Being interrupted

One of the great skills I learnt when I worked for the local City Council – a fairly minor cog in a large organisation – was that it was possible to be interrupted fairly regularly and still get my brain straight back onto the job I’d been doing. 

Interruptions of all kinds get in the way of writing. And our concern is that we’ll lose that impetus and that thought we were in the middle of. But the brain copes. 

I’m sure all would-be, fledgling, and persevering writers have all read stuff about setting aside a certain part of the day for writing and nothing but writing. 

Some suggest first thing in the morning. In my case that’s the best time for me to be spending time reading my Bible and praying for people. I don’t want to give that up, even for writing. 

But apart from that, early mornings aren’t good for many part-time writers: kids have to be got off to school, breakfasts eaten and lunches made, last minute ‘I forgot to do my homework!’ problems dealt with and so on. Both fathers and mothers are involved in these sorts of things to various extents. 

Someone will say, ‘I’m well past that time of life.’ Good, you’re fortunate, but even in retirement the most carefully-laid plans for spending time writing get interrupted for all sorts of reasons. Sickness, your partner’s health or another family member’s health; maintenance on the house that you have to do because it’s too expensive to get someone in; weeds in the garden need attention unless you think a wilderness is a good look. 

And most of all, if you’re still married, or have a partner, their needs also have a part to play in the daily round. 

And at whatever age you are, if you have a partner or spouse who thinks that writing gets done between the cracks when they happen to be looking in the other direction, you not only have the ongoing issue of actually making time for writing, but of justifying having time to write. 

I try to write every day, but it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes it gets into the evening and, being in my eight decade, or rather, closer to my ninth, I run out of steam altogether. 

There are spaces in most days. Take them when you can, and focus. You’ll still get interrupted, but you will, little by little, get the work done.

courtesy Nicolebrandi18