“Do you home work first, ” was my mother’s constant refrain. As a child it annoyed me, but I obeyed. However, the older I get, the further I move away from that sage advice. My rationale being that I work better under pressure. A fancy way of saying I’m a procrastinator.
After posting my blog last night just minutes before my husband and I had to rush out the door to a holiday party, I vowed to write today’s post earlier. I woke up at 7:30 and grabbed my notebook. But the only thing that came to mind was that I shouldn’t have had that last glass of wine.
I spent the next several hours nursing my hangover.
I contemplated ditching my blog for the day, especially since I had a five o’clock flight back to Atlanta and dinner reservations with friends at eight. But then I received an email from my photography teacher that said not only was she following my thirty-one day blog challenge, but it inspired her.
I panicked. People are actually watching. I can’t just quit when writing becomes inconvenient.
So I came up with five ways to write on the fly:
- Plan. It’s a lot easier to compose a piece of writing when you plan ahead. Think about your subject. Read related articles. Jot down notes.
- Set aside a specific time to write. The earlier the better so it isn’t hanging over you head all day like the sword of Damacles.
- Anticipate distractions and/or obstacles. If you know that interuptions and challenges are always a possibility, you learn to do your homework first. That way if something comes up, your work is done.
- Know your priorities. If something is important, we find time.
- Be flexible.
Today’s post got written on my iPhone while waiting for my flight to take-off. Not exactly ideal, but writing on the fly is still writing.