Redeeming the Time

A friend of mine introduced me to the concept of redeeming the time. Paying attention to those flittering moments, taking back control, and doing something productive. (Stephanie is a believer in this, too: See Ten Minutes To…)

So my writing doesn’t always go as planned, even a brand-new-summer-writing-plan, which, theoretically, has been adjusted for a new routine.

By happenstance, this was my kids’ busiest week of the summer, I thought I could still get a lot of writing in since I was mainly acting as chauffer. Nope. Maybe it was in sympathy to Kitty’s jet lag, but I’ve been tired all week. When those moments of writing time popped up, the brain power was just not there. Mush. Slow thoughts. Like thick oatmeal. 

In case you find yourself in this situation this summer, here is my quick list of ways to redeem your writing time so at least you can say you did something:

1. Do more research—it can spark more ideas; add more world building tidbits.
2. Read someone else’s story with an eye on analysis—pick one thing like dialogue or strong verbs, or chapter endings.
3. Just open the document and try. Write a sentence. Fix a sentence. Add a metaphor. Just one. You can do just one. You have time for one.
4. Read an inspirational writing book—Bird by Bird, Knit Together, Take Joy, etc.
5. Doodle/draw something about your story—make a mind map or sketch a scene, a map, beach house, or castle.
6. Print out pictures of your characters and make a collage of all their favorite things.
7. Make a list of all the things you have yet to do on your novel.
8. People watch, looking at specific traits—how do people walk, use their hands when they talk, dress for the pool.
9. Write your synopsis. For you, not the one that you are going to send out on submission.
10. Meet a writer friend for coffee and commiserate together. At least talk a little about your book so that this counts as doing something.
11. Do something your character is going to do in your story. Then describe it using all your senses.

Poolside, while my kids are learning not to drown, I’ve been reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. (Yes, for the first time. I may be the only writer I know who hasn’t read this book.) Towards the end of the book she warns that getting published probably won’t be the thing you think it is and that….

 …you figure out that the real payoff is the writing itself, that a day when you have gotten your work done is a good day, that total dedication is the point.