Time

Time.  Plenty of it around, yet i never seem to have any.

Thats the problem with writing a Novel.  You need time to do the writing.  Time to check over paragraphs, construct character backgrounds, figure out were character A is going to go and how they'll meet up with Character B for Situation A in location Z.  All this takes time!

Unfortunately (or Fortunately, depending on your point of view) i'm a very socialable person.  Time, is thus, not something i have a great deal of.  I spend time meeting with my friends, with my family.  Going to events (birthdays, Weddings, Team deathmatchs).  Organising events (birthdays, weddings, Airsoft Skirmishing events).  And generally, being human.  Heck, a lot of the ideas that are slowly making their way into the Novel come directly from these activates.  Without them, a lot of the characters would have nothing to do.

But the way i'm reading Stephen Kings: On Writing, it looks like a writer leads a far more solitary life.  He, or she, needs time to themselves to figure out all of the above 'writing' requirements.  I had figured this already even before starting writing.  But to see it in plain text, written by one of the worlds most successful authors, forces you to think on it a bit more.

This has given me pause for consern.  i want to write this novel.  But not at the expence of my friends and family?  not something i'm prepared to sacrifice on what is, for me, just a hobbie.

The solution as manifested itself, rather simply.

Make the Novel the number one priority in ones own life above all other 'hobbies'.

Thus time is freed up but not at the expense of my social life.  I can still head out to the pub with mates, and simply write up on the Novel another night.  I just won't paint that particular wargaming model, or play that particular computer game, or even purchase that particular Airsoft Gun.  I see this arrangement as no bad thing.  The wargaming Models will always be there, the Video game is always going to run on the Xbox.  And their certainly not going to stop producing Airsoft Guns any time soon.

And once the First Draft is done (hopefully within the next few months.  Decembers the deadline of sorts.  I say 'of sorts' case you think i'm being optimistic) I can celebrate by doing one of my other hobbies and not feel as if its cutting into my Novel Writing Time.

Suddenly, time is available again.

Speaking of which, better get back to it.  I have this evening to myself (after not feeling at all well earlier on) and intend to take advantage by doing that 'writing' business I keep talking about.  Hopefully some more ideas will come to me tonight.  And I might even post them up here!  if their any good.

If