"I am a writer--I don't cook, I don't clean."

Oh, how I wish I could say with Dorothy West, “I am a writer—I don’t cook and I don’t clean.”

I do consider myself a writer, but, I cook occasionally.. Well, “cook” might be a stretch. I cook as little as possible. I don’t enjoy cooking. I would rather let someone else cook and I will clean up. But if I had my druthers, most of the time I would rather eat out. That way I don’t have to cook or clean up.

I do clean, however. Some might say my cleaning borders on the obsessive-compulsive. I have a cleaning schedule that, when interrupted, makes me feel . . . well, discombobulated. I would love to turn the cleaning over to someone else—but would they do it well enough to suit me?

To prioritize how I use my time and allow for the development of better writing habits, several writing experiments come to mind that I would like to try:

1. What would it be like to have whole days dedicated to just writing? Of course, I would need to eat, sleep, exercise, pray, and read my Bible—so it wouldn’t be the whole day.

2. How about all morning every morning for a week? That seems possible. It would require giving up my cleaning schedule (Oh, my!), and my volunteer hours at our church’s phone desk, but, yes, it is very doable.

3. Maybe a silent writing retreat would be a good idea—get away from ALL the responsibilities of running the house—even feeding my time-sensitive cat. I think that would be nice for 24 to 36 hours, though I am not sure I could be silent for that long. I would probably get bored with writing, and more than likely end up pacing around feeling antsy for at least part of the time. Then there is the eye strain and restless legs that would result. And I would miss my hubby way too much. Still, I wouldn’t mind giving it a try.

4. The idea of a writers’ conference, with speakers and writing time and writing exercises and critiquing sessions, sounds good to me. Just spending time with other writers would be fun. If First Writes Wednesday night writers’ group is any indication of what it would be like, I would love it.

5. A writing retreat has possibilities. A Saturday dedicated to fellowship and writing with other dedicated writers, even just twice a year, would be motivating and encouraging.

How about you? What has helped you form better writing
habits and encouraged you in your craft? We would love to hear from you.

Blessings!

©2011 Pamela D. Williams