Bugaboos

September 10, 2009: It's important to have a routine for writing. I already knew that from reading what writers say about writing these past decades. Early morning seems to "get the worm" -- though I could never have that time when the children were young no matter how early I got up. I've given much thought to women writers over the years -- Willa Cather, Virginia Woolf, Isak Dinesen, May Sarton, MFK Fisher, many more -- childless and often spouseless too.

My committment is three to four hours a day -- all I can really manage. This morning I woke up to the sound of the radio announcer stating a famous quote which I'll have to paraphrase from my reverie: When you make a solid commitment and goal, the rest will follow . . .
And so I got out of bed to discover there was no hot water -- which necessitated a phone call, which invited a plumber, which interfered with my writing commitment.

Now I add my own quote: When you make a commitment or goal, the bugaboos will strive to stop you. For every action forward, there is an equal and opposing reaction. Recognizing this principle, I followed through on my commitment once the plumber left at 10:30 a.m.