Anyway, I realized I was not writing nearly as much as I should have been. Whole days would pass and I'd look back and wonder, Why haven't I written anything? I mean, the dogs got walked, I exercised, cooked the meals and took care of the promotion side of the business, but WHAT HAD I WRITTEN?
I needed bionic writing powers! But since that wasn't an option, I had to become a bionic writer on my own. Sheesh!
How did I create bionic writing powers? I made one simple change that changed everything.
I put my writing first. I gave it my best energy.
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| This is not me. |
Every day for two weeks I got to my writing chair within fifteen minutes of waking. (Including weekends and President's Day. I might even work on important holidays like Groundhog's Day and Take Your Chihuahua to Work Day. I'm that jazzed about being a bionic writer.)
At the end of the two weeks, I discovered something startling. The dogs still got walked. The meals still got made. (Just not always by me.) And I had made significant progress on more than one book. Since I showed up at the same place at the same time every day, that fickle Muse knew exactly where to find me.
I'm not alone in this bionic writing thing either.
Gail Shepherd of the awesome blog Paradoxy began rising at 5:30 when she got a full-time job. She puts in 1-1/2 hours of writing every day before work.
Gary D. Schmidt has SIX children and a full-time job. He writes two pages a day and continually produces amazing books. Here he is talking at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
Louis Sachar writes two pages a day, too. And last time I checked, he won the Newbery for a little book called Holes.
Two pages a day? Oh yeah, I can do that.
Heck, I can write a dozen pages now that I'm all bionic about it.
There's only one thing missing -- that cool music that played in the background when Lee Majors (Steve Austin) was doing all his cool bionic stuff. Now, if I had that playing in the background, just imagine how much I'd be able to write!
13 comments:
Ha! I LOVED the Bionic Man, too, Donna. He was soooo awesome. I mean who wouldn't want to run that fast, be that strong, and do it all without ruffling his perfectly coiffed hairdo? :)
Good for you on your bionic writing. I've found it helps me to turn off all the electronic distractions. (No facebook, no emails dinging on my Blackberry.) It's amazing how much I get done! I usually work best when the house is completely quiet (except for the washer and dryer- they go constantly in a house with three kids). But now I am on the hunt for the Bionic man theme song.... Cheers! Jen
What a great post, Donna! And so funny, too!!! My big crush was on Leif Garrett... (shaking my head now... :) Thanks so much for sharing what happened when you made the decision to put your writing FIRST. You are awesome... thanks for the encouragement!
Ha, Jen!
Loved your comment, especially about Lee Major's perfect hair.
Yes, I write in quiet (except for the washer and dryer) too. Amazing how much one can get done when not distracted by blipping and beeping and screens of various sorts.
With all you get done, my friend, I definitely think you're bionic!
These days, Lee Majors would probably have a crush on us!
Cheers right back,
Donna
Hey, Kathy,
There's NOTHING wrong with Leif Garrett. That hair!
Which reminds me, we've totally neglected David Cassidy here, people. He had good hair, too.
Thanks for your comment, Kathy.
All best,
Donna
Thanks Donna. Ha, that's a good one, Lee Majors would have a crush on us. We wish! :)
And as for hair, what about Sean Cassidy? He was to die for, I think. Cute, could sing, and he played a great Hardy boy on TV, too. (A must for this mystery-lover)
May we all be Bionic and successful this year!! Jen
I wasn't a big Lee Majors fan, but I totally wanted to be The Bionic Woman and have a Bionic Dog named Max. You know, I've heard a number of times about writing two pages a day. I know everyone's different, but how long does it take you to write two pages?
Becca @ The Bookshelf Muse
Hi, Becca,
How cool would that be? Bionic woman with a bionic dog named Max. We should totally write that book . . . . doing only two bionic pages a day. How long do two pages take me to write? Depends on the day!
Donna
Your humor is definitely not bionic. It's the real organic deal.
Thanks, Mirka! What a nice thing to say.
I want bionic writing powers!! Can it really be that doable? I must give it a try ;) even without the background music.
inluvwithwords, you seem bionic to me. Love your blog! (Cue funny running in slow motion music.)
Thanks for the shout-out Donna! Yeah, you have to give a few things up (like bathing, sleeping, etc) but it's all worth it. I love my job, but I love getting to those two or three pages a day even more. Writing feels like a great luxury.
Gail, since we have to do some kind of work, it might as well be work we are passionate about. So proud of how hard you are working to make your dreams a reality!
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