The Clock Wars

Hey everyone! Nice to post again, it's been a while. Enjoy today's post, and if you have questions, opinions, suggestions, or just want to chat, stop by the Contact Mimi page and drop me a line :) Have a great day!

Wake up. It's probably about 6:30, although it might be an hour before or after that. It's time for you to get to school that starts at 8:00 sharp, and if you're late, you're penalized. Between now and then, you must get dressed in socially acceptable clothes, probably eat something, and ride or walk to school somehow. 

It's 8:00. You have to go to anywhere from four to seven classes, with a short break to choke down your lunch. 

It's 3:30. You have to drive, ride, or walk home, say it's 4:00 now. You have three hours before dinner with your family. You must do an essay for two classes, a worksheet for three others, twenty-five math problems, and read seven chapters by tomorrow. Oh, and you play an instrument. If you don't practice at least an hour every day, your grade suffers for it. 

Eat dinner with your family now, don't keep the waiting. It takes at least an hour. Your laundry is not in the hamper, and the dishes are piling up, and the trash hasn't been taken out, and your homework is still unfinished.

And your new job at that place down the street starts tomorrow. Don't be late. And don't forget to go to sports team practice, the coach really hated that you were sick last week.

It's midnight. You're done. But all work and no play is dull... right?

It's 2:00 in the morning. You've fallen asleep three times. Even Tumblr just isn't fun when you can hardly see the screen. You fall into bed an hour or two later.

Wake up.

Sound familiar? It probably does. Teenagers everywhere complain about the workload and stress and complications of working social life, grades, money, and other activities into a mere twenty-four hours. It's a war against the clock (yes, now all of you gasp and point to the title, well done). How does creative writing have a place? Well, creative writing can be done in a myriad of ways, so I can't give you an easy answer or a TARDIS or a time-turner. The many ways to write is why there are styles, genres, and stories in the first place. One of the differences is in the time of writing, which I like to separate into two main categories, 'Block' writing and 'Spot' writing.

'Block' writing is sitting down at your keyboard or your notebook and taking a deep breath, then going at your project for an hour or two hours or longer. You don't do much else- maybe check your texts, or grab a snack once, but it's focused on the writing and the writing alone. That 'block' of time (gasp at the name, yes) is solely dedicated to writing. I like the block method because it's a good way to get your writing to flow, or spend time editing, or just get those next chapters done. Mostly, I use this method in the summer, on the weekends, or during long road trips. It's how most (if not all) professional writers create books, and it's what many people consider the only way of spending time writing.

'Spot' writing is a way not everyone considers. 'Spot' writing is pulling out your notebook or smartphone to make whatever progress you can in a very small amount of time. You may just jot down a dialogue, or describe only one character, or scribble out a plot idea for later. These little 'spots' of time (title again, gasp away) are small windows of opportunity! I carry my smartphone with me just about all the time, and it has a Google docs app. That means I can access my projects and work on them anywhere. It may be on the bus ride home, or during study hall, or as a reward after I finish some of my homework, but spot writing can be very productive too! You may reword that one frustrating sentence, or finish a scene with a witty line you overheard, or just keep going where you left off. A lot can be accomplished in just a few short minutes if you utilize it with writing instead of just staring at a wall.

So that's how you beat the clock and win the war! MAKE time for writing, in the little crevices of time in which nothing else can be done productively. It's hard, I won't lie- but it's worth it. 

As always, the best of wishes toward you and your writing projects!

~Mimi

This has been another unscheduled and unexpected post of Writing with Mimi, a blog about fandoms and creative writing and other random nonsense. If you enjoyed it, please tell Mimi. If you hated it, please tell Mimi. And if you have nothing to say, well, make something up about a pie or a fez or something of equal value and tell Mimi about that. Today's Awesome Thing: One of the best fangirl feels is watching a TV show, and finding an actor you know from another TV show. Like Leverage and Supernatural, as I discovered this week. Thank you for reading!