One of the biggest complaints about getting a project done is time. There’s never enough of it. There’s always something happening, something distracting. I never know when a crisis is going to strike, diverting my attention from my writing
With this in mind I’ve learned to seize the moment. When a chance comes to write, I grab it. I carry a notebook and a mechanical pencil with me wherever I go. I try to keep my current projects in mind. It’s only too easy for them to get buried beneath a pile of thoughts and anxieties about everything I need to do. I’ve come up with some quick ways to remember what I’m working on.
Sometimes it’s a key word, but the most effective way of recalling the project for me is a piece of music or a lyric from a song. I recall the music, the lyric, and the projects pops into my mind. Sometimes I’ve picked out something which makes me think of a specific scene, character of conflict that I’m working on. Whenever I hum the song under my breath, I find myself thinking of those particular story elements.
Once I’ve snatched my moment from whatever time of the day or break I’ve taken, I start writing about them. There’s no need to worry if I’m not in the mood. I’ll get into it once I get going. In fact, it can be hard to tear myself away once I’m into the full swing of the story. The moment will come to an end and I’ll have to get back to everything else demanding my attention.
I’ve learned to quit on a high note, a moment of tension. This way it’ll be easier to pick up on that tension when I return to the story, returning to the plot and the characters.
How about you, dear reader? How often have you seized a moment to write in spite of a lack of time? How did you get yourself going? How did you stop and later return to the story?