What does your normal working week consist of? Is it the
clichéd Monday to Friday, forty hours or so? Or perhaps it's more flexible that
than? Maybe you might even do shift work? Chances are though, whatever your
working pattern, your employer gives you two days a week off, probably Saturday
and Sunday.
As a self-employed writer I have the freedom to work
whatever hours I want. That's fantastic, but it has a downside; the fewer hours
that I put in then the lower wordcount I produce. I try to work five days and
take two days off but unless I have something special planned those two rest
days are unlikely to be at the traditional weekend. I prefer to take my two
days free time when most people are at work, meaning that anywhere I go will be
quieter and possibly cheaper.
But a full day off? Twenty-four hours without any writing
whatsoever? That very rarely happens. I know that many people will see my work
as an easy option - sitting around thinking and occasionally tippy-tapping at a
keyboard - but the truth is that I'm practically always working. In this line
of work there's no time off at all. Even when I'm away from the office my
mind's still working out plot points, considering how my characters would react
in certain situations, soaking up my surroundings or making notes about people
and places I see for further reference.
On a night out with friends or a day shopping with the
Beloved I'll always have a notebook and pen with me. I've been known to dictate
messages into my phone for later transcription and even sent text messages to
myself if a have a sudden thought that just needs a quick note. I have
notebooks in just about every room in the house including a waterproof one in
the bathroom for if I have a flash of inspiration while soaking my aches and
pains away. And naturally there's a pad in my bedside cabinet so that I can
document those most unfathomable of thoughts - dreams - before they disappear
back into whatever ether they came from.
My point is that, though I may not actually clock as many
official working hours as most employees, I can honestly say that I'm always on
call, ready for that moment when something triggers a thought that has to be
recorded before it evaporates like early morning mist over a summer lake. I'm
never unavailable, the muse can strike at any moment and if I miss it then,
with the state of my memory, it's gone forever. You could say that I'm at work
24/7, 365 days a year.
It's a tough life, but it's so much more enjoyable than my
old job in the steelworks.
© Shaun Finnie 2014
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