Bringing Mae Flowers

I’m thinking of taking a week off of work to write.

I have over 2 weeks of PTO to use before the end of the year, and I don’t have any trips planned. Over the last few weeks I’ve been bitten by the writing bug. I have so many ideas for new drafts, redrafts, and finished pieces, but I can’t seem to find the time to commit them to the page. Between my day job, my small business (I plugged a link for shameless self promotion), my social obligations, and my human need to rest- I can’t find the time to focus on the writing I so desperately want to do.

I’ve been trying to carve out time.

On Friday’s I pack up my bag and go to a local cafe to bask in the creative atmosphere that seems to accompany the scent of coffee. I find ambient noise that makes it through my headphones, and the presence of people who are happy to be “alone together” makes me feel more productive. And it does seem to work. I’ve seen moderate success with this method. I’ve gotten a few blog posts and poems out of this, but I haven’t made much progress on my long term writing goals. There just isn’t enough time to write everything I want to write before the cafe closes.

So, I’ve tried to recreate this atmosphere at home.

In theory, there isn’t a closing time under my own roof and the coffee is free, so it seems to be the perfect solution! So, I plan for Sunday nights. We turn off the overhead light and turn on the warm table lamps. I brew a pot of coffee, and keep in warm on a hot pad in a tea pot. My partner games with his brothers at his desk, while I sit and write at mine- creating that perfect “alone together” vibe. Again, I have found some success with this- but reality crashes in. Just when I start to get into the flow of writing, I realize that I have to stop so that I can get up for work the next day.

If it wasn’t for work, would I write uninterrupted?

It’s tempting to think that I would, but there’s not way to really know. I’ve never given myself a true writing time. I’ve always been working, or going to school, or both. Writing has always been my passion, but I’ve never really treated myself like a writer. It’s easy to prioritize the things that pay over pursuing flights of fancy. In our ultra-capitalist society, it feels like a waste to spend so much time on something that won’t be of financial benefit. Even if you consciously believe that art should be pursued for art’s sake, it’s hard to shake the feeling that you could be doing something more valuable. So maybe if money is taken out of the equation all together (by taking paid time off) is the solution to this subconscious mindset.

It will be a taste of the life I wish I had.

Once upon a time, I dreamed of being a writer, before financial reality got in the way. This little experiment would be a glimpse of what could have been. Will I spend all day in cafes and type at my desk until dawn? Will I fill notebooks with my scribbled drafts and stain my fingers with smudged ink? Will I compile pages of poems by topic, and organize short stories into anthologies? Will I finally make tangible progress in one of my novels? Should I create a schedule or just let inspiration guide me through my projects? I don’t know the answer to any of these questions because, like most writers, I’ve never been financially free enough to put them to test.

I know what I want to do, so I just need to decide when.

It’s tempting to plan this during November so it will overlap with NaNoWriMo, but I worry that the pressure of meeting a word count may interfere with my experiment. I want to see what I could accomplish with full freedom- without any restrictions. I also have to plan ahead. As much as I would like to pounce on this idea while I’m brimming with enthusiasm, I have obligations to attend to first. If I want to make sure the week is all about writing, I have to make sure my ducks are in a row first. So, I think I’ll plan for the end of September or beginning of October. Autumn is the time of year that I am at my best, which I find highly conducive to creativity.

Now, all that’s left for me to do is choose a week, put in the request, and keep my inspiration high.