Peg Herring's Blog - Posts Tagged "time"

There isn't enough time in the day. You all know I'm hard at work on the sequel to HER HIGHNESS, which is moving at a snail's pace for some reason. But then I get into my old computer files for some reason and stumble onto other projects, some barely started, some almost done.

Gee, that was a good idea. Why didn't I finish it? Oh, right. I was stuck on motive. Oh, and that one's nice, too. I was going to work on the characters, get them some depth. Oh, that clever idea for a plot still seems clever; I just need to write down what's in my head. And look at that one, ninety percent done, but the original is still under consideration at some publishing house, so I stopped working on Book Two until Book One sells.

Then there are family and friends. "When do we get a sequel to MACBETH'S NIECE?" shows up on Facebook. And someone else mentions "that one you told me about with the crippled girl. That sounded good." And one family member is still waiting patiently for me to finish the one she and I talked about for weeks.

So why don't I finish? Because writing takes waaaaaaay longer than people think. Which brings me back to my original statement: There isn't enough time in the day.

I never have time to read long stretches anymore. Once upon a time, I read whole novels in a day, but now I'm lucky to find fifteen minutes when my brain isn't insisting I should be doing something else. I thought maturity (oldness) meant your life slowed a bit, but it hasn't been the case, and although I want to read, want to see what other writers can do, I find it only makes me want to get at my own work, to improve something or finish something or create something.



So many ideas, so little time.

I'm traveling, and I often talk to people along the way about being a writer. A motel clerk yesterday mentioned that she would like to write but claimed she doesn't have the patience for it. That got me thinking. What does it take--beside talent--to be a writer?

Patience is one thing, I suppose. It takes a long time and a lot of focus for a novel to get written. The idea for a novel, which everyone supposedly has in his head, doesn't just float onto paper or into a file. It's hard work to sit and make it happen, and a lot of the BITCH (butt in the chair, honey) is required.

I find that I need a chunk of semi-conscious think time. Driving or walking does it for me, but it works best if it's long-term. Car trips like the one I'm on are particularly valuable as I try out different scenarios, let my characters talk to me, and invent the antagonists who will make their lives difficult in the next book.

Ironically, I cannot write all that down on a road trip. I can make notes. I scribble on paper in the car (hubby drives, don't panic). I transfer those notes to the computer at night in whatever hotel room I inhabit. But I can't settle down and write. That takes extended time and a focused mindset.

I have friends who can write for an hour, even fifteen minutes on their lunch break. That isn't me.

After this trip, I plan to schedule several days of concentrated writing, putting everything I've been thinking about to work.

It's how I roll.

It always turns into a lot more. A quick note from a librarian: "Can you send us infor on your historical costume?" No sweat, I think. But suddenly half an hour is gone. And I could add....NO! Time to move on.

It's true that things expand to fit the time allotted for them, but it's also true that things just expand. Nothing happens as quickly as I think it will when I sit down in this chair.

So here's my theory. Time is bendable, and the Internet has bent it double. Therefore it takes twice the time you expected to get anything done. That's it!

Or it could be all Facebook's fault. Silly videos! Well, maybe one more.