Aus-Reads: Time - The Curse of the Part-Time Writer
Hi all,
Aus-Reads is a fantastic site to check out Aussie writers! Part of the site is a great blog with writers contributing articles on everything from character development through to tips for getting your novels published.
I recently submitted an article on time management and finding the time to do what you love - writing! You can check out Aus-Reads and the blog here https://aus-reads.com/2021/10/25/the-curse-of-the-part-time-writer-by-xavier-wallace/ or check out my article below.
Please get in touch to let me know what you think!
All the best.
XW
Blog Post – AusReads
Time: The curse of the part-time writer
The incessant staccato beats. The thin metal beam clunks. It wavers as it finds its steady position, before it flicks and clicks to yet another spot to sit for a second. Its big brother moves steadily like the tortoise racing the hare to cover the same distance as the minute ticks by. The siblings run their circuit as the hourly plodder creeps, painstakingly slow, but consistent and ceaseless in the background.
The old analogue clock sits proudly on my wall thumbing its nose and taunting me as a reminder that time is precious and fleeting, yet endless and interminable. Its second hand beats like a marching drum through a loud speaker. Each thump pounding a reminder into my mind that time ticks by second after second, minute by minute, hour by hour. I stare at it willing the batteries to fail. I let my mind wander, imagining flinging it off the balcony and watching it shatter on the concrete below. I know deep down either way its purpose never dies.
I have an obsession with Hamilton, Lin Manuel Miranda’s brilliant musical about one of America’s founding fathers. For those who have seen it, you will be familiar with the recurring question “why do you write like you’re running out of time?” The simplest of answers is because we all are. A more complex answer is because, like Hamilton, I have something to say and an impatience to not waste time and just get it done.
To channel yet another musical inspiration, Her Majesty, Queen put it best when they said “I want it all and I want it now.”
For years, I let the clock on the wall drive an obsession. My own question – “what’s next?” – always thinking about the future and what may or may not eventuate. A cacophony of noise which, like the clock, told me I didn’t have the time. How could I possibly achieve my dream? I never have the time.
As writers, we are dreamers, we are storytellers. We are capable of creating whole worlds and complex characters. We have imagination and creativity that is just itching to break free, but work and other commitments keep them locked in. Who has the time?
I thought time was my evasive nemesis, always able to tick by and mock me. But, like any good antagonist, I learnt it had a weakness. I had my hero moment, like any great protagonist, when I exploited that weakness to overcome my enemy.
Time only has power if we give it power.
There is nothing stopping us from finding time for ourselves to indulge in our passions. If you have an idea for a short story, put pen to paper and make your dream a reality. If you want to write a novel, but you’re stuck in a dead-end job, make writing your hobby and carve out some time before or after work to dust off the typewriter.
I wrote my first novel on scraps of paper, via text messages to myself or in notes on my phone throughout the day, while working in a full-time, highly stressful, senior management role. I would get home late from work, grab the laptop and a bottle of wine, and let the hours tick by while I was writing. I found the time, because I wanted to. I took away its power by living in the moment and enjoying the now. I still work other jobs outside writing, but I take every chance I get to do what I love.
It might feel like time is slipping through your fingers and like “you’re running out of time”, but you can take control and grab the reins and make the most of it. Take the time you have to ink your opus. We can’t stop the sands of time, but we can stop ourselves from worrying about what could have been or what might be or what’s next. Live in the moment, squeeze every ounce of joy you can from each second and silence the curse of the part-time writer.
https://aus-reads.com/2021/10/25/the-curse-of-the-part-time-writer-by-xavier-wallace/
