I find a spot in the glider in the morning, before the sun heats everything up. Okay, it’s before breakfast, none of my Writing Sisters are up, and it’s peaceful, listening to the river. We’ve been spending some time just enjoying being here for another year. Listening to the river in the quiet of the morning is one of the best parts.
The glider creaks as a weight settles beside me and sets the glider in motion. “Enjoying your stay, love?” My Muse rests an arm on the back of the glider behind me.
“Always.” I indicate the new addition to the options for hanging out by the river.
“I noticed you’ve been taking advantage of the hammock. You were out here yesterday when my Sisters wrote my novella for me, weren’t you? And I’m sure you didn’t encourage them at all,” I add with a huge dose of sarcasm.
He leans toward me. “It’s good for you. Besides, it’ll be a great novella.”
I can’t hold back a sigh. “Yes, it will be. And when am I supposed to work on this novella? I want to get Book 3 brainstormed and put together a timeline before NaNo this year. Besides, I’m sure that’ll be the next request from my agent. Oh, and that’s besides getting my police procedural shaped up. And you’re not helping with the whole urban fantasy project, which you know damn well I can’t focus on until I get through the procedural, my rural mystery, and Book 3.”
He shifts his arm to my shoulders and slides closer. His chuckle vibrates through him. “You’ve been receptive the past few weeks. I’m just making sure you’ve got enough creative energy to get some stuff finished.”
“Uh-huh. I don’t think creative energy is the problem at this point. It’s time. Can you slow down time so I can finish all these projects I have going?”
“I’m good, love, but that’s out of my jurisdiction.”
“Meaning, you could, but you don’t have permission?”
He hesitates for a long while. The gurgle of the river fills the quiet morning air. “I can’t slow down actual time. I can just make it feel like you have the time.”
“Oh, like when I’m on a roll and before I know it three hours have passed and I’ve written 5,000 words? When I’m so focused on writing that I don’t pay attention to anything else?”
“Exactly.”
Which is good, because that’s when I’m most productive, but it doesn’t put the rest of the stuff I need to get done on hold. I just have less time to do the other stuff.
We’ve been having a wonderful reunion retreat again this year. I always get so inspired when we gather. Time to get back to writing!
Have a wonderful writing week, everyone!
Facets of a Muse 
August 6, 2022 at 8:01 am
I like that way of thinking about it, Julie. We don’t always have control over the demands on our time. But we do have control over how we cope with pressures, with the time available to us, and so on. It’s not a question of ‘making time for writing’ as much as it is organizing yourself so that writing gets done. Well, anyway, that’s what works for me.
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August 8, 2022 at 6:20 am
So true, Margot! We do have control over how we handle the time available–well, to an extent. Part of me can’t wait until I can retire so I can spend those 40hrs a week writing *my* stuff rather than work stuff.
Have a wonderful writing week!
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August 6, 2022 at 11:15 am
That is the most beautiful swing in that first pic! Poor Zoey looks sad like she missed you. 😦
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August 8, 2022 at 6:22 am
That swing is the best! Right on the bank of the river, and it sounds so lovely with the gurgling and the birds (all except for those darn blue jays and crows that squawk!). I got home, and Zoey looked at me like: “where were you? Oh, never mind. Just pet me a few times, but not too many.”
Have an awesome week, Betsy!
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August 8, 2022 at 9:41 am
Ha! Ah, Zoey… 🙂 Meow!
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