Which has nothing to do with this entry.
Since I got my day job I’ve been struggling to figure out when I can write. I don’t want to relegate all of my writing to the weekends because I have plenty to od then (Fantasy Magazine, mostly) and sometimes it would nice to just sit around and do nothing all day. Anyway, I’ve been trying for a while to wake up earlier so that I can leave the house by 8, get to the general area of my office, then write until I have to go in (at 10).
Waking up is the hard part of this equation. I am by no means one of those people who objects to getting up in the morning. But I always struggle to set a new default wake up time for my body. Current target: 6:30AM. I could write a whole essay on the ways my body attempts to trick me into getting more sleep. I have the most whacked out and realistic dreams just before and after my alarms start going off.
I would also like to write in the evenings, but this presents a whole other set of challenges. I need to go to the gym twice during the week (Monday and Thursday). I usually have an Altered Fluid meeting on Tuesdays. Once a month Wednesday is all locked up. And Friday there is sometimes drinking. This vexes me.
I think that I can psych myself up for flexibility when it comes to Wednesdays and Tuesdays — if I don’t have a meeting and if it’s not a KGB week, etc. And on weeks when I have both, then I need to commit to writing an hour before I work out on Monday or Thursday and write on Friday instead of drinking. Honestly, I’ll be with the same people if I do either.
Which brings me to: is anyone up for writing with me in the after work hours? I work near Times Square, and there are actually several places around here that make decent writing spots (mostly hotels, but at least they leave you alone). I’m willing to go a bit downtown or further uptown as well. Inspired by Livia, I’ll commit to 2 hours an evening, and then I will get myself home. I usually get out of work between 6 and 7, so 7 – 9 would work really well for me.
I’ll write whether I have company or not, but it’s always nice to have company.
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Oh man. I’ve been struggling with this same problem for so long. There’s always something else that needs doing, and I wind up feeling guilty almost every time I sit down to write. I’m no help as regards a writing buddy ’cause I live many miles away from you (unless by “company” you mean “on AIM”), but I wanted to comment ’cause A) I’m keeping good thoughts for your writing time, and B) I’m encouraged by this post to re-double my efforts at making time for it myself.
Brrrrr, I should live in NYC. D:
Also, I wish that when I post this comment my icon will be Sam Jackson. *CROSSES FINGERS*
Since I’m not in NY, I can’t be company, but writing in the evening does work well for me. I usually commit to a certain wordcount rather than time spent, but that’s because I’ve tracked my wordcounts for a while, and have an idea how it works for me.
Getting into the habit is the most important thing, I think.
I’m on the other side of the country and you don’t know me, but boy do I hear you on this. Right now I get up at 5:30 and write for an hour before I have to leave for work. Then I write in the evenings if I have enough juice left.
I tried the weekend thing, but I wound up losing so much momentum during the week that it was hard to get it back for those two days. For me, it works better to write at least a little every day (this is also because I have a short attention span).