, which can be a handful, and we all want to be there for them at every turn. But maybe
bring your notebook to Jimmy's soccer practice and as you're sitting there watching, jot down a few parts of your story. Or even
better, write out a play by play of the practice so you can make the soccer practice in your book authentic.
The point is, even though I feel like I'm going to crack at any moment, I find time to write. And here's the biggest secret of all.
Writing is therputic. Just since I began writing this blog all of fifteen minutes ago, I have calmed down like you wouldn't believe.
So get those pens out and buy yourself a cheap journal at your local bookstore and put some ink on paper. You can very well
type it up later.
Until next time... Perfection is in the eye of the beholder.
GOING CRAZY
Yes, as the title suggests, I am surely going insane. Or as they say in Alice in Wonderland - which incidentally was a good
movie - I'm going MAD!
Like many first time authors, I do have a day job. I teach English in my local high school. It is a rewarding job, but some days it
just drives me insane - like I'm sure so many of us think of our own jobs. To add to this pressure, I am doing my very first book
reading for some children this coming weekend (which incidentally, will be part of my blog this coming Sunday), so I've been
ordering books and been practicing reading, so I can do a good job. Not to mention that I'm still working on all my promoting,
little by little. If this isn't enough to drive a person up a wall, I don't know what is. That's not exactly what I want to talk about
though.
Most of us who do work everyday, and don't have the luxury of being full time authors, may understand this feeling that I'm talking
about. After working nearly eight hours, and then knowing I still have another job to go to at night (tutoring for me), I find it hard to
find the time to actually write. And that's the feeling that drives me mad. I am not just a weekend writer, and I don't intend to be. I
make sure that I write a little bit every day, no matter what. But where do you find the time?
The solution is simple. Make time to write. Even now, I am sitting in Borders cafe, which is two storefronts down from my
second job, waiting for said job to begin. This is the time have allotted to writing, and thus, I have chosen this time to update my
blog. Once I am done here, I will begin working on the sequel to High School Heroes, which I have been making steady
progress on since November. All you need to do is make the time.
If you make the time to write, then you can easily get a little bit of writing done each day. During my lunch break at school,
instead of contributing to the chatter in the teacher lunchroom I bring a tiny notebook with me, in which I get a few paragraphs
jotted down. When I get home, while I'm waiting for dinner to get out of the oven and the clothes in the dryer to finish tumbling, I
get a couple more done. I set a simple goal for myself, one that any good writer should be able to achieve on a daily basis. I vow
to write 500 words a day, which I usually break. 500 words is all you need, especially if you have a busy schedule like I have,
which I know most of us do.
I mean, some of us, I'm sure have kids, which can be a handful, and we all want to be there for them at every turn. But maybe
bring your notebook to Jimmy's soccer practice and as you're sitting there watching, jot down a few parts of your story. Or even
better, write out a play by play of the practice so you can make the soccer practice in your book authentic.
The point is, even though I feel like I'm going to crack at any moment, I find time to write. And here's the biggest secret of all.
Writing is therputic. Just since I began writing this blog all of fifteen minutes ago, I have calmed down like you wouldn't believe.
So get those pens out and buy yourself a cheap journal at your local bookstore and put some ink on paper. You can very well
type it up later.
Until next time... Perfection is in the eye of the beholder.
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