As I write this I am going through a kind of conundrum. I have finally, after almost 30 years, found a space in which I can write to my heart's content. All those thoughts and ideas and stories (of which I still have track of hundreds of characters) finally have chance to be revealed.
The conundrum is, where to start? I have a few writing competitions I am in the process of entering. Poems come to mind almost daily. Some of my school friends who managed to get on my friends list of facebook may remember the only significant thing I achieved was the school poetry prize. Back then a 17 year old Seb wrote furiously. I wrote poems, I wrote songs, short stories, longer prose. I may have missed it but when I took my GCSEs and even my A-level in English there wasn't really any talk about the three act structure.
Sure, we read the classics. I remember sitting down in my study with a copy of Wuthering Heights (here). Relaxing into my chair and starting to read. It was a compelling read, sometimes difficult as I recognised not just scenes but people. Not long prior to this I had been hiking in the Yorkshire Moors during a Summer holiday. On this overcast September day, the beginning of my A-level year, sitting in my new study, my mind was instantly brought back to those Yorkshire Moors. My problem was there was no explanation of how it was done. We looked at the authors life and guessed at why she had written it the way she had. There was almost no exposition into the how though. As far as I remember. Emily Bronte was one of many writers we looked at.
Back to my conundrum. How to present all these stories in my head, and in my computer, the cloud, etc., So I am also reading avidly, not just fictional books, but books on writing fiction. Some of these non-fiction books contradict each other which doesn't help.
Another part of the conundrum is income. It's great to write, but my landlord won't take a story in payment for rent, neither will Tesco (yes we have Tesco out here in Thailand). My goal, therefore, is to have at least three to four printable books ready to go before my savings dry up.
It's also a question of having to direct my time accordingly. Those of you who write for a living know this already. For those who don't yet do this, I am just hoping to give an insight into some of the things I need to think about.
Studying, the art of writing really is a constant learning curve, as is any art.
Looking after my health. Sitting down all day is not good for me.
Taking time to read other writers.
Taking time to enjoy my reading, and of course my writing.
Socialising and connecting with human beings, not just computers.
Some form of income (I haven't managed this yet, but will do soon).
Allowing time for meditation is a big one for me, you may or may not believe in this. I also spend time goal setting and working on trying to iron out 'the kinks' I have gained in my character through life. All in all this is a full day. I get up at 03:30 and don't really have much free time until after dinner about 1830. (yes I am currently on three meals a day until my health gets back to normal then I will probably drop back down to two and maybe one). I also have to battle the regular things we all battle with in everyday life.
I haven't diverted from my original topic. All of this is part of my conundrum, where to fill my time. I'm sure this will change and some areas will get more of my attention than others as my monthly goals change. For the moment though studying and honing my writing is a big part of my time.
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
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