What a sexy headline! (Not!)
Since leaving my full-time staff position at the Guild, I've been engaged in what can best be described as a tug of war between various forces in my life and in my head which can be broken down into two opposing camps:
Team A
All the things which encourage my prolific nature and...
Team B:
All that which would keep me away from the most difficult part of writing.
And just to see if you've been listening to me for all these years... let's refresh.
Roland: What's the most difficult part of writing again?
[sounds of you collectively shouting at your screens]
That's right. Sitting one's butt down in the chair to actually begin.
My good friend and inspiration, Amy Friedman once showed me her system for imposing writing and editing her various projects into her weekly calendar. I was so impressed with the idea of treating one's own writing with the same commitment one might make to a day job. Once she pointed that out to me it seemed obvious. But I cannot tell you how much time I've wasted by thinking of my own creative work as play rather than work. It's an easy mistake to make, of course, because the irony is that when the work is going well, it feels a lot like play. But if you're a professional, you'd better be dead serious about making time and mental space in which to ignite that play.
Last year I discovered something about myself. I resist rules and structure. But of course, like everyone, I need rules and structure. Nevertheless, it's built into my DNA that I get a little thrill every time I decide to assert my independence and do something other than what was planned and expected. It doesn't matter much whether the imposed rules were entirely of my own making. I still can hardly go a week without breaking one of my own rules.
So for a while I struggled to find a way to set down firm commitments to my own work in my weekly schedule. At first, I found myself setting aside blocks of time for specific projects. So, for example, on Tuesday, I might open my calendar and find a 3 hour window blocked off for work on a chapter of a book I'm writing. On the next day, I might have an hour of songwriting down from 10AM to 11AM. What I quickly discovered was that I just couldn't shake the rebel in me. Seeing songwriting at a certain hour, I found myself longing to get back to that chapter. And vice versa.
What on earth was I to do?!
Cue, my amazing technicolor index card system! Using a stack of multicolored index cards and a box and a basket, I have arrived at a wonderful productivity tracking system that balances my need for structure with my need to be my own impulsive captain. In my next post, I'll break it down for you and even provide a little video. Stay tuned!
