Discipline

I’m afraid that this is going to sound whiny, so I’m sorry if it does. That isn’t my intent. In fact, this post is over a month in the making, not a spur of the moment thought.

What do you desire to do? Are you able to do that, or is there something else you end up doing instead? If the latter, when do you find the time to do those things you want to? This is a never ending issue for people.

Me? I want to write. So, a typical day for me includes being away from home for 9.5 hours or so. 8 of those being work, 1 for lunch, and a generous half-hour for travel. Then once I get home, it’s usually time to eat, play with the kids, clean up, and time for kids to get in bed. I’ll do the dishes after I relax a bit, and then it’s almost bedtime. Toss in there wanting to run, and write? It’s quite a full day, and I have trouble finding time for writing.

I won’t say that there isn’t time to write or that I can’t find it. In fact it’s quite the opposite. I’ve done NaNoWriMo the last three years, and won 2 of those. So there is time, I just don’t discipline myself to use the time I have.

What if I didn’t relax so long, or at all? Sometimes that turns from a short rest into much longer than I want. Instead, go do the dishes right away and just get them done. It would give me more time later.

What if I didn’t spend time playing games or watching movies? Although, I do that for the most part now. I used to be a huge gamer and play a lot in the evening. With the advent of kids and trying to write, I don’t play the way I used to. I could also go into another room while my wife watches a movie so I’m not tempted to watch with her.

What it comes down to is using the time that I have, even if it is only a small amount. Even if it’s only 30 minutes of writing at lunch and 30 minutes of writing in the evening, it is worth it. That time and word count quickly adds up into something significant.

Writing, as is the case of most things in life, is about using the time that you have. I can complain that I don’t have time to write, but that’s not true. I have the time, and I know it. So, instead of taking the time to complain, take the time to actually do something. Instead of doing things that aren’t helpful to your goals, do something that is useful.

I won’t deny that there are times when you really don’t have the time. But, those don’t normally last. And there might be things that you have to put aside for a time. Playing games or watching movies to relax aren’t bad, in themselves. But when I have bigger goals, they aren’t helping me in the long run. Maybe if I ever get to a point where writing is a full time thing, then I could go back to playing games on a more regular basis. But until that time, I am going to have to limit, if not completely cut, those types of things, so I can further my goals.

One last thing. Recently I find myself on the end of wanting to write, but being too depressed or tired, or low energy. Not sure which, or if it’s all of them. So, what do you do? I’m finding that I just have to do: BICHOK. Oh, that could be bad saying it out… But, it means: Behind In Chair, Hands On Keyboard. So, I’m taking my own advice here, and doing just that.

*clack, clack, clack* Looks up. You’re still here? I would like to get some words pounded out tonight. Watches as people leave. Thanks. I’ll have something for all of you at a later date, I promise.

#MyWANA

*someone comes by and pats me on the shoulder*

Yes, I know everything will be fine. I’m not crying though, I promise!

#MyWANA is a Twitter hashtag that I saw flutter by on the Twitter-sphere today. It was started the other day by @KristenLambTX with this post on her blog. Go take some time to read it, as she explains it much better than I will.

So MyWANA is a place for writers to gather and encourage each other on, with the idea that through the hashtag, a community for discussion is formed. My is the possessive my. That is MY book, not yours. The rest stands for: We Are Not Alone,

The process of writing is a very lonely process. Ideally, there is no distraction, which means there aren’t others around that you are talking with. So, most writers aren’t around other people. So if we want to communicate with others, and there is no-one around, that makes it hard. That is why the internet is so useful, specifically Twitter. You can go on, search for the hash tag, and now you can communicate with others in (semi) real time.

Now, I know there are other hash tags for writers: #amwriting are #writing are two that I know and use sometimes. So, I don’t know what the difference is with these and #MyWANA, other than the name. In any case, there is a community forming there. Hopefully you’ll find me there sometimes.

And if you want a quick link, here you go!