I Should Be Writing Right Now

They certainly do

It's been one week since I've come back from Swanwick, and returning to work has brought with it the infamous "Post-Swanwick Blues" - sitting at a desk wishing I was writing.

I'm going to annoy a lot of writers by making use of the phrase "I'd love to write - if only I had the time." I know, if you don't have the time, you make the time. However, I'd like to lend my own perspective on that grating phrase. I think I've established that I'm a notorious procrastinator (what writer isn't?), but if I do start writing, I can keep the ideas flowing for a while in ideal conditions.

Since I'm not published or writing commercially, I have a job; I'm an accountant by trade. It seems like a nice idea; on top of the fact that I'm earning, it gives me some insight on how people interact, which can provide some material for my work. 

Unfortunately, it's not always ideal. My previous role was four days a week - having Fridays off was great for working on writing. However, I changed jobs at the beginning of the year, and this one's five days a week in a much busier role. So, I have to make time, but if I do manage to write in the evenings, I don't get any sleep. Time's one thing, but energy's another. The busier times of year can get very numbing, and I've found that if I go too long without writing much then I often start getting night terrors.

Well, let's look at it from the other side - if I don't have a job. Those times are great for catching up on lost sleep, but then I'm being pressured to find a job. I like to ignore the phone when I'm writing, because I find it difficult to get the words flowing if I'm interrupted. If I'm looking for a job, I'm expecting calls from people, so I'm doing less writing.

So, I think a compromise is needed. Perhaps a three or four-day working week to get some income and contact with human beings, with the other days to catch up on lost sleep and get some writing done. Until then, I have the feeling that the most writing I'll be doing is posting on this blog...and a bit of sneaky workplace Twitter.

Before I go, I'd like to thank Rayne Hall for giving me permission to use the image in this post. Her website can be found here: http://www.raynehall.com/