I hope I have a chance to visit lots of blogs today. I've become much more efficient in my visiting and commenting. Today is the November installment of The Insecure Writer's Support Group, a monthly blogfest started and hosted by Alex Cavanaugh. Visit his blog and find an entire list of wonderful writers sharing their woes, worries and best of all, giving encouragement and advice.
Time for me to share something that I'm not worried about but do have a growing concern about. As I remind you nearly every week, I'm retiring from teaching in June of next year. From that date on, I'm going to call myself not a retired teacher, but a full time writer. But will I have the will power to sit for hours and tap on the old keyboard? Can I avoid all the temptations of a zillion other things I like to do? Will I be able to increase my production of one or two books per year to four or five? Can I do that? Will the ideas keep coming? Will I still love it? I imagine it, daydream about it, but will the reality be too much less than the fantasy?
What challenges do you think I might face in trying to become a full time writer? What is your biggest distraction during your writing time? Are you visiting other insecure writers today and sharing your own concerns?
26 comments:
I would always worry that the excitement and joy would go out of it if I wrote full time, but I guess you just have to keep reminding yourself of why you did it in the first place.
I always find that talking to/teaching others reignites my passion, so perhaps you should try to mix up the job with talks at book groups, or running a monthly writing class?
Sounds like a happy turn for you as you go forth on your writing adventure--I think you are going to love being full time!!!
Bless you!
Good luck with the transision to full time writing. Focus and having your own room to write in helps with the distractions, but they will always be there unless you move into a small cabin in the mountains and live like a hermit...lol! All anyone can do is just the best they can :)
The internet is far and away my biggest distraction during writing time. I have to have very strict parameters (an hour of writing time, thirty minutes of internet time). Sometimes, I even stick to them.
I think about this and dream of being a full time writer. I worry that I would miss the social interaction I get from my teaching--both with my students and with my fellow teachers. Of course, you can always chat with us!
Oh, man--I envy you. I would LOVE to be done with the day job. I think the trick isn't to sit all day writing, but to schedule an hour or two a couple times a day to really dig in (sprint). I think if you think you're going to spend the day writing, other things will eat into it. But if you say I an going to pick two hours a day, at 10 and at 2 that I write straight with nothing else mixed in, then it is more realistic.
You'll adjust quickly, Susan! And I'm envious you can devote each day to writing. :) Happy dance!
If you really want to stay at home and become a full-time writer, then it won't seem like a chore. Of course, you are human and will have your "off" and "on" days. That's part and parcel of this amazing journey!
I envy your chance to write full-time. I would need a routine. Definitely.
Set aside time. I'm self-employed and have been for 13 years. It's easy to get distracted by basic housekeeping stuff.
Best wishes for a smooth transition. I would love to write full time. My biggest distraction when I write is my family wanting to talk. They usually win too. Sometimes I'm amazed I get any words on paper.
I "retired" at 38 after working at the same company for 16 years. I was surprised at how my sense of identity was wiped out - and how people who I thought were truly my friends simply disappeared out of my life. Keep writing - if you feel that way, it will definitely help.
Good luck with your transition! Continue writing and take breaks when you need them. I think I couldn't handle writing full time, would have too many distractions in my way. Also, keep pursuing your drean and you can do it! :)
Start planning now! Then when you hit that point, you'll be prepared.
Lots of great advice. I am surprised at how easily housework can distract me. My plan is to get a smaller house and yard.
There are always so many things to do! I wonder if you'll find it best (at least at the beginning) to schedule in a couple of hours a day for writing. if you think of it as a job for a while, it should ease your brain into that mode!
I find the hardest part about writing all day is the lack of interaction. You'll miss the professional contact, and if you do choose to write full time, start doing something new, get involved in tennis, part time coaching, something like that to keep a balance.
The internet is my biggest distraction from writing. It always seems so much larger and interesting than the project I'm working on, unless I can really get into the flow of things.
Good luck transitioning!
Being home with my urchins, where now the youngest is in half day kindergarten, I find lots of stuff to distract me from writing the full time she's gone. I'd dreamed of having that uninterrupted time, but am definitely lacking in the self-discipline dept.
Sigh. I need to get cracking! I'm sure you'll be much more disciplined than me. Unless Sea Monkeys launch a hostile take over of your house too.
I can't wait to be a full time writer so the distraction of my "normal job" can be gone for good. Haha. If I'm writing a good scene, then I can stay focused for a good part of my day. If the scene is lagging, then I find myself getting distracted by a great many things. That's when I know something has to change. If I find myself daydreaming, then I can bet my readers will too.
The excitement of writing never fades, even if you do it full-time because it's something you enjoy. I find I still have to be disciplined about my time, though, otherwise I'll be off doing other things when I should - and want to - be writing.
i am not a member of this group--but i heard one writer friend of mine say her daughter has taken her writing time as her "cuddle" time now:)
i cant find a teaching job so i sub. i taught then took a few years off to raise kids and now i love subbing! less work, still have a blast teaching math & no hw for me! that means lots of writing time & lots of inspiration fom those characters at school!
if you need a break from writing, there's always subbing!
I think the ideas and passion will keep coming. Besides if you love what you do, it's not work. Well, not so much. :)
I'm a full time writer and I think it's harder to stay focused when you have a lot of time. You'll need to be somewhat discplined, especially after say, a month or two.
I try to write in the mornings, and do everything else in the afternoons. A fll day of writing from 9-5 can be exhausting.
Good luck with your transition. I am a lawyer and a writer and for some reason (and I know this sounds crazy) I seem to get more done- writing, blogging etc. when I am working full time. I took time off to do nothing, but work on finishing my book last year, and wasted more time browsing the internet, reading blogs (never a waste of time), organizing my house, and everything except writing. It is a personal problem for me. I am not good with time management , but when I HAVE to be somewhere and HAVE to do something , I get it done.
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