In My Words:A Writer and Time -- Who's in Charge?

First a little fun: I also blog with a multi-talented group of writers over at the WordServe Water Cooler. What brought us together? We are all represented by WordServe Literary. My agent is the fabulous Rachelle Gardner. Today's my first time blogging over at the Water Cooler. I hope you stop by and read my post: The Writer's Life: On the Edge of the Cliffs of Insanity. 

Clutter is a sign of genius, right? Right?

That, my friends, is an unretouched photo of my desk. If I'd "touched" it for the photo,you would be looking at some clean-to-the-extreme desk.


But then there would be no visual for this blog post.


I could give you lots of reasons why my desk is such a mess. I could confess there are times my desk is messier. I could claim genius status, hence this is merely a sign of that reality. I could reveal one of my nicknames: Bird of Paradise. My dad dubbed me that because he said he always knew where I was because of my droppings.


Ha. Ha. Ha. 


There is one reason, and one reason alone, for such a messy desk: I don't have the time to organize it. I don't make the time.


Right now time is controlling me instead of me controlling my time.


When someone asks me, "So, how are you?" my standard reply is "Busy."
And it's true. I am busy. Some days it feels like my schedule has my by the throat and his hauling me through life, with the scenery whizzing by.


But here's the question: I am a professional writer.

Another question: Does that desk say professional to you?


Wait. I'm sorry I asked that. Maybe I'm being too harsh ...


Look, I don't think that I or any other writer has to live up to some Martha Stewart standard of organization. (Kudos to anyone who does. And you have a standing invitation to come over to my house and clean off my desk.)


For the last six months or so, I've realized that my schedule needed an attitude adjustment. I needed to confront it. Say no more and yes a whole lot less.

• I walked away from a non-fiction critique group that I loved. I'd been a member from it's conception--almost 10 years.
• I embraced (albeit with tears) when God directed me away from longstanding writing avenue in my life. 
• I recognized tonight it's time for another no. The commitment is beneficial to me. But when I look at my priorities--writing my work-in-progress and my editing commitments--it's time to say goodbye to this too. 

Clarification: By "this" I mean another writing commitment--not this blog. Sigh. Poorly constructed sentence. My friend, Sonia, questioned me about it.

And, who knows, maybe I'll find some extra minutes to put the dictionary back on the bookshelf. Load the software on my computer. Throw that Brighton catalog away. Pay for my Good Housekeeping subscription. Make my picks for the fantasy football draft weekend. (Yes, really.) 

In Your Words: So who's in charge of your schedule--you or the unrelenting busyness? How do you decide what you say yes to and what you say no to?

The beginning of the end (of the school year)

It's May.
In my book--I mean, calendar--May is a busy as December. It's all the end of school stuff that fills Christa's life to overflowing, while filling up my calendar.
Teachers squeeze in "just one more" field trip--or sometimes it's the first field trip of the year. There are Olympic Field Days at Christa's school too, where we all hope "springtime in the Rockies" cooperates and means sunshine, not snow. Throw in the varied special projects that all of a sudden are deemed "must-do" and it makes for a busy life for a first-grader and her parents.
Meanwhile, Christa is starting to think less about school and more "It's almost summer!" thoughts. Me too. While May fills up, I'm trying to determine how busy Christa's vacation should be. Too slow and I've got one bored 7-year-old on my hand. Misery personified. Too much and I'm a miserable mom.
I've already got one project for the summer: Sorting through the pile of Christa's school papers that accumulated in a basket by my desk. Sure, some got thrown away through the year--when she wasn't looking. But, one day while she's at camp or Vacation Bible School (VBS), I'll do the real work and separate the "keepers" from all the rest. It's never too early to think about what might go in her high school graduation memory album.
But, for right now, I'm concentrating on surviving the month of May.