Wednesday, February 07, 2007

The Doctor Will See You Now...

G.Parker

I have a favorite movie that my family likes to quote: Princess Bride. One of our favorite parts is when Inigo Montoya says, "I hate waiting." I would guess that's probably a common complaint, especially with mothers.

On the other hand, a writer will tell you that 'waiting' is an opportunity 'waiting' to happen. Those moments of time spent waiting, can be filled with writing. I've decided, as one of my determinations this year (I don't believe in resolutions), I'm going to follow that adage. In fact, that's what I'm doing right now – waiting for my daughter at the doctor's office.

Normally I would use this time to read; catch up on all the magazines I don't get at home, read all the latest gossip about Hollywood that I don't allow in my home, and look through all the recipes that I can't wait to try. I take the chance to read every time the opportunity presents itself, especially when I've been too busy to read.

But today I had to remind myself that I'm a writer–trying to be a serious as well as freelance one–and that means I need to write in any spare time I have, not waste it. While playing Bejeweled on my cell phone is sometimes more entertaining, (and at times more fun) than researching how to make rubber stamps for a current article, I have to remember that playing on my phone won't get me what I want; namely, being more productive and earning an income as a writer, which writing while waiting will.

My daughter's finished, and amazingly enough, so am I. I just hope I have time to get this transferred to the computer before I lose the notes...

2 comments:

Nichole Giles said...

Isn't it amazing the amount of writing we can get done while we wait for others? It's great that you've found the motivation to set aside your cell phone game and do something else you enjoy. Good luck!

Nichole

Anonymous said...

I'm with you--I hate waiting! You've got a good idea, to use waiting time for writing.

Thanks for a well written blog and good advice.