I am writing early to you this morning. It’s 9:08 am and I am waiting for my writing friend, Michael, to come for our every Tuesday 2-hour writing session together. He’s texted and said he was running late so I thought I’d jump right in while I have a few minutes.
Michael and I don’t write “together,” but rather work on our individual projects while sitting in my den together. That way we both know that every Tuesday from 9 – 11, we will dedicate at least 2 hours to writing for the week. I try not to work on other writing projects during that time – including my blog – since that time is supposed to be dedicated to works-in-progress. In my case, this includes my memoir that needs more revision or the novel I started and keep hoping today is the day that I will dive back in. Or, maybe a short story that I have felt compelled to write, but that still needs more work. So, once Michael gets here, I plan to shift to those projects and let this blog be however long it is at that time. Michael is a screenwriter and a playwright so he comes armed with a plethora of projects that he might work on in any given week. Right now, I believe it’s a modern-day film adaptation of a Shakespearean play.
Michael and I are old friends. He was my writing student from the time he was in 7th grade and since that time he’s graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in writing and is now 28. He evolved a while back from my student to my peer and we both are happy to spend time with another writing colleague. We keep this connection for many reasons, but one of the main ones is that we both need time that is dedicated solely to writing since we are ever so busy with work and activities that claim much of our free time. Every month, we have a tiny writing group that convenes here as well. That is precious in its own right since it’s the time when we can test out our writing on others and see how it reads. That group has been together for a long time now so there’s a lot of trust there as well.
Protecting “writing time” is something that I have learned is important to do. I write my blogs usually every evening, which is another time that is dedicated to getting my thoughts on the page. However, today, I know I have students this evening and will be tired; hence the reason, I’m here early. As the Rowling quote below states, “Be ruthless about protecting those writing days.” That is what I do and my writing life feels happier and more stable as a result.
Oh, there’s Michael. I will end here. Time to shift.
Until tomorrow.
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