Writing While Working: Updates

Today is my third day of incorporating writing into my work day (in the morning before work, during my lunch break and after work). I wanted to post an update about how this week was going and some of my feedback for trying out this schedule.

My day starts at 7:00 AM on Tuesdays, and so yesterday, I found myself walking Queso in the cold darkness of 5:00 AM, wrapped in a blue blanket while scrolling through blogs on my phone. I did have to think that this image is how an urban legend would come about – a shivering, pale woman enshrouded in blankets, calling out, “Qu-e-e-e-soooo!” is seen roaming around a country yard before dawn . . . Nonetheless, this time is perfect for both making sure I get to hang out with my dog before work and also replying to blog comments and getting new ideas for writing. These morning times are actually one of my favorite parts of the day, as everything is so quiet and peaceful. We even have roosters nearby, so it makes me feel like I am a writer in the countryside (oh wait, I am!).

Later, on the drive to work, I turned on another fifteen minute episode of the Odyssey podcast. This one was the second episode in the series and was given by Jeff VanderMeer. He mused on why fantasy is important. I really wish I would have discovered podcasts earlier in my life, as they are great ways of passing the time on long road trips, or daily commutes like my 45 minute one. If you’re interested in checking out the podcast I’m listening to this week, the link is here.

This morning (Wednesday) I pulled up podcast number three on the drive, which I enjoyed the most so far. This podcast included an excerpt from the speaker Gardner Dozois who discussed tips for sending in work to editors. He included suggestions like not giving a synopsis in your cover letter, which surprised me, but he pointed out that a work should speak for itself in terms of theme and synopsis. He also stressed the importance of remaining professional rather than falling into the idiosyncratic writer stereotype, as most people can’t pull that off well. An encouraging point he shared was that work is sometimes thrown into the “rejected” pile not necessarily because the editor doesn’t like the writing but because it doesn’t fit the current market.

It is now lunch time, and I have rushed over to the Starbucks right down the road from work to whip out my laptop and type up this post. When I hurry, I can make that hour long lunch break seem longer than it is. This week, I have definitely gotten a wake-up call in terms of how much time I spend procrastinating or not being conscious enough of timewasters.

Another exciting bit of news I did want to share is that my blog is up to 100 followers at the moment! This may not seem like a lot, but it is amazing to have any readers whatsoever out there. I am ecstatic that there are people (like you!) who have read posts of mine and shared their own writing with me as well. Even having one person read something I have written is a big deal for this formally shy writer. Thank you to everyone reading; I am learning lots through my experiences with you all and have been so encouraged to continue living my life of writing!