To write or not to write…
That is the choice.
On the Sunday before Easter, I took part in Soul Circle live with Beth Kempton and had a very productive time. Feeling that I was on a roll, and, with a relatively free week ahead of me, I made plans for doing lots of writing…this is what actually happened:
Monday. I thought about writing first thing after breakfast but there seemed to be rather a lot of domestic tasks that needed doing so I thought I should get those out of the way first. I went to Sainsbury’s and had coffee with a friend who I needed to return a couple of jigsaw puzzles to. I put a wash on, put away my winter boots and sorted out my sandals (optimistic!) I did some ironing, and caught up on some very pointless TV. I went to the garden centre to peruse pots for planting dahlias in and I did some reading. I might have done some writing in the evening but my best friend invited me over for tea and a chat as we’d both been too busy to catch up for several weeks. Time spent writing 0.
Tuesday. No writing time in the morning as I went for a run and spent an hour in the gym with my personal trainer, I know that sounds so pretentious but it’s the only way I can make myself do any strength training. On my way back I returned 3 library books and picked up a further one of my reserved books. After lunch I tackled the task I’d least been looking forward to…taking everything out of the drawers under the bed, sorting some for recycling (I filled 3 large bags) then putting the winter items at the back and making sure the spring/summer clothes were accessible just in case the weather warms up…optimistic again! By the time I’d taken the bags to the recycling there was just time to have a cup of tea before considering making supper- my husband, who’d been away on Monday, was coming home so an actual meal was necessary! Time spent writing 0
Wednesday. My husband left early in the morning so there was no excuse for me not to get my act together. I put some washing on, changed the sheets on the bed and went for a run. Then it was time to settle down for an hour of writing on Zoom with Louise Morris. In the afternoon I did more domestic things, including cutting out 2 pairs of summer trousers, before another Zoom session, this time with Breakthroughs & Blocks. That felt like a much more productive day. Time spent writing 2 hours.
Thursday. Off to London for the day…Notebook and pen were in my bag so it was not a day off. I spent some time wandering around in Covent Garden, bought some gluten-free treats in Copain and browsed in Choosing and Keeping, wondering who would spend £££s on a sheet of wrapping paper. Then I sat and ate my expensive but delicious gf sandwich outside the Courtauld Gallery before going in to look at the art. I sat and wrote for a while in front of a particularly lovely Monet. A picture that made me want to step into it and I also admired the beautiful heating vent pictured at the top of this post!
Antibes by Claude Monet, my photo does not do it justice.
Soon it was time for the main event of my day and the reason for coming to London. “The Seurat and the Sea” exhibition- such amazing paintings. It was a small exhibition, just two rooms and 26 paintings and drawings but everything was so beautiful. I had no idea that he had died at 31 having only completed 45 paintings. Do read this post by Rosie Millard on the exhibition as it’s far better than anything I could write on the subject. It also includes better pictures.
I will be looking at my photos and postcards for a long while as it’s an exhibition which will stay with me.
One of several paintings of Gravelines painted by Seurat in 1890.
I’d planned to see the rest of the Courtauld collection while I was there but everything looked rather heavy and dull after the luminosity of the Seurat, so I adjourned to the cafe for Earl Grey and a slice of the most delicious gluten-free chocolate and beetroot cake to fuel me for the walk back to Waterloo. Time spent writing only 40 minutes but with a recharged cultural battery.
Friday. Off to Sainsbury’s for Easter weekend goodies and then a run between the showers. Lots of cooking, eating and garden planning. In the evening my husband wanted to listen to Arvo Pärt’s Passio so I spent that time writing. Time spent writing 1 hour
Saturday. Up early and writing before breakfast as I have a regular group writing session from 8-9 on a Saturday morning with people from the “Write Like A Reader” course I did with Daisy Buchanan in January this year. I wrote this post in my notebook during this time and finished with the words “hopefully I’ll get round to editing this later today.” Obviously I didn’t as it’s now 10 days later. Time spent writing 1 hour.
Sunday was spent doing Easter things and sewing the first of the two pairs of trousers I cut out on Wednesday. Time spent writing 0.
So you may very well ask, what is the point of this rather dull post? I had a week of time to myself, I planned to write and yet I failed to take advantage of the opportunity. I know I feel better when I write yet I often don’t seem to be able to make myself sit down and do it. It’s much the same as flossing my teeth or doing stretching after a run, just knowing they’re a good idea isn’t enough to make me do them regularly. As with so much, I often don’t make very good choices.
I’m retired and I could easily find the time to write every day. However I have the feeling that if I felt I ought to write every single day it would soon become a chore. I write for me, for the enjoyment of it and sometimes simply to work out what I think. There’s no major project and so writing something “most days” seems about right but it’s very easy to suddenly find that a week has gone by without writing and then it becomes difficult to get going again.
Last week was entirely different. I joined Bec from Breakthroughs & Blocks for a week of free-writing sessions so writing happened everyday - 45 minutes of free-writing and 15 minutes of editing and forward planning for the next session. It was intense but also very productive. This week I will be looking at what I wrote and seeing what might be useful. Also I’ve finally finished this post so it’s looking like another productive week.
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Thank you so much for the shoutout! I also spend time doing things rather than writing. Although I have just finished this week's Substack and am going to reward myself with a trip to the supermarket to buy a cake tin.
Like you l find writing in groups really works for me. I’m also retired and my week is similar to yours though regretfully without do much fitness sessions/ walking .