Time Management

Fitting time for writing into your life can be a difficult process, whether or not you work a day job. In my case, I do. I work fulltime in the medical field. And, as I mentioned in a previous post, I always take on too much. Failure is teaching me to fight against this urge. I hate letting people down. Setting priorities is part of the key to achieving the things most important to you. Of course, my job is important to me and has to come first, so we’re talking about the time outside my job. Sleep ranks high on the list, too. And, exercise.

Ok, well, that actually leaves quite a bit of time. People have been fond of telling me how to master my goals: write one scene a day, one chapter a week, even one page a day, and I, too, will succeed—eventually. I appreciate all the advice and can use all the help I can get. It’s a matter of choices, whatever your goals. Write a scene on your book or clean your house, or visit a friend, or call your father, or water your plants, feed your pets. You get the picture. We all have the same 24 hours in a day at our disposal and every day it starts over again. Some people will say they are busier than others and that is the reason they fail, they have more or greater responsibilities. This is a matter of prospective.

So, what is the answer? Making good choices and not wasting your most precious resource: time. I am very experienced at wasting time and putting off what I should be doing. But now, at this point in my life, I am determined to put my writing first. I have stories I want to tell as only I can. We each have a unique voice, a distinctive way of talking and looking at the world, even if on the surface it appears we are writing a story that has already been told. Words of encouragement are welcome. We must support and encourage each other. There are always plenty who would bring you down. Ignore those voices.

I have discussed Lincoln and Lovejoy but there was a third person that influenced Lincoln’s first public speech, a Black man named Francis McIntosh. He was likely an even bigger influence over Lincoln than Lovejoy. McIntosh was also murdered. He was tied to a tree and burned alive in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1836. He was the victim of mob violence. Lincoln was very concerned about mob violence and feared it could bring down the country. The story of McIntosh is included in my novel toward the beginning. My purpose again is to make known the past that may have been forgotten or unknown today. This was all apart of the history that we now live.