Routine

I'm reading more and more about writer's and their routines for writing. And it got me thinking: how can something so creative, such as being a novelist, be confined to a routine? This got me thinking about my own routine (or lack of routine). 

For me, I have no real routine when it comes to my writing. I don't get up at a certain time in the morning. I get up whenever I have to get up, which usually is about an hour before I have to be anywhere so I can quickly jump in the shower and bolt out the door. I should really change this as it means I hardly ever eat breakfast and it starts my mornings off in a frantic way. 

I do write my three pages every morning (about 750 words) which is pretty much me vomiting up whatever comes to mind. My morning pages aren't any sort of creative inspiration. I just write whatever comes to mind. Over the past few days, I've realized that those morning pages are mostly my whining that I don't have enough time, that life is hard, and that I need to get over myself. They aren't really helpful except that they get all that negativity out of my brain first thing so I don't have to think about it any longer. I suppose, having said that, that they are helpful in a way. 

Sometimes I get writing done during the day, other times nothing creative hits paper. I suppose that's a side effect of working three jobs. But it is NO excuse. I should find time, and I know that's a bad thing that I don't. I have plenty of opportunity to get writing done during the day, however, my brain chooses to spend it doing stupid mundane things like browsing YouTube or playing with the dog. Stupid things, well, maybe not all stupid. At least things that are not taking me closer to my goal.

My goal, which I want so much, is to be a writer: a published, successful writer. I need to buck up and start taking more steps towards that. I have ideas that need to be put down on paper and I have stories that need to be flushed out. I have things to do and new worlds to discover.

So! Writing goes to the top of my list. Sleep to the bottom. We'll see how long that lasts.

My Top 10 Signs That Work is Consuming Your Life

Below are the signs and symptoms that have been cropping up recently that are warning me that I am working too much/not spending enough time on the things that matter: 

1. I get excited when family or friends say "hi" on Google Chat or Facebook Messenger because it's the only real quality people time I get during the day. 
2. I constantly think that Saturday is Friday and Sunday is Saturday and get thoroughly confused on Monday. 
3. My main mode of communication with my husband is text message reminders or lists via email. 
4. My dog is no longer excited when I get home. She just gives me the "oh, you're here again" look.
5. The cats are excited when I get home.
6. My "free time" is spent getting ready for the next day of work.
7. I'm reading nothing but self-help books on organization and time management.
8. I get up before the sun rises and go to bed four to six hours after the sun has set.
9. I can't remember the last time a morning started without an alarm.
10. Coffee in the morning is no longer something I enjoy but something that is necessary.

Happy New Year!

New Year!

It always seems like a great swipe to blank out a slate that may or may not be filled with decisions that I'd rather not relive. I like the idea of starting anew but dislike the fact that I always feel like I need to wait for the New Year to start. It's almost as if my brain resets itself once that clock rolls over to midnight on January 1st.

This year, as usual, I made my resolutions. This year, unlike last year, I have a pretty decent plan to make this work. And, having been working three jobs while studying and maintaining a house (though maintaining is loosely used in this context) I feel like I just might have the willpower to finish, complete, or fully tackle the resolutions at hand. 

My list is below:

1. Cut out soda COMPLETELY.
2. Drop weight (this is always on my list but #1 should significantly help)
3. Read one classic novel per month (I'll list my list of novels later)
4. Go to the gym 3-4 times per week
5. Complete and Win NaNoWriMo 2013, Camp NaNoWriMo both months
6. Finish my MTE course on time (with a deadline of April 27, 2013)
7. Write every day (I'm shooting for 1-3 hours)
8. Pay off credit card and accumulate no new debt
9. Get published (in progress)
10. Pay down my new car (we won't be able to pay it off completely but we can make a decent dent)

As per my #3 Resolution, the novels I am tackling are listed below: 

January: Anna Karenina
February: Emma
March: Dante's Inferno
April: Finnegan's Wake
May: Tess of the d'Urbervilles
June: Les Miserables
July: Gone with the Wind
August: War and Peace
September: Bleak House
October: Nicholas Nickleby
November: Vanity Fair
December: War of the Worlds and 1984

So, those are my goals. Good luck to anyone else who will be pursuing their New Year's resolutions as well!