Back in the days when writing was my major "hobby" and I was active in both national RWA and a local chapter, I gave a lot of talks and workshops on the value, or even the absolutely necessity, of a working outline for a novel. Where does the story start. How will it end. How will the characters get from the opening to the closing. Backstory. Motivations. Complications. Figure out where all the pieces go beforehand, then the writing will be easier. And for me it invariably was.
Now I find that my life is in desperate need of a working outline.
Of course, my life has changed dramatically since "those days." My children are grown, married, and moved to distant parts of the country so I've been relieved of parenting chores. However, I'm widowed now too, so it's not just a matter of supporting myself financially with a part-time work-at-home day job but also taking care of all the household chores. (Having a roommate who helps with utility and grocery bills and who does some of the mid-sized maintenance chores is balanced on the negative side by having higher utility and grocery bills and more low-level personal maintenance chores.)
Also I've taken on other "hobbies," some of which provide part of that financial support with a much faster return on investment than the writing.
I know what my problem is -- I want to get rid of my day job. It's not a particularly lucrative one, but it pays the bills. It's not a particularly onerous one, but it drives me nuts because it's so boring and it deprives me of time I would rather spend writing or making jewelry or sewing quilts or doing just about anything.
So where and how and when am I supposed to find time for writing? I don't know. Yet.
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