Hope all the dad's out there had a nice day. I got my hubby a couple of DVD's. I got him "Heartbreak Ridge" and the 4th season of "Home Improvement." He loves the first opening scenes of "Heartbreak Ridge" and knows the dialogue. Lucky me.
So yesterday was basically the beginning of summer break and it went well. I told the kids breakfast would be served at a certain time and gave them a choice of what they could eat. Same went for lunch and dinner. I gave them a time that I wanted them to work on cleaning their rooms and getting their laundry sorted. For the girls, I told them they could play in the sprinklers at a certain time. We're going to the library today and I gave them a time for that.
I never realized how structure provides such security for kids. I thought they would be more content with freedom. I'm sure the teachers out there are saying "DUH!" I wish I'd realized this earlier. Ah well. We are planning a trip to the zoo next week so my daughter is getting excited and starting to ask about the animals she'll see. For some reason she got on a cleaning kick yesterday and started cleaning. She went through a whole bottle of Swiffer solution when she mopped the floors upstairs. Yikes.
Now I need to work on structure for myself. I've got the housecleaning thing down, but not the writing. I give myself a schedule for everything else, why can't I do so with my writing? The "artist" in me is trying to "feel" the time to write. I suppose I'm waiting for a wave of creativity to crash down on me and flow me out into an ocean of brilliance. As writers know, it doesn't really work that way. Writing is focused work. It requires dedication and a willingness to sit down and do it. Writing is a disciplined craft. But I think the creativity spirit balks at the need to make writing time routine. Like everything else, it needs to fit into a routine. Like making coffee, fixing breakfast, washing dishes, writing needs a place in my day. I think I have a tendency to brush it off and put it in the same category as watching t.v. or sitting on the couch reading. But writing can't be treated as a leisure activity, not if I'm serious about it. I signed up for a BIAW so my goal this week isn't so much to crank out lots of pages but to make writing a part of my daily routine.
Here is something interesting I found. An agent weighs in on the "writing from your heart" theory which writers struggle with. You can see his comments over at Wylie-Merrick.
