Writer Resources

I had the best plans laid out yesterday morning. I was up bright and early at my keyboard, ready with an article outlined for Cow Pasture Chronicles, and Morning Pages was brewing in my head. I had pulled my notes and was prepared to start back to work on my novel, mid-morning, when….

Well, stuff happened… Instead of getting any of those things accomplished I ending up spending the next twelve hours in the emergency room with my daughter. It wasn’t as simple as the flu, but she will be fine. It’s going to require more family support, but taking care of family is my top priority, right now. Even, the best laid plans don’t always work out.

So, what’s the writer supposed to do? Here are a few of my suggestions.

Schedule like hell.
Make a to-do-list
Use micro moments of time – use travel time to revise, or work on previous pieces.
Have a notebook and pen with you at all times, even at the bedside to jot down ideas, outline notes, etc.
Assign a limited time to social networking each day, otherwise you may find yourself wasting enormous amounts of time.
To save time group tasks together.
Learn to say,”No” to unnecessary drains on your time.
And, keep on writing one word at a time.

The Daily Routines of Famous Writers (brainpickings.org)
7 Tips for Professionals to Stay Productive On-The-Go (grasshopper.com)
10 steps to writing your book (davinarush.wordpress.com)
The Secret to Creativity and Productivity (thedailymuse.com)

The Morning Call (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These past few months have been eventful for me and, as a result, my writing has taken a back seat. But, things are settling down, and I am ready to find my way back to a routine that will nurture my writing.

I didn’t take a complete hiatus from the keyboard. I managed to write a few short stories, read a couple of books, and keep up with a number of my favorite blogs, among them, The Daily Creative Writer, one of the most interesting and inspirational blogs I have found. The author, Elizabeth Cutright writes often about the importance of daily writing, even during the most hectic of times. She calls these daily musings, morning pages. The more I read, the better I liked the idea.

To say this has been a hectic time for me and my family is putting it mildly and now that we’re heading into the holiday season, things aren’t going to be slowing down for a while. I knew if I continued to let circumstances dictate my writing time, I may never get it back. It was time to make a decision, to get back on a schedule, to engage my muse, and make writing as routine as eating and breathing. As the saying goes, “There is no time like the present.” This is my attempt.

Welcome, to Sheila’s Morning Pages. I don’t promise great words of wisdom or insight on these morning pages, just that I’ll be here sharing and writing. Something. Anything. It is a start. It may be a prompt, a nugget of news, a diagram for grammar, gossip or an opinion piece. I hope you will stay tuned. In the meantime, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday with your family and loved ones. I intend to, but each morning bright and early, I will start my day with morning pages and see where it takes me.