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Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

You are here: Home / not-writing / Non-writing

Non-writing

July 17, 2009 Filed Under: not-writing, writing

There’s a part of my writing process that involves not writing. And not only is it not writing, but it’s not doing much of anything productive at all. It’s not doing dishes and not doing laundry and not vacuuming. It’s not paying bills and not mowing the lawn and not going grocery shopping. It is basically sitting on my butt and reading, or watching movies, or playing Scramble on my phone until my thumb starts to hurt.

This, for me, is the hardest part of writing, because even though I know I need it, I have a really hard time justifying it to myself. I need downtime to be productive. I need to clear my head and give things time to percolate. I’ve come to recognize this as a part of my process. But I still feel guilty when J comes home after a long day of work, to do more work, and I’m like, “Sorry there’s a mess in the kitchen, and we have no food, but I had to watch Henry decapitate people for two hours today and there just wasn’t time.” Thankfully, J is incredibly understanding and supportive. When I’m done with this round of rewrites, I’m totally going to start buying food again, so he doesn’t waste away to nothing.

I guess, no matter what we do for work, everyone is entitled to their downtime, right? No one can be productive 24/7, and if we don’t refresh, we can’t keep going. What do you do for downtime? Do you have a guilt-complex about chilling out, or is it just me?

5 Comments

Comments

  1. Corinne Bowen says

    July 17, 2009 at 2:57 pm

    Yes. Yes. And Yes.

    Some of my best writing ideas come when I’m just sitting listening to music and suddenly I’m in my main characters shoes, feeling exactly how she is going to feel in the next scene.

    I am little ashamed to say that bars and cafes are where a lot of the magic brainstorming happens. I have to talk things through with someone I trust, it’s just the way my brain works. Luckily, my husband has a strong affinity for good beer, coffee, and story telling. I feel happiest in these moments (and panicked sometimes because I have to write it all down, quick!).

    It’s difficult not to feel guilty when we’re being un-productive, but at least we have blogs like this to share our crazy ways:)

    Reply
  2. Dingo says

    July 17, 2009 at 4:08 pm

    This is so true! It’s so hard to justify our downtime that’s still writing time to ourselves much less others. When the dishes are piled high and the laundry is stacked up and your mind is just on autopilot is sometimes the most productive time. Unfortunately, others don’t see it that way. I think it’s why many people, women in particular because we are socially conditioned culturally expected to be housekeepers and caregivers, who say “I’d love to write but I just don’t have time.” This is one reason I love, love, love Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own.”

    Reply
  3. Courtney says

    July 19, 2009 at 2:21 pm

    Downtime is a necessity for me too. I think it’s a weirder situation when you work from home, too. When I’m at an office and need some downtime, I go talk to someone or do some Internet surfing. When I’m at home, I watch TV or read. It feels like wasting time, but it’s important for one’s sanity.

    Reply
  4. Dianne says

    July 20, 2009 at 6:00 pm

    I have problems with the concept of downtime myself. I always feel bad, as if I should be doing something else, but part of my realizes I need that downtime to recharge, even though I feel guilty. The dichotomy of the situation is not lost on me.

    Reply
  5. TMC says

    July 22, 2009 at 3:37 pm

    I’m totally in support of downtime. It’s only been recently that I’ve realized how important it is to rest. Though we could technically push through and produce SOMETHING, I think we can produce a better something when we’ve taken time off.

    Downtime for me is (unfortunately) laying in bed watching tv. I keep a notebook and pen by my side and just scribble whatever comes to mind. I’ve come up with some of my best writing ideas (for blog, personal, and for work even) during those lazy times.

    :)

    Reply

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Glamour shot. #dailyroxydog #huskymix #chihuahuami Glamour shot. #dailyroxydog #huskymix #chihuahuamix #huskychihuahuadachshund #dog
How’s relaxing going, you ask? Well, so far I’ How’s relaxing going, you ask? Well, so far I’ve cleaned the gutters and raced Roxy to the vet ER to determine she did not (thankfully) eat any of the scrap of composite plastic decking she magically found out of freaking nowhere. (Getting pet insurance was the smartest thing I’ve ever done). I’m extremely bad at rest. Although I do find puttering around the house kind of meditative. Cleaning the gutters exhausted my body, but calmed my mind (briefly).
This is our neighbor, Francis. We visit Francis a This is our neighbor, Francis. We visit Francis a couple times a week and we all like to stand around staring at each other. It’s lovely. Francis seems just as interested in us as we are in them. (And look at that stance! And Francis’s little paw resting on the ledge 😍). #groundsquirrel #groundsquirrelsofinstagram #dailyroxydog #dogstagram #neighbors
I don’t think there’s anything more comforting I don’t think there’s anything more comforting than lying in a hammock. I’m exhausted. I’ve pushed against the limits of my being very hard all summer working on my draft and I definitely need to soak up some calm quiet on a large scale. Which is also to say if I owe you a call/email/text, it might take me a week or two to circle back. I’m going to catch up with myself and then with everyone else this time. Which I think might mean spending as much time as I can lying in my hammock listening to birds. #rest
There are few greater joys than a long walk with a There are few greater joys than a long walk with a curious little dog. #dailyroxydog #seenonmywalk #dogsofinstagram
All I ever want is an endless stream of tiny snack All I ever want is an endless stream of tiny snacks to crunch while I’m working. But since I have MCAS and it limits my diet, most of what I eat is food I make myself. Thankfully, corn tortillas are a safe food for me (everyone’s MCAS is different — so please don’t take my safe foods as any kind of sign they’re safe for someone else who has MCAS). Today, I remembered that I  have tiny cookie cutters, so I made myself a bowl of mini chips. I tossed them with lime juice and salt and threw them in the air fryer. And then, of course, because I don’t want to waste food, I did the same for the scrap pieces (which somehow tasted even better!). So happy! #tortillachips
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