I also have little notebooks scattered all over--one in the office, one in the car, one on my nightstand. I'm a big believer in writing in snippets. Also, I write for just five minutes first thing in the morning--my own very condensed version of morning pages :)
I’ve been in a super hectic time so far this month, between paid work and kid-wrangling and in-law visits. But I’ve still managed to jot a few things down here and there, and when we had a few days away this past weekend, I even managed to get in around 15 minutes of writing time which felt like a luxury!
Absolutely love this piece & thank you for the shout-out! whew I'm also in a real sprint this spring and also don't want to give up on my writing....thank you for this, Nancy xo
Oh I feel this right now as I'm also teaching three writing intensive classes (and mostly not doing a good job at keeping up at my grading currently!). And this week I was just thinking to myself that I just can't get a lot of writing in right now because it's the busiest time of the semester but it won't last forever.
I've been doing the scraps of writing thing in the notes app of my phone -- just recording some thoughts and observations and I feel like I can probably make parts of them into something more later but for now it's just recording random stuff but I'm okay with that for now.
This post is so very relatable. I, too, have paper and pen everywhere - including the bathroom, because sometimes the best ideas come to me in the shower. I also believe writing is writing, whether it's 5 minutes at my desk or 10 ten minutes in the car waiting for my son to get out of school. When time is limited, I often set a timer on my phone (20 minutes for instance) and just focus on one writing assignment. No picking up the phone or checking something on Google. Just writing (longhand or at the computer).
"I feel like I’m constantly being stretched in at least two directions. Can anyone else relate?"
Um, yes, and I'd also add, "Only two? Luxury!" lol
Seriously though, my last Substack post was about this topic (or one closely adjacent): the guilt writers sometimes feel when they feel they're not writing enough. I very much believe we need to give ourselves a break on our personal writing when we have work, family, and other obligations. I talk about giving ourselves a "Get Out of Jail Free" card we can use anytime we get overwhelmed. Sounds like you're already employing something similar!
I love your ideas of stealing snatches of time to write some scribbles -- always a good way to approach it.
I think that giving yourself a break though is probably the most important lesson. We can only do what we can do. Why beat ourselves up over it? It won't miraculously give us more time. And in fact, that guilt will perhaps stop us from writing again next time.
I also have little notebooks scattered all over--one in the office, one in the car, one on my nightstand. I'm a big believer in writing in snippets. Also, I write for just five minutes first thing in the morning--my own very condensed version of morning pages :)
I really love that line: you can modify. You cannot quit. Thank you for that and for sharing all of this. Xo
Nancy are the Wednesday Spring workshops on Zoom full. I can’t seem to register on Eventbrite. Thanks.
I’ve been in a super hectic time so far this month, between paid work and kid-wrangling and in-law visits. But I’ve still managed to jot a few things down here and there, and when we had a few days away this past weekend, I even managed to get in around 15 minutes of writing time which felt like a luxury!
Absolutely love this piece & thank you for the shout-out! whew I'm also in a real sprint this spring and also don't want to give up on my writing....thank you for this, Nancy xo
That’s helpful. Thank you. I find the timer is my friend, even if I set it for only 5 minutes.
Oh I feel this right now as I'm also teaching three writing intensive classes (and mostly not doing a good job at keeping up at my grading currently!). And this week I was just thinking to myself that I just can't get a lot of writing in right now because it's the busiest time of the semester but it won't last forever.
I've been doing the scraps of writing thing in the notes app of my phone -- just recording some thoughts and observations and I feel like I can probably make parts of them into something more later but for now it's just recording random stuff but I'm okay with that for now.
This post is so very relatable. I, too, have paper and pen everywhere - including the bathroom, because sometimes the best ideas come to me in the shower. I also believe writing is writing, whether it's 5 minutes at my desk or 10 ten minutes in the car waiting for my son to get out of school. When time is limited, I often set a timer on my phone (20 minutes for instance) and just focus on one writing assignment. No picking up the phone or checking something on Google. Just writing (longhand or at the computer).
"I feel like I’m constantly being stretched in at least two directions. Can anyone else relate?"
Um, yes, and I'd also add, "Only two? Luxury!" lol
Seriously though, my last Substack post was about this topic (or one closely adjacent): the guilt writers sometimes feel when they feel they're not writing enough. I very much believe we need to give ourselves a break on our personal writing when we have work, family, and other obligations. I talk about giving ourselves a "Get Out of Jail Free" card we can use anytime we get overwhelmed. Sounds like you're already employing something similar!
I love your ideas of stealing snatches of time to write some scribbles -- always a good way to approach it.
I think that giving yourself a break though is probably the most important lesson. We can only do what we can do. Why beat ourselves up over it? It won't miraculously give us more time. And in fact, that guilt will perhaps stop us from writing again next time.