Jenn: Chapter 4. Check.
I came to my parents’ house for the holiday, in part to go to a postponed holiday party, and in part to finish Chapter 4, which I just finished and sent to my students. I’m having moments of “this is going to be GREAT,” and moments of the-Emporer’s-new-clothes I’m just a stupid little girl who can’t possibly compete with the venerable old male scientists who are my soon-to-be competitors. Right now I’m in an upswing.
I went to Starbucks this morning in an attempt to be productive. It didn’t work, but I’m glad I tried. I really need to be in a silent room without distraction. Starbucks had this GREAT music playing, a little too loudly. And I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on all of the patrons. People’s cell phones rang and loud conversations ensued. Some huge man at the next table had on eye stinging amounts of cologne. I forgot my flash drive. I couldn’t connect to the internet. But I did manage to do a fair bit of reading.
The more I write, the more I realize I have to write. Little sidebars, glossaries, introductions, etc.. It’s still fun, but it’s a LOT of time. Now I’m thinking of taking my Eating and the Environment class up to Maine to work on an organic farm during spring break. My plan *had* been to put the finishing touches and edit one chapter a day for the 10 days of break, then send the first 9 chapters to the publisher. Far too many fun things to do in this world and far too little time. WHY don’t men seem to have this problem?
I’ve also found Wikipedia to be a GREAT help, and both USGS and NOAA have tons of figures and photos I can filch for free. Yay. And I’m organizing a “movie night” at school for the senior geology students. I’ll lure them with free food, show a film of a natural disaster (Twister, Deep Impact, Volcano, etc.), then we’ll discuss fact from fiction and Brittany will take notes on the computer. Each will be a sidebar in a chapter.
Next up: Volcanoes. There was just an eruption in Colombia that forced the evacuation of 8,000 people. But by the time I go to press, I’m sure it will be a distant memory…
I hope everyone else is being productive and finding time for fun and balance as well.
Studio Mothers: Life & Art 
Unlike you, I LOVE white noise to work. Hell, I have a 5 month old and a 5 year old, when isn’t there white noise?
Not that I don’t have a hard time at Starbucks sometimes getting in the mood. What I have done though, is allow myself to get a drink, sit down, and then enjoy the ambiance for about 15 minutes. I don’t take out my laptop, no notes, maybe a book. And just take it in. Gives my brain a break and lets me eavesdrop without feeling bad about it.
Then, when I DO turn on the laptop, well it is work time. But hey, I never have been able to work in silence. So, I am guessing this craziness of a ritual (at coffee shops) is all mine. 😉
What a good idea. Maybe I’ll try that next time. I’ve always been one of those loser people who can’t have any extraneous input. When I sleep, I have to have PERFECT silence, PERFECT darkness, and even the feeling of my own exhale on my arm wakes me up.
I had a GREAT time working at Starbucks. It was relaxing, interesting, and fun, just not very productive.
This is another good example of different rituals working for different people, I guess? And why I must have intuitively known that getting up at 4:30 or so is the only way I can gete writing in… it’s silent, dark, and as you so aptly put it, all mine. But when I happen to mention that to other people, they slowly back away, sloooowly turn around, then break into a run.
Oh man… each to their own. I WISH I could get up at 4:30 am and keep a coherent thought. I’d get tons of writing done in those 3 hours of peace. Instead, I’m a night person, I’d have no problem staying up all night until then. That is, if I could get the sleep I needed afterward! 😉