I make a meeting with myself at 6:00 am every March morning, intending to Slice, but almost always hitting the snooze again.
And again.
And one more time.
And by then, I have missed the morning window, trading Slicing for sleeping, pen for pillow, ideas for zzzzzz's.
So I sneak my writing in - perhaps at a coffee shop after writing up coaching notes or via a voice memo as I drive between schools. Sometimes it's when a client Zoom ends 10 minutes early. Every so often, it's at home on the couch before cooking dinner, the dog next to me looking for attention but really only getting to snuggle my elbow as I type.
The trickiest Slicing days are when I work, then have meetings til late, then have a meeting in the evening, then need to do laundry/make an anchor chart/plan a PD/respond to email, and at 10:00 pm, I realize I've got to find some content, because the window is closing, and my eyes are closing, and my laptop should be closing, too!
I might grab my notebook or open my Notes app, and skim & scan for inspiration.
Right now, I have a word list:
taunting
elusive
nudge
And I do just what we ask kids to do, what I think Stephen King says is so important: put your butt in a seat, and write, and write, and write. THAT is what makes a writer. And look: my Slice is now done!
PS: I had to investigate the Stephen King quote, and you can read it's history HERE. Fascinating!
This is so clever and relatable! I was also having a hard time finding the right time to slice, but I think I'm back on the horse. I'm glad I found your blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ana. I'm all over the place, but I grateful every year when March arrives, for the chance to work these writing muscles.
DeleteYour slice shows your passion and perseverance for adding March writing to your day. It also shows a very busy person who still fits it all in. And on top of that, finds time to reseearch and share. Thanks for the link. Day 19 down! Just a dozen days to go!! You got this!!
ReplyDeleteSuch energy, Sally - the comments and positivity really help boost me. TY!
DeleteEvery day the struggle is real. I admire you morning writers. I exercise in the morning, so that is my excuse. I like to finish my slice by 6PM, but just published a few minutes ago and it is 7:50...
ReplyDeleteAh, Erika, if only I exercised every morning in March - now that's a different kind of Slice!
DeleteI'm there with you trading everything for sleep. As we speak, my pup rests on my foot and I'm at the kitchen table willing dinner to appear (it doesn't) while I squeeze it in. So much more day to go through even though it's officially the "end" of the work day. I especially like the quote and backstory.
ReplyDeleteYes to sleep, always. I hope that dinner magically appeared - or maybe it was a cereal-for-dinner kinda night???
DeleteMy favorite line is: trading Slicing for sleeping, pen for pillow, ideas for zzzzzz's. So good. I and not doing enough sleeping, pillow and ZZZZZ’s… so I need to do some trading myself. I have only sliced in the morning a couple of times … I’m always so proud of myself… and then those days I always find more slices later anyway! It’s too hard for me to get up early enough and have the energy … probably because I am not doing enough sleeping!
ReplyDeleteIf only I was ZZZZZZing at 10:00 every night - I think that's my next goal! (And thanks for sharing your favorite line - getting a "z" sound (in ideas) to align to the sleeping zzzz's took me a minute!)
DeleteLisa, superb post! I loved reading your process. So many beautiful lines and clever wording too. Like the magic of this losing morning writing time: "trading Slicing for sleeping, pen for pillow, ideas for zzzzzz's." And the closing of the eyes and how you should be closing the laptop. Very effective post. And yes, it turned into a post for today.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Denise - I think reading Slices all month has definitely tuned up my writing, and I appreciate you sharing your favorite parts :)
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