Is writing a full time job? (note: this post was lost for 18 months)

Answer - partially - of course it can be full time: writing will take up as much of your time as you give it; it is a hungry beast that will consume each and every waking hour if you let it. But it can also be a fickle creature, turning its back on your precious time and hiding away, leaving you staring at the blank page, the flashing cursor, hands stilled. But then 'job' is the questionable part; very few writers make enough money to live from writing alone.

2020 and 2021 were been a funny old year; many of us working reduced hours, others finding our hours extended, still more completely out of work. For some, it was a writer's dream - 'furloughed' from work meaning they had hours on end to dedicate to writing. But ideas and inspiration don't arrive to a schedule do they?

A primary teacher, I often find this during the breaks from term; whilst I do have school work to complete during holidays, there is often more time for me to dedicate to writing. A luxury in comparison to the 11-12 hour days I work during term time. During the summer, I was able to find the time to sit down to do some writing, but (especially during August) found myself lacking in inspiration and motivation, so my determination to develop a better habit and routine for writing has not yet been realised.

School is back in now (pandemic notwithstanding) and settling back in to those long days, days which have been extended by arrangements needing to be made for the pandemic, has taken its toll on my writing time. Don't get me wrong; I love my job, but it is very draining on many levels.

So this was the first weekend (23/01/2022) I have had the time or motivation to sit back down at the lap top and turn my attention to some writing (or reading for my course) and as I sit down, headphones on, hands on the keyboard, I feel a sense of calm I haven't felt since about June 2021.

I am looking forward to losing myself for a few hours in one of my Weired worlds - a familiar one, or a new one perhaps. I can feel little ideas poking at the edges of my mind and I am almost frustrated that it is now - a Sunday in term time when I have other demands on my time - that the creature decides to come back around.