Mental Meanderings

Bad Becca & On Your Page: Exercise 8 & 9

I didn't get much work done today. I stopped in for a snatch of grocery shopping this morning and snuck into the video store (which is actually really a DVD store these days). On Tuesdays they do "A Dollar Day" which means every movie and game in the place is only $1 so I had a look and picked out two DVD's and a PS2 game. I haven't played a console game in years. But when I saw Suikoden 5 on the shelf I couldn't leave it there. I LOVED the original Suikoden and #2 was ok as well. I haven't played 3 or 4 and 5 is VERY different from the first two. I'm undecided if I like it yet. Still giving it more time.

Anyway, obviously, I got hooked into playing that today instead of working. I SHOULD have been here, wrapping up "Invalid Item" , adding two new members to the group, catching up on "Invalid Item" , and writing more poems. I'm so behind on my reviewing and poem a day that I'm feeling terrible about not being prolific enough. I need MORE content. I have the time to write every day but I'm not using it efficiently enough.

So all these important things haven't gotten done. I've just ducked into ToP to at least close the week and introduce the next week so the members can get started but I'll have to do the judging and reviewing tomorrow. I'm also going to add those two new members now, mid blog so that they aren't kept waiting ANOTHER day. If either of you happen upon this entry I'm VERY, VERY sorry you've had to wait so long already. So, excuse me a moment while I go do that. I'll be right back.

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OMG I'm running so late now. Ok, moving on.
Exercise 8:
Set a writing schedule for the week. Nap during those hours. Do nothing. Just sit there, lie about, stare out the window, be in bed, on your back, for one week. WASTE your writing time. If you can't waste this amount of writing time, how will you write during it?

Ok, so I'm not actually going to do this exercise. I would go nuts. Seriously, seriously nuts if I decided to NOT write during my hour every night. Seriously. But what I AM going to do that's kind of the same thing is to schedule three 15 minute breaks every day to do this exercise. For one week. 15 minutes, three times a day to just space out and let my mind wander, perhaps go for a walk and just BE instead of filling those snippets with busy-ness I'm going to fill it with BEING-ness.

Exercise 9:
Take books to your bed. Get in the habit of reading in bed. Read every book you can get your hands one. Court the writing life by simply reading. Reading is a fabulous way to seduce a writing practice into your life. Read naked. Read indiscriminately.

*blushes* Ok, um... I already do this. *chuckles* Yes, even the read naked thing. My bed has books on it at all times. They're pretty much right next to my head/pillow as I sleep each night. But I think, instead of watching a DVD to tune out at night I'm going to read a book. The only problem is that the reading may keep me up. I've watched the DVD's because they let me shut my brain down where as books tend to perk it up. Anyway, I'm going to try it and see. What I have been doing to 'court writing by reading' is to read while I work out. The workouts are barely noticed because I'm too busy enjoying a good book.

Right, blog done. Now time to get 500 words (min) of FoT so that I can either go back to my game (which my mind and body REALLY wants to do) or go to bed with a book. I think the game will win. And the game will probably win tomorrow too. But it goes back to the store for 6PM so I'll forgive myself these hours of play and know that it is a gift to myself and I'll be back on track soon enough.

Ok, PS I went into the community center today and talked to A Published Author! I went in looking for a writing group or workshop and they have one on Monday mornings. Unfortunately, however, they don't have the demand to maintain the creche for that two hour session and I don't want to bring Baby Boy into the group with me. The woman who runs it said I was welcome to but I know from past experience what a distraction to the energy and momentum of a group setting like this children can be.

For the moment I'm tampering my disappointment and starting to think seriously about finding a baby sitter. There is something I want to do Friday Night too but again, no baby sitter means I'm stuck home with the kids instead. *sighs*