Time and a place to write is that for which most writers yearn. That and a good grammar book. (I had to re-write the first sentence to get the dreaded preposition off of the front step of the period!)
Isolation, a useful amount that will allow us to really dig in and write as we dream of doing is usually beyond our ability to gain. Isolation from other writers and writing dogs our hours and our spirits. Which isolation are you in a fight with? How do you define its edges and find away around it? What are your tools to use in combat? The useful isolation can be had by pretending it is a vacation. Yes, a vacation. What do you do when planning a vacation. You state your goal. You decide on where, when, how, how long and who will be there with you. You are going to be un-reachable for a weekend. Tell your beloved ones. Where will you be? The back bedroom. When? In two weeks. How? During the course of the next two weeks you will set up shop in that room to receive you. It is the kid's bed room? Turf them out to the living room in blanket tents for the weekend. Promise treats. Explain the plan as it relates to them. Work ahead on regular weekend commitments like groceries and wash, just like you would for a regular vacation. Explain how to communicate--leave a post-it for you on the outside of the door. When you come out to attend to nature's call and retrieve more beverage, you'll read the notes. Only bleeding and broken emergencies or a Zombie Apocalypse will be dealt with. The collapse of the country can wait until Monday. Pack your snacks and be sure to take them with you on your isolation adventure. Plan your clothing. Expect to enjoy your time. Expect cooperation. The mind-cutting soul-swallowing isolation from writerly things is real. Communication with other authors is very important. They can be live or dead. On the end of the phone or having written a book for us to absorb. Either way, isolation can wither your being. Don't let it happen. Bathe your spirit in the happy splash of other writer's ideas and speech. Make sure you take the time for them even if it means signing out of Facebook for a few days to refresh yourself. DO IT! Your writerly sanity demands the effort.
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