Balancing Act
I'm a writer. I need time to write. It's what I love to do and what I need to do. Writing gives me a balanced life and shows me who I truly am. But writing doesn't always get to happen when there are a hundred other things that I am supposed to be doing. I'm sure you know what I am talking about. There are dishes to be done, a job to tend to, a room to clean, tea to make, and a boyfriend, friends and family to spend time with. Where do you work one more thing into that schedule?
Being a writer I want my days to consist of nothing more than a red lip print on a decaf cup of coffee or tea, reading aloud from the book in my hand, and scribbling notes that inspire me to write on later. Does that sound perfect to anyone else? In real life this usually only happens maybe once a month for ten minutes.
I read a blog post recently written by Cayt O'Neal that got me thinking about a few things. The post was titled artist date: Water Tower. My thinking didn't jump off after reading about Water Towers but it did, however, jump off after reading about where her creativity sparks. She said being alone gives her more time to devote to her writing and enevitably gives her the spark of creativity. I am most definitely the same in this aspect. But during this artist date of hers she was out and about in crowds, which also got her blood and creativity flowing. Beautifully, if I say so myslef. The pictures she posted were amazing and inspired me enough to make me want to drive to Michigan.
Yesterday was a terrible day for a normal human being but for the writer in me it would have been a great writing session. Sadly, I let it slip away because I wasn't in the mood to do anything besides sip two new wines I'd picked up. After sulking most of the day I decided to put Midnight in Paris in my DVD player and pour another glass of wine. The beginning tunes of that soft parisian music was enough to light up my face and grin. I smiled through most of the movie. This was probably the 7th time I've watched it and for some reason I heard a line last night that had never stood out to me before. It was the scene where Gil first meets Hemingway and Zelda had just walked off. Hemingway tells Fitzgerald, "You're a writer. You need time to write. Not all of that nonsense!" This sparked a nerve with me. Having recently started a new relationship I can understand exactly what Hemingway meant, but I have been unaware of how to balance everything out. I find myself thinking, 'This would be the perfect time to sit down and just write.' 'But maybe I should hang out with him.' And then eneveitably I end up hanging out with my boyfriend.
I look at the way that Scott Fitzgerald was so in love with Zelda and equally in love with his writing. Unwilling to give either of them up, he incorporated the two. Maybe I could do this. It's surely an option, isn't it? I'm not saying I'm as head over heels as Scott and Zelda but maybe writing about who you love allows you to do what you love. How do you manage your personal writing time and your everyday life time?
Being a writer I want my days to consist of nothing more than a red lip print on a decaf cup of coffee or tea, reading aloud from the book in my hand, and scribbling notes that inspire me to write on later. Does that sound perfect to anyone else? In real life this usually only happens maybe once a month for ten minutes.
I read a blog post recently written by Cayt O'Neal that got me thinking about a few things. The post was titled artist date: Water Tower. My thinking didn't jump off after reading about Water Towers but it did, however, jump off after reading about where her creativity sparks. She said being alone gives her more time to devote to her writing and enevitably gives her the spark of creativity. I am most definitely the same in this aspect. But during this artist date of hers she was out and about in crowds, which also got her blood and creativity flowing. Beautifully, if I say so myslef. The pictures she posted were amazing and inspired me enough to make me want to drive to Michigan.
Yesterday was a terrible day for a normal human being but for the writer in me it would have been a great writing session. Sadly, I let it slip away because I wasn't in the mood to do anything besides sip two new wines I'd picked up. After sulking most of the day I decided to put Midnight in Paris in my DVD player and pour another glass of wine. The beginning tunes of that soft parisian music was enough to light up my face and grin. I smiled through most of the movie. This was probably the 7th time I've watched it and for some reason I heard a line last night that had never stood out to me before. It was the scene where Gil first meets Hemingway and Zelda had just walked off. Hemingway tells Fitzgerald, "You're a writer. You need time to write. Not all of that nonsense!" This sparked a nerve with me. Having recently started a new relationship I can understand exactly what Hemingway meant, but I have been unaware of how to balance everything out. I find myself thinking, 'This would be the perfect time to sit down and just write.' 'But maybe I should hang out with him.' And then eneveitably I end up hanging out with my boyfriend.
I look at the way that Scott Fitzgerald was so in love with Zelda and equally in love with his writing. Unwilling to give either of them up, he incorporated the two. Maybe I could do this. It's surely an option, isn't it? I'm not saying I'm as head over heels as Scott and Zelda but maybe writing about who you love allows you to do what you love. How do you manage your personal writing time and your everyday life time?
Comments
Post a Comment