Sometimes life — and death — just gets in the way of the work.
This week has been a whirlwind of obstacles to my writing, or even getting near the keyboard. Travel time on familiar highways. Time at shops getting a car serviced or body work done (again). Time spent with a blown tire on the side of an interstate highway, or limping on the spare to a tire shop 40 miles away.
And that’s only the car! Then there was the fundraising project, the season-sensitive lawn-thatching and seed-sowing, the home repairs large and small. And today we took a long walk on a bike trail we’ve been meaning to see since we came to the islands.
Life gets in the way of writing, but it provides fodder for when we finally can set aside time for it.
And death? It gets in the way, too. At the end of this very long week, I finally made my way to my office to write this Week in Review post two days late. But as I stepped out the door, I found the carcass of a mourning dove that had flown into our window.
Naturally, I took the time to scoop it up and give it a proper burial before sitting down to blog. Is that procrastination? Lost writing time? Or a chance to be aware of the experience, and think of how to describe it, and file it away for future work?
Perhaps all three.
Observations: I find I get antsy when I can’t find time to write. There always seems to be something taking priority.
Interaction: Little this week, mostly because I delivered little to interact with.
Professional development: Continuing to work on transcribing the original “Margery” script when I can fit it into the schedule.
Next week: More time to work instead of running around with busy work? Who knows?
In case you missed it …
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Journeyman Journalist, 1980: Coalitions and competition
Reading Time: 2 minutes I didn’t even know my rival was living and working right in our coverage area. That’s a failure of competitive intelligence.
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Journeyman Journalist, 1980: Missing the mark
Reading Time: 2 minutes A little spare time can be a dangerous thing. It can even become addictive.
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Journeyman Journalist, 1980: Things in common
Reading Time: 2 minutes I’m not the kind to burn my bridges, but I have been known to walk away and let them rot. In fact, I was thinking about doing just that
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Budding Writer, 1980: Mastering the craft
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Journeyman Journalist was nearing the end of his journey. The Budding Writer was ready to bloom again in the spring.
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Journeyman Journalist, 1980: What a bitch!
Reading Time: 2 minutes I finally realized small-town journalism was more than breaking news and deadlines. It had plenty of dull moments. Reading other people’s contest entries was one of them.