Just came off an amazing weekend! As always, the LDStorymakers Conference delivered, and delivered well.
This year when it came to classes, I focused a lot on plotting, time management, and sparking creativity. Those are the areas I feel like I struggle most with at the moment, and honestly, the presenters were answers to my prayers. For awhile now I’ve been feeling I’m more like a poser than a real writer, but some of the things I heard this weekend reminded me that’s not true.
What it comes down to is this: cutting things. I’m a very type-A personality, and fairly OCD at times. I’m a control freak. And ultimately, in order to be able to find time to write, I need to let some things go. Not the important things. Not cooking dinner or playing with my kids or spending time with my husband. But time-wasters, like TV, internet, etc. I guess I also need to learn to be okay with a level of messiness. While it’s acceptable to pick up J and H’s toys at the end of the day, it is not necessary I pick them up every single time they switch rooms or interests.
I remember there was a time I would rather be curled up with a book or hunkered down at the computer than anything else. This isn’t necessarily the case now. At the end of the day (or the middle of the day…or eight o’clock in the morning sometimes) I am so exhausted that the thought of actually using my brain is painful. My solution? Lets just say I’ve become a fan of multiple reality TV shows in the months since morning sickness first arrived. While I was pregnant, it was all I could do without feeling the need to pray to the Porcelain God. Since the boys arrived, it’s been more a matter of sanity.
But the last few months things have slowly changed. Now I am more apt to pick up a book when the boys are down for the night, and I watch substantially less television (I attribute this to no longer being tied to my nursing pillow approximately 10 hours a day (no that number is not an exaggeration)). I am determined to find that path to my goals and set foot on it once again. It’s been awhile since I’ve worked towards any writing goals, and I’m ready for that to change.
I’ve been wanting things to change for awhile now, but wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it. Now, thanks to the conference, I finally know.
By next year’s conference I’m actually going to have my WIP completed and ready to query. That will give me a goal to shoot for.