“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:

  1. 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. 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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. 
  4. Know your priorities. If something is important, we find time. 
  5. 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. 

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