Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Do You Have a "Writing" Goose?


by Linda Gilden @LindaGilden


I was sitting on my porch enjoying the inspiration of nature when the chickens started making a lot of noise. I looked toward the coop and just outside the fence was a goose. I had never seen him before and don’t know where he came from. Not only were myeyes on him to see what he was going to do, there were thirty-eight chicken eyes watching every move he made.

The chickens followed that goose as he moved around the yard. The roosters immediately positioned themselves in the doors of the coops. The hens who weren’t in the coop went under them, only occasionally peeking out.

One lone goose moved in without a sound and paralyzed 19 chickens by just being there. That same goose distracted me from my writing and caused me to spend many minutes just watching him and the reaction to his presence instead of writing.

Other “geese” I deal with on a daily basis may include:

Electronics. Too often I am distracted by the telephone or an anticipated email. Just this morning I spent way too much time clicking over to my mailbox to see if an answer to an emailed question had come.

Household Chores. Often I procrastinate about regular chores. However, if I designate a certain time to do chores, my writing times are more easily kept for writing.

Social Opportunities. All writers need to interact with others. Friends, family, volunteer activities, church responsibilities are all important. Plan carefully and schedule social activities between projects or at a time when you can spare a few hours from writing. Often you will find new writing material as you grow relationships.

Promotion for Other Writing. Currently there is a lot going on in my writing life. Even as I write this I am preparing for the official launch of my book, Articles, Articles, Articles!in about ten days. So much needs to get done to prepare for that. However, if I disrupt my schedule to work on the launch, it becomes a goose.

Future Projects. When I hit a writing road block, I find my thoughts wandering to the next writing project on my list. Usually I can take care of that by keeping a tablet close by and recording my ideas and thoughts as they come. That way they are out of my head and where I can easily find them when I am ready.

Family. Many writers bar the door and forbid anyone access to them during their writing times. Family is high on the distraction list. However, I differ a bit on this view. Family is the one distraction I welcome. They are the most important people in my life. If at all possible, I try to be available to meet whatever family needs come up.

TWEETABLES


Linda Gilden is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She loves to take one subject and create multiple articles from that information. Linda finds great joy (and lots of writing material) in time spend with her family. Her favorite activity is floating in a pool with a good book surrounded by splashing children.

To find out more about Linda, her writing, and her ministry, visit www.LindaGilden.com. You can also connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

19 comments:

  1. My writing Goose is a Maine Coon named Ruby. She comes to my desk and stares at me. After five minutes, she vocalizes and walks to the food bow. "I can see my face in the bowl; I need more nuggetts!" So I get up and put more crunchy food in her bowl and sit back at the computer and begin writing. Now she wants the water in the bathtub turned on so that she can get a drink of running water so the process begins. Finally, I get to write a page and suddenly, I feel this fuzzy paw on my arm. She wants to play. Actually, there are three cats but the other two enjoy watching our neighbors and the birds from the guest bedroom windows. So I switch gears and start writing a kitty story. ;-)

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    1. Hi, Kathy, Sounds like great writing material to me!

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  2. Thank you, Linda, for this timely blog. We do have to fight for undistracted writing time, while at the same time not making that an idol that keeps us from missing God-sent opportunities. Every Friday my writing is “distracted” by my three grands, but I hope the time I invest in their lives as a Christian grandma will bring about one of my greatest legacies. May the Lord give us wisdom, every day, to choose well how to spend our time.

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    1. You are so right, Lori. Friday is your most important day of the week. Keep pouring into those sweet children! God bless.

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  3. No goose, but I do have a "writing" donkey Ms. Linda. Magic the donkey (a gelded jack) stands at the pasture fence directly opposite my den. He then brays incessantly until I either come out to feed him each morning, or I bring him a snack in the afternoon. Yes, he has me trained pretty well. Great article, and I love how you suggest setting specific times for the daily chores so they don't disrupt our writing time. God's blessings ma'am...

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    1. Thanks, Jim, I know how inspiring the outdoors can be. Love that you have a window to write beside. Magic, on the other hand, needs to be patient while you church out the next best seller!

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    1. Thank you, Cathy. Sweet blessings on your day.

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  5. Thank you, Linda, for the humorous reminder. Your words helped me identify my goose. In the future, I’ll try harder to keep “it” out of my writing room.

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    1. Great, Emme. It's a lot easier to keep the geese at bay if we know what they are. Have a blessed day.

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  6. Linda, I can't think of a single thing you left out for a 'goose'. I have had to learn to slow down, and there are some things I can't do any more,but I love the Ruby and Magic. So funny how we can get distracted, and yes, family is the one thing I try to always accommodate. My whole life does seem to be a 'well, this was the main plan, but now for plan D... Donevy~

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    1. Donevy, Glad you could identify. Everyone has a goose somewhere, don't they?

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  7. I like you analogy, and yes, I need to corral some geese!

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    1. Thank you, Debbie. Good luck filling your corral!

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  8. My biggest geese are call work and school. Not much I can do about those two.

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  9. No, Ingmar, you can't do anything about those. So I guess you will have to decide which of the smaller geese need to be ignored! Good luck with your writing.

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  10. I love the analogy. I have a writing "goose" in the form of the Canadian geese migrating through our area right now. They'll often make a pit-stop at our pond. Huge distraction. Also, the resident deer herd making their rounds through our property. I find myself looking out the window, checking to make sure they're not eating my plants. My other writing geese are the stacks of papers on my desk begging to be filed. I could list many more.

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  11. I have allowed many things to distract me from finishing up my taxes. Like this fun blog to read...

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  12. Great analogy regarding the distraction of the goose - however, the things I write are actually about the many distractions of life and how I learn more about the Father in those moments. As I adventure through life, I see the spiritual in the ordinary. My task is then to jot a note so that I stay focused on the current project and not forget the inspiration of the newest "distraction." Can't wait to sit in your sessions in May and absorb more insight and motivation for writing.

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