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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Late, Late, for a Very Important Date


School officially started last Tuesday. (Junior year! One more year until that ever-allusive diploma, then I will never, ever have to sit through another lecture/seminar EVER AGAIN! Oh, sorry, is my happiness showing?) Throughout the past however many quarters/semesters I've had, my writing life has come to a relative stand-still once school started. Classes swamped me, extra-curriculars took control, and the only writing I did was in random bursts of "Oh! That might make a cool scene someday, maybe, in the future." But this quarter, my syllabi tell me I will -- *gasp* -- have free time. Not lots, but far more than I ever have had during a quarter/semester before.

(Just saying this makes me look over my shoulder at my school books, fearing they will multiply now that I've jinxed myself. But syllabi are "contracts" with the professors, right? They can't be broken, right? Right?)

But adjusting to this type of quarter has been laden with guilt trips. I should be doing homework, I should be studying, I should be reading something for school, I should be getting ahead on work, etc etc. Maybe I should, maybe I shouldn't. I just know that if the paper I have to write can wait until next Monday, why not use tonight to pound out another chapter of my Stream Pirate sequel?

Because I've never before had to deal with time management as it related to writing during a quarter/semester (writing was never an option), it got me thinking. How do other writers manage their time? I know a lot of writer-moms who make both writing and mothering seem totally, totally manageable (but I'm still not convinced these women aren't secretly cyborgs with superhuman mother chips). Right now my plan of attack is to put my life in a list of priorities, and whatever comes up first is what I attack first. My list:

1) Writing.
2) Pippa. (Because, in my opinion, live creatures should always be in the top 5)
3) School.
4) Work.
5) Um, wait. I only have 4. Oh, except for family and stuff, but that goes without saying.

So, how do you manage your writing time? Do you shut yourself away and lock out the world for an hour each day? Do you sneak in bursts of writing whenever you find yourself near your laptop?

In the spirit of time-related stuffs, a trailer:



And because I'm shameless:



Is it just me, or is Dakota Fanning a little bit terrifying?
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8 comments:

  1. Mariah IrvinSeptember 15, 2009 at 8:25 PM

    I feel the same way about managing writing and school... stress!

    Two things about New Moon:
    1. Bella looks stupider than ever.
    2. Jacob looks hotter than ever.

    I mean, not that I'm on a side or anything...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sara RaaschSeptember 15, 2009 at 9:14 PM

    Mariah --

    1. I can't stand Bella. I'm glad you reciprocate these feelings.
    2. That's the entire reason I'm going to see New Moon. Multiple olive-skinned men WITHOUT SHIRTS. *drool*

    ReplyDelete
  3. JadeSeptember 15, 2009 at 9:33 PM

    I pretty much ignore every thing else in my life (except food of course) to get my writing done!

    I have to agree with the Jacob comments, I've always preferred him. I can't stand Edward, he's a controlling, manipulative old man (I don't care what he looks like!).

    I'm looking forward to the werewolf perve too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Renee CollinsSeptember 15, 2009 at 10:22 PM

    Dude, Tim Burton was born to remake Alice and Wonderland. So, so creepy/dark/twisted. :) I love how he unabashedly casts Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in every one of his movies. Of course, I approve of his choice. They both totally ROCK.

    . . . and Johnny Depp is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Natalie WhippleSeptember 15, 2009 at 10:36 PM

    I get in writing when I can. I don't usually have an hour to hole up until after kids are in bed. Sometimes I even, gasp, get up early.

    That New Moon trailer was better than the first. I feel less annoyed over the movie.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sara RaaschSeptember 16, 2009 at 8:46 AM

    Jade -- I tend to ignore food too, actually. On accident. I jokingly say the most effective way to diet is to write a book. But then again, when I do eat, it's usually chocolate or other various forms of unhealthy.

    Renee -- Usually I can't STAND Tim Burton, but you're absolutely right: he was made to make Alice in Wonderland. It's the only movie of his I will willingly see.

    Natalie -- I have semi-higher hopes for New Moon than Twilight. This trailer sucks less than the trailer for Twilight. But we'll see; directors have sneaky ways of putting only the good scenes into the trailer. And they revealed a LOT, I think.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Elana JohnsonSeptember 16, 2009 at 12:42 PM

    Ooh, I'll have to come back to the trailers. I can see YouTube stuff at school.

    I write at night, mostly. Between 9:30 - 11:00 PM. My house is asleep then and I don't feel guilty using my time that way.

    ReplyDelete
  8. KarilynnloveSeptember 17, 2009 at 2:11 PM

    I totally feel you pain! Study or write? Study or write? Write or study? Does my family think I died? Where is Boyfriend? Haha!
    I try to write as much as possible during many frequent study breaks. When I get stuck or bored studying, I'll crank out a couple hundred words or so then go back to studying, then do it all over again in an hour!
    Good luck with the balancing act!

    ReplyDelete