It doesn’t matter how carefully you plan out your writing schedule. Some days just don’t go as planned.
That’s what happened to me last Friday. I was supposed to be doing a hard copy rewrite of my Pearl Harbor book. In fact, I’d gotten three chapters done and had six more to go. That’s when the phone rang. Dad was on the way to the hospital. You know how it is. Even when you’re 90% certain it is something manageable (he has COPD), you still end up sitting in the ER for 3 and a half hours.
Sitting there while he dozed and my sister read, I discovered that it is almost impossible to concentrate in an emergency room. If all the monitors and alarms would just keep up a constant tempo, you’d be fine, but then its time for his blood pressure and a new alarm goes off and then . . . why is that monitor mooing? Oh, its the pump doo dad for the blood pressure cuff.
Eventually I did manage to rewrite just over a chapter but I think I’d have done better if I had managed to mine the situation for writing ideas. A trip to the hospital is ripe for personal essays, what the take with you when and even humor. Seriously. The monitor mooed.
What unexpected events derail your writing plans? You might end up baby sitting or dog sitting or having to pick someone up from the airport. You may not be doing what you planned to do, but don’t just fuss and fume. Open your eyes and observe and come away from the experience with something to write about.
For a more traditional how to write during the holiday piece, check out Saturday’s blog post at the Muffin.
–SueBE
One Writer's Journey 