One paper at a time.

I used to wake up at 2:20am and immediately start calculating what time I would get done delivering. On the days I would arrive at my pick up location to find the papers aren't there, I would get really irritated that my schedule was disrupted. Years ago, after totaling my car because I was running late for work and driving too fast, I changed the way I thought about time. Haste makes waste. It's better to arrive late than dead. I reminded myself of that pearl of wisdom and have stopped thinking about the end and started living in the moment.

No matter how quickly I want to finish delivering my route I can only deliver one paper at a time. Each house, each customer deserves my undivided attention so that their paper gets delivered timely and to the right location. Thinking about the end instead of focusing on the process has always been my problem, creatively and in my day to day existance. It's what keeps me from cleaning my closets and writing my blog posts. It's what holds me prisoner in a job I hate.

Now each time I find that I'm focusing on the future instead of living in the moment I remember that car crash. Slow down and enjoy the ride. Disruption is what happens when life gets in the way. Arrive late and enjoy the sunshine rather than hurry and miss tomorrow.

Don't Give up on Me!

My sincere apologies to anyone whom may be peeking in from time to time. I am experiencing a severe case of too-much-to-do-and-not-enough-time combined with a speck of creative constipation. I will be busily brainstorming and making time management adjustments over the next several days. Will be back to posting soon. Thanks for your patience, DON'T GIVE UP ON ME!
<3 HH

Tenacity

There is a lovely purple flower growing right out of one of the the paved roads on my paper route. This flower grows through the road not because it's trying to be difficult, it doesn't know that it isn't supposed to be there. It simply sought light from the sun and broke through the pavement because that's where it happens to have it's roots. Growing is it's purpose and not even and inch and a half of asphalt is going to stop it from achieving it's goal.

Every time I put off sitting down to write or whine to myself that I'm too bored with a story to complete it I'm going to remember this flower. My purpose is to write and share my stories with others. I need to stop procrastinating and making excuses and be more like that flower. The flower knows it's time to grow, so it grows. Not even an impermeable barrier will stop it. From now on, when it's time to write, I will write. Nothing will stop me from reaching the sunlight.

WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Friday Speak Out!: My Writing Time is Non-Negotiable, Guest Post by Heather Humphrey

WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Friday Speak Out!: My Writing Time is Non-Negotiable, Guest Post by Heather Humphrey
Finally got a by-line that wasn't on my own blog. WOO HOO!

Duplicity

The streetlamps on the corner of one of the houses I deliver to are positioned in such a way that my body casts two separate shadows. Funny thing is that I've been reading a chapter dedicated to duplicity in "Becoming a Writer" and it's meaning really didn't click until I noticed this trick of light. It's like there are two of me. That's how it should be for any writer. The critic needs to remain separate from the creator. The creative personality needs to be protected and allowed to be full of intense feelings and sensitivity. That critical monster has to be kept away because it doesn't know how to play nicely with the creative pile of mush. The critic can silence the creator forever if the two aren't kept on their own sides of the bench. Cage the monster while your work is new. He'll have plenty of time to play when it's time to edit.

WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Plucking Story Ideas from Thin Air

Why I carry a notebook with me EVERYWHERE I go!

WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Plucking Story Ideas from Thin Air

Side Tracked

This morning during delivery I was distracted. I had an epiphany at work yesterday, a divine intervention type of revelation about a story idea I've been mulling over. Suddenly the whole thing appeared in my head. The outline is clear, the plot and characters are beginning to reveal themselves to me and I am ready to begin writing. Trouble is, I'm really busy. I know that I need several hours of time to plant my butt in a chair and write this stuff down. I need to organize the notes I've been taking on paper scraps. I need to do some research. But when? I barely have time to write this blog post and am doing so by sacrificing sleep!

While delivering, all I could think about was that I should be home filling in my bubbles and writing a chapter. I probably missed a few customers; my mind was not on task. Just as I was working myself into a frenzy thinking irrational thoughts about abandoning the route, I noticed the moon and stars. I realized that I'd been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I wasn't enjoying a gloriously clear night.

I remedied the situation and put the story and my time management angst on the back burner so that I could stop and smell the roses. I noticed that the stars are beginning the noticeable seasonal shift. I can just barely see Orion on the horizon and in a few months he'll be high in the sky. I noticed the moon. It was barely a sliver back-lit enough that I could see the outline of the entire orb. When the sun began to rise the sky was a solid pale blue with not a single cloud. The devil's in the details. Notice them and create mental images that will keep the devil satisfied.